The 1.17 update, dubbed Caves and Cliffs, is supposed to be coming to Minecraft this summer. The update will change the way that caves and mountains (cliffs) generate. It also brings a bunch of new blocks to build and play with, including copper. Speaking of which, you can now test out the copper ores on your bedrock version of Minecraft.
Mojang has been releasing betas and snapshots (one for bedrock and one for java) once a week since November. The last snapshot introduced the axolotl and glow squid. The glow squid was the most voted for mob during the Minecraft live event, despite being the most controversial choice. During these beta and snapshot previews, you get the chance to give the developers your feedback on how you like everything—including the new floating candles.
This week’s sneak peek at the Caves and Cliffs update gives you a chance to play with copper ore and its properties. For example, the ore can be used to make “living” roofs that age over time. If you want to build a roof using colorful wool instead, you’re going to want to protect it using the new lightning rod block. Want to roleplay as a pirate? You can do that with the new spyglass item!
Unfortunately, if you want to see what all of this is about, you’re going to need to join the beta program that Mojang has created. This means that you will lose access to realms, and won’t be able to join non-beta friends. However, once you are in a beta build, you can play around with the new blocks and effects that Mojang adds in, as they are introduced.
Back in November, it was discovered that copper stairs were extremely expensive to make. However, Mojang has since reduced the number of ingots that you’ll need to make stairs. If you’re mining for the ores (and you should be, that’s part of the fun) you’ll get to see some of the new caves. So far, we’ve seen most of what was introduced during the Minecraft live event last summer. One thing that we haven’t had a good look at though, is the new archeology feature that will be coming in update 1.17. Here’s hoping the next beta will give us a chance to see it in action.
Source: Mojang