The long-awaited Caves & Cliffs: Part 2 update has finally been released on both Bedrock and Java editions, much to the joy of Minecraft fans everywhere. The update completely overhauls Minecraft's world generation as well as its maximum height and depth, adding new biomes, cave systems, and mountain peaks to explore. It also significantly changes some of the game's most well-known rules, like where to best find diamonds and how to keep mobs from spawning. There's a lot to learn and discover in Minecraft 1.18, so here are some of the update's best and biggest changes.

Minecraft's Caves & Cliffs update was first announced in late 2020 during the annual presentation of Minecraft Live. As the update name implies, the biggest changes would be directed at the game's cave and mountain generation, introducing new mobs, blocks, and biomes to help make Minecraft worlds more diverse. In the spring of 2021, Mojang Studios then announced that the update would actually be split into two parts. The first half, Caves & Cliffs: Part 1, came out in June. As late as Minecraft Live 2021, there was no planned release date for the second half, though developers were reportedly aiming for a target window of the holiday season. Caves & Cliffs: Part 2's official release date was finally confirmed in early November as November 30, 2021, though the update would notably be shipping without the previously-planned addition of the Warden mob and the new Deep Dark biome.

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A complete changelog for Caves & Cliffs: Part 2 can be found on the official Minecraft website, as well as a FAQ covering some of the biggest inquiries Minecraft players may have heading into the update. One important thing worth noting is that existing worlds can be updated to Minecraft 1.18 despite the new world generation, as developers have been working to create a relatively seamless transition between new blocks and already-loaded ones. Old seeds will also continue to work, though not without looking significantly different.

Minecraft Caves & Cliffs Part 2 Update - World Generation

Caves & Cliffs Update Part 2 Biggest & Best Changes World Generation Height Depth Mountains

The most significant change that came to Minecraft with the release of Caves & Cliffs: Part 2 is an entirely overhauled world generation. First and foremost, this increases the world height from 256 to 320, changing terrain generation along with it. Clouds have been raised up to 192 blocks and several types of mineshafts now appear much higher up than they used to, most notably in the rare Badlands biome. Mountains are significantly taller, as well, generating up to a maximum height of around 250 blocks. Terrain shape and elevation are no longer strictly determined by biome, either, resulting in more unique features. For example, players may be able to find deserts located on top of tall hills now.

World depth has been altered, too, now stretching down to -64, which is just about an entire chunk lower than it used to be. This allows for much deeper caves as well as more frequent appearance of the new Deepslate block introduced in Caves & Cliffs: Part 1. In already-existing Minecraft worlds, the bedrock layer will simply be replaced with Deepslate and new cave generation will appear under that layer. Caves have seen a complete overhaul, too, generating in patterns such as Cheese Caves, Spaghetti Caves, and claustrophobic Noodle Caves, each of which is named after their layout. Minecraft players can stumble into narrow, winding tunnel systems, massive open underground areas, or even flooded cave systems that are entirely underwater.

Minecraft Caves & Cliffs Part 2 Update - New Biomes

Caves & Cliffs Update Part 2 Biggest & Best Changes Lush Deepslate Ore

Alongside new mountain and cave generation comes several new biomes, each of which contains new blocks, items, and mobs. These were previously added in Caves & Cliffs: Part 1, but could only regularly be obtained from wandering traders as the corresponding biomes hadn't been introduced yet. One feature that's been added alongside Minecraft's new biomes is that of 3D biomes. Unique cave biomes can now spawn under the surface of overworld biomes, resulting in a much more unique and interesting world on multiple different levels.

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Mountains now come in six unique sub-biomes. Meadow, a grassy biome populated with flowers; Grove, a snowy biome that's reminiscent of a taiga; Snowy Slopes, which are covered in the new powder snow block; and the Jagged, Frozen, and Stony peaks biomes, each of which can be found exclusively in mountain peaks. Only goats spawn in the latter three biomes. Caves, meanwhile, have two different sub-biomes. Dripstone caves are covered in the newly introduced dripstone blocks and feature plenty of stalagmites and stalactites. Lush caves contain mobs from Minecraft Caves & Cliffs: Part 1, namely axolotls and glow squids, as well as items like azalea trees and dripleaf.

Minecraft Caves & Cliffs Part 2 Update - Mineral & Mob Changes

Caves & Cliffs Update Part 2 Biggest & Best Changes New Biomes Mobs Items Blocks

Minecraft's well-known ore generation patterns have also been entirely reworked with the release of Caves & Cliffs: Part 2. Emeralds, iron, and ore all appear frequently on top of tall mountains now, while rarer Minecraft minerals such as diamond spawn much deeper underground than they used to. Minecraft players have a better chance of finding diamonds down at layer -58 or so, which marks a significant change from the previous mining area, which was around 11. Lapis lazuli, another uncommon material regularly used in the enchanting process, likewise appears more frequently at negative Y coordinates. These changes were likely made to make the game's newly introduced deeper cave systems feel less empty, as well as to provide those playing on existing worlds with a good reason to dig below what used to be bedrock level.

Ore also appears in much larger clusters now thanks to the release of a world feature known as ore veins. These veins, usually composed of iron or copper, snake throughout cave systems and result in large amounts of ore being gathered at once. Although these aspects of cave generation are rare, they make for an exciting surprise, especially for longtime Minecraft players. Another interesting change impacts mob spawning, altering it so that monsters in Caves & Cliffs Part 2 only appear in complete darkness. This makes it much easier to not only light up caves to prevent spawning but also to protect player bases without using an excessive amount of torches. Also introduced is new music and several achievements, both of which add even more for hardcore Minecraft fans to collect.

All in all, there's much more to explore in Minecraft now than in 1.17, and it's much easier to find the game's new mobs, blocks, and items, making it worthwhile for new and previous players alike to pick it up and make new discoveries across the significantly larger worlds now featured in the game. The next big Minecraft update, The Wild, won't be released until around 2022, which means there's plenty of time to take in all the sights and sounds of the Caves & Cliffs: Part 2 update first.

Next: Everything Coming In Minecraft's The Wild Update

Source: Minecraft