Minecraft 1.17 features: What's new in Caves & Cliffs Part 1?

Still getting the hang of all the new creatures and features in Minecraft 1.17? There are a lot of new additions to keep track of. The Caves & Cliffs update was first announced in 2020 with grand plans to overhaul the game's world generation along with adding tons of new blocks, items, and creatures. Since then, Mojang made the decision to split the update into two separate parts. The 1.17 update (the first part of the Caves & Cliffs) is live now and introduces new creatures, blocks, and various other bits and pieces. The 1.18 (part 2) will arrive later in 2021 and will give us the new biomes and overhauled terrain generation. 

Seems simple enough, right? And it would be, except that certain blocks or animals that are only supposed to spawn inside the new biomes coming in 1.18 have already been added to the game. It's been pretty tough to keep up all the new things in the Caves & Cliffs Part 1 update and figure out what isn't included, so I put together this guide.

Here's a list of all the new Minecraft 1.17 features, as well as what to expect from 1.18.

Minecraft 1.17 features: Here's what's included in Caves & Cliffs Part 1 

Part 1 of the Caves & Cliffs update launched on June 8. While it's technically the smaller of the two updates, it adds loads of new blocks, animals, plants, and craftable items. But as some of these things are only supposed to spawn in the new biomes, you may be confused about what you can expect to see when you fire up your updated version of Minecraft.

It's worth noting that some blocks or creatures specifically tied to the upcoming biomes might not spawn naturally quite yet. It does appear that there are other ways to obtain them, however, such as via Creative mode or from a lucky find in a chest or from a Wandering Trader.

1.17: Creatures

Creatures

• Axolotl: These non-hostile amphibious creatures spawn in underground water that is in total darkness. 
• Glow squid: These creatures spawn in underground water sources in total darkness, though their bright glow gives their presence away.
• Goats: They can be found in mountain regions and will ram players that get too close!

1.17: Plants

Plants

• Azalea Bushes: These also can be Flowering Azalea Bushes. Using Bonemeal on them grows them into Azalea Trees.
• Caves Vines/Glow Berries: Cave Vines grow down from the ceiling and have a chance of producing Glow Berries, which can be used as food or a light source.
• Dripleaf: Found growing on clay or in water. Bonemeal can be used to make them taller.
• Glow Lichen: A low light source that is found in caves. Can be harvested with Shears.
• Moss Block/Moss Carpet: Decorative blocks. Moss Carpet can be crafted from Moss Blocks.
• Rooted Dirt/Hanging Roots: Decorative blocks that naturally occur in the Lush Caves biome. Using bonemeal on Rooted Dirt produces Hanging Roots.
• Spore Blossoms: Decorative block. These large flowers can be placed on ceilings.

1.17: Misc. blocks

Miscellaneous blocks: 

• Amethyst Geodes/Clusters/Shards: These can be found underground and can be mined with a Pickaxe.
• Candles: These can be placed on any solid surface. They also come in 16 colours!
• Copper Ore: This can be smelted to produce Copper Ingots. 9x Copper Ingots will craft a Copper Block.
• Deepslate: Slight harder than Stone, this can be found deep underground. When mined, it drops Cobbled Deepslate.
• Pointed Dripstone: Grows downwards into a stalactite if placed on the ceiling. Grows upwards into a stalagmite if placed on the floor.
• Powder Snow: A new 'trap' block. Any entity that walks on it will sink into it.
• Tuff: A new Stone type that is found in blobs underground between y0 and y16.

1.17: Crafted items

Crafted items:

• Lightning rods (3x Copper Ingot): Can protect buildings from lightning strikes.
• Spyglass (2x Copper Ingot, 1x Amethyst Shard): Look through it to see things far in the distance.

What's coming in the Minecraft 1.18 update

Minecraft 1.18: What we expect in Caves & Cliffs Part 2 

There's no date set for Part 2 of the Caves & Cliffs update, though it's expected to arrive later in 2021. There aren't many details about the specifics of the update, though we do know that the new biomes will be implemented when it arrives. Here's what we know so far.

Biomes: 

• Lush Caves: This biome adds lots of colour to underground areas and are full of green-covered blocks and glow berries. You'll be able to find the Lush Caves by looking for the Azalea Trees that grow above them in the overworld. 
• Dripstone Cave: The second biome is less colourful than Lush Caves and adds stalagmites and stalactites instead of being completely composed of Minecraft's usual blocks. Just be careful not to fall into a pit of stalagmites!
• Deep Dark: This biome isn't for the faint-hearted. If any lights in the cave start going dim, you might want to make a hasty retreat as that's a sign that the scary new Warden mob is nearby. Skulk Sensors generate here as well.

Creatures: 

• Warden: These terrifying new mobs live deep underground and respond to movement and vibrations. You'll want to avoid them as they deal tons of damage and have a high health pool. 

Blocks: 

• Skulk Block/Sensor: These are found deep underground in the Warden's terrain. They are set off by sounds and vibrations and will emit a Redstone signal when triggered.

The first 1.18 snapshot has arrived

Minecraft version 1.18 doesn't have a final release date yet, but Mojang is letting players take a look at the new world generation in an extremely experimental build. Unlike the usual Minecraft snapshot releases, this experimental snapshot will require you to manually download a game version from Mojang's site.

"This snapshot is experimental, and everything is subject to change," Mojang says. "Some features may be significantly changed or even removed if needed to improve performance."

Despite the experimental nature, this early snapshot will let you create new worlds with Minecraft's bigger mountains and more impressive caves.