What the Caves and Cliffs Update Changes Mean for Minecraft 1.17

 What effect will the Minecraft Caves and Cliffs update delay have on the game, with some features arriving in the summer as planned and others being postponed to the winter?

image via Mojang

The Minecraft 1.17 Caves and Cliffs update is one of the most awaited updates to the popular sandbox game since its release a decade ago, but players will have to wait a little longer than expected for certain features. Caves and Cliffs will be divided into two launches, with some modifications coming this summer and others being moved back to the holiday season, according to Mojang. Fans may be frustrated or disappointed, leading them to question why the decision was made and which upgrades would not be included in the first round.

The challenging timetable for completing the massive project was blamed heavily in Mojang's announcement. “We're aiming to have as much entertaining content as possible without sacrificing efficiency. However, due to the update's high ambition level and the current state of the planet, we've found it difficult to keep this pledge while staying on schedule. We've agreed to break Caves and Cliffs into two pieces because giving you the best update possible is our top priority.”

In a video, Mojang's Agnes Larsson explained that the pressure to reach the deadline was affecting three major aspects of the company's Minecraft 1.17 efforts. “We split the update for three key reasons,” she said. “Quality is the first; technological sophistication is the second; and team wellbeing is the third and most important.” The fear was that rushing to finish Caves and Cliffs on time would jeopardise the consistency of the notifications as well as the safety of Mojang employees working from home during the pandemic.

The Caves and Cliffs update has been delayed due to the latest cave generation and improvements to the build height and depth. “We realised there are a lot of features that don't involve the way the world is created, so we decided to break it and put those parts in the summer update and the world creation parts in the holiday update,” Minecraft developer Henrik Kniberg explained.

This means that, while Minecraft players will have to wait until the summer to ride their boats across vast underground lakes or go Warden hunting in the deepest reaches of the slate, block updates and new mobs will still be accessible. This includes the super-cute axolotls that can shield you during underwater encounters, the glow squid selected by Minecraft Live attendees, and the mountain goats, which can ram players and creatures off the edge of a cliff as of the latest screenshot.

Blocks that have previously appeared in screenshots will remain in place. This includes geodes and powder snow, as well as deep slate blocks underground and the ore that produces within them. Changes to iron and the new copper ore, which can now be mined as "raw ore" chunks that can be enchanted, will also be preserved. In fact, nine of these unrefined metals will be able to be used to produce raw ore blocks in the same way as smelted ore is currently used.

Some of the lush cave features, such as drip leaf plants and glow berries, are not specifically linked to the delayed aspects of the Minecraft 1.17 update, so players can look forward to them. The way new biomes are integrated into the depths, as well as the more majestic mountainous heights, will have to wait until the holiday portion of Caves and Cliffs.

Larsson also mentioned that the archaeology mechanics, which would enable players to unearth pottery shards and secret gems from ancient civilizations, would be delayed even further than the winter world generation updates. “Archaeology is a brand-new field that is really exciting. But that means we want to give it the attention it deserves so it can be interesting, inspiring, delightful, and ‘Minecrafty,'” she explained. “As a result, it has been postponed.”

So don't be concerned, Minecraft fans! When summertime comes, you can still get your moss blocks and azalea bushes for those new gardens you've designed, and you can still make your spyglasses and lightning rods. You can also use the latest inventory system to package your pieces and decorate your home with candles and tinted glass. Despite the split in the Minecraft 1.17 update, Caves and Cliffs will bring some of the most dramatic gameplay updates ever conceived with its summer release.