As a part of the upcoming Minecraft Caves & Cliffs update, Mojang Studios is making a major change to the game's classic ore textures that will solve one of the game's longest-standing problems. Minecraft version 1.17 aims to create more accessible caves by making them easier to explore, and it will also make ores easier to identify for colorblind players.
Minecraft 1.17, also known as the Minecraft Caves & Cliffs update, will take the game to new heights (and depths). With a focus on overhauling mountain and cave biomes, Mojang Studios has already shown some impressive changes in recent snapshots. The maximum world height/depth has been extended from 252 to 320, multiple new mobs are being added, and caves have more dynamic generations than before. But one of the most interesting changes is what the developer has decided to do with some important existing blocks.
Mojang Studios already released the Texture Update in 2019, but it didn't make any substantial changes to Minecraft's iconic ores, other than Emerald Ore. However, Minecraft 1.17 makes the ores look vastly different than how they are now. While it will be a nice, refreshing change for longtime fans of Minecraft (or perhaps an upsetting one for those who've grown fond of the classic look), the new ore textures will greatly help colorblind players identify ores while mining.
Minecraft's Ore Block Texture Problem Is Finally Getting Fixed
Above is an image of the old ore textures compared to the new textures that will be released as a part of Minecraft 1.17. While the old ores are all different colors, they all share an identical pattern (with the exception of Lapis Lazuli). This makes it difficult for colorblind players to tell each ore apart. The type of colorblindness a player has would determine how difficult they are to tell apart, but the new texture eliminates this problem altogether. Now, players can identify ores based on their unique patterns, instead of relying on color alone.
The Caves & Cliffs update is going to change Minecraft mining forever in many different ways. Not only do the new texture help colorblind players, but they also add a little more variety to caves. Reusing the same texture and simply swapping colors wasn't very creative, and now each ore is unique, making finding ore deposits a little more special than before. As well, some of the ores will have Deepslate variants, adding even more variety among ores. Maybe, now that they have interesting textures, players will be more apt to use ore blocks in their builds. Minecraft's iron, gold, and copper ingots sadly still share identical textures, which makes them hard to identify, but the ore texture changes are a step in the right direction.