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Minecraft: Caves & Cliffs update announced at Minecraft Live

Minecraft's next big update is Caves & Cliffs and will take players to the mountains.

Ozzie Mejia

October 3, 2020 9:06 AM

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Minecraft Live 2020 is underway. It's time to celebrate all things related to Mojang's blockbuster franchise, as well as take a look at what's next for the various games related to it. The first announcement was for Minecraft's next big update.

Minecraft: Caves & Cliffs will take players into the mountains and the various caves that are housed on those mountains. The cave environments will vary in atmosphere with demos revealed for the Lush Caves and Dripstone Caves biomes. The Lush Caves will feature thriving plant life, where players can collect grassy materials, as well as new blocks like the Spore Blossom flower and new objects like the water lilies, which create platforming blocks.

Meanwhile, the Dripstone Caves are a dark underground biome filled with dangerous stalactites and stalagmites, which can impale both players and hostile mobs if they aren't careful. Players can raft across the caves' bodies of water, explore new Redstone varieties, and collect water contained within the stalactites. Players will also have to contend with a new mob called the Warden, a massive beast that follows players based on the sound they make.

An entirely new material can also be found in the caves. Amethyst Geodes were revealed, showing off some beautiful new visuals. But these rocks are more than pleasing to the eye. The crystal shardes can also be used as ingredients for all-new recipes. Look for more info on the Amethyst Geodes and crystals soon.

Copper is also being added as a new ore type. Beyond finding copper-infused blocks, players can now discover copper veins, adding ore veins to the game for the first time. Players can use copper ore to create new structures or craft tools, like the new Telescope. Copper ages over time and will turn green after time elapses, so your copper-colored structure will eventually turn into a green structure.

Those looking to take advantage of the elements will appreciate the addition of the new Lightning Rod tool. This attracts lightning bolts during rain storms, keeping players and their homes safe during thunderstorms.

As far as quality-of-life improvements go, Mojang has addressed the inventory issue in a big way. Items can now be bundled in pouches in order to have them eat up less inventory space. Many different items can be bunched up in a single pouch and either opened up later or gifted to friends. The Minecraft development team is also open to offering up special item bundles to players in the future.

Archaeological excavations are another major feature about to find its way into Minecraft. Players can use archaeological brushes to excavate older blocks and structures and find hidden items and treasure inside. But be careful when brushing old blocks. If you're careless, you can destroy whatever's inside and it will be gone forever.

Lastly, Minecraft Live wrapped up with the results of the community mob vote. The final round vote wasn't quite as close as the first round vote, as the Glow Squid from Minecraft Earth beat out the Iceologer from Minecraft Dungeons. Look for the Glow Squid to find its way into Minecraft at a later date.

There's a lot to take in here and a lot that will change the way that Minecraft is played and experienced. Minecraft's Caves & Cliffs update is expected to release in Summer 2021. You can learn more about everything announced today on the Minecraft website.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?