Minecraft Cave & Cliffs Update Overview

Minecraft’s newest update, 1.17 (Caves & Cliffs), introduces tons of new content! This includes new biomes, new animals, new architecture, new resources, new enemies, and plenty more.

Here are all the details on the Caves & Cliffs Update, which was revealed at this year’s Minecraft Live (formerly known as Minecon)!

Release Date

While fans are hyped for Minecraft Caves & Cliffs, the update won’t arrive until mid-2021.

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This might come as a disappointment off the back of its announcement at Minecraft Live, but once the update arrives, it will reshape the game more than even the Nether Update!

New Biomes

Minecraft is receiving some brand new biomes in the Cave & Cliffs Update - and you’ll have to dig or get lucky navigating underground to find them!

This includes Lush Caves and Dripstone Caves. 

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Both of these biomes will liven up the underworld of Minecraft, and give a nice oasis to visit in-between the other horrors that are being added below the surface in the update. 

Lush Caves will have spore blossoms, azalea roots, moss blocks, tall grass, glow berries, dripleaf plants, and more - adding a bright touch of life and color to the darkness.

(Image Credit: Fandom.com)

Dripstone Caves will have fascinating groupings of stalactites and stalagmites, adding a nice texture and more to explore beneath the surface.

Both are also interesting places for a base for players looking to stay subterranean.

New Cave Architecture

On top of new cave biomes, the general architecture of caves is changing in Minecraft with the Caves & Cliffs Update.

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This will mean much more massive, stunning architecture rather than simple channels and the kind of expansive areas players have seen hundreds of times before.

This change could be one of the most noticeable, as almost all Minecraft gameplay finds its way to caves eventually.

New Resources

Minecraft’s newest update introduces brand new resources - the first of which is copper! copper will feature a brand new aging system where it will weather over time when used to build. copper can be put into blocks, slabs, stairs, pots, telescopes, lightning rods, and more.

(Image Credit: Gamepedia.com)

Another new resource coming to the game is amethyst. Amethyst geodes will be rare, and generate amethyst crystals over time - which can be used to make telescopes.

New Enemy

A new enemy mob is coming to Minecraft in Update 1.17, and it’ll be a nightmare for players to handle.

This mob is the Warden. 

Wardens are a massive and aggressive creature in the darkness that will be a handful for any player to defeat - proving too much for full Netherite armor in the Minecraft Live demonstration. But if players are strategic, they just might escape. And escaping is recommended.

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Warden’s are blind, and detect players via sound and vibrations. That means if players sneak, the Warden won’t detect it. 

This means sneaking and avoiding making any unnecessary sounds is the best way to avoid getting killed by the Warden.

New Animals

On the friendlier side of the Caves & Cliffs Update, there are a couple new animals coming to Minecraft.

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The first, Goats, will reside in mountainous biomes. Goats will be able to jump very high to climb rough terrain, and can attack by charging and knocking targets back a far distance. This means goats can mean an unceremonious end to your expeditious climbs - so be careful when you see them in the area. 

(Image Credit: PCgamesn.com)

The second, Axolotls, will add a new layer to aquatic life. Axolotls are predators, which means they eat other aquatic animals like glow squid and fish. That means if you’re going to add axolotls to your aquariums, you’ll want a separate tank, or else you’ll count a few less fish the next time you visit.