Minecraft‘s Caves and Cliffs update is ready for you to play – in testing, at least. The first Caves and Cliffs snapshot is now live, so you can play around with loads of the new features that’ll be introduced in 1.17. Those include amethyst, copper, bundles, and plenty more, all ahead of the proper Minecraft 1.17 release date.
To install the new 20w45a snapshot, as with any other, you’ll need to load up the launcher for Minecraft: Java Edition. (Sorry, Bedrock players, no snapshot support on that version.) Create a new profile, then go into the installations tab and make sure the snapshots box on the right is marked. Once you do, you’ll be able to select the snapshot you want to play, and easily switch back and forth between it and your standard install.
The snapshot doesn’t include everything that’ll be in cliffs in caves, but it does include things like amethyst geodes, which can be mined in any cave in the overworld. You can craft amethyst blocks, which will make musical sounds as you touch them, and you can even grow your own amethyst clusters.
You’ll also be able to use bundles, which let you combine stacks of any items together, and mineable copper, which you can use to craft lightning rods that, once placed, will protect you from being smited nearby. You can, of course, craft copper blocks for your full Statue of Liberty builds, and they’ll even oxidise over time.
Java players, it’s time for your first Caves & Cliffs snapshot! Featuring candles, copper, crystals and more, this truly is a love letter to that most unsung of heroes: the humble letter ‘C’.
Try your hand at it here:
↣ https://t.co/0gQHgza24J ↢ pic.twitter.com/QVefwkPUG5
— Minecraft (@Minecraft) November 4, 2020
You can see the full patch notes on the official site. Maybe we can interest you in some nice Minecraft seeds to try out along the way?