Looking forward to the release of Minecraft update 1.17? For years, Minecraft players have been asking for a big update to the rather bland underground areas – you may know them as caves. They’ve not really changed all that much since vanilla Minecraft launched over a decade ago, while new biomes have been added constantly to the game. So it was hugely exciting to get confirmation of the Minecraft Caves & Cliffs update.

While the cliffs do get new snow effects, powder snow blocks, and goats, the really fascinating stuff that’s being added is all found beneath the surface. All you’ll need to do to find these new areas is tunnel downwards. Three new underground biomes were discussed during this year’s Minecraft Live presentation, filled with new plants to harvest, new materials to gather, and new Minecraft mobs to encounter.

Yes, Minecraft Caves & Cliffs does add a terrifying-sounding monster, but it also gives players not one, but two potential best friend mobs that can help them take down pesky enemies. Here is everything you can look forward to when Minecraft 1.17 goes live.

The Minecraft Caves & Cliffs release date has been split, with the first part arriving June 8 and the second set for the holiday season, for both the Windows 10 and Java Editions. It was first announced during this year’s Minecraft Live presentation.

So what exactly do we mean by the “release date has been split”? Well it turns out that some things were easier to implement than others, so rather than delay the entire update to much later on, the Caves and Cliffs update will be released in two separate updates: 1.17 and 1.18. Here is what you can expect from each update:

There is one more feature that’s being delayed even further down the line, and that’s archaeology. As explained by vanilla game director Agnes Larson, Mojang wants to give it more time for development as it’s a brand new system and above all else “Minecrafty”.

MINECRAFT CAVES & CLIFFS MOBS

GOATS

Minecraft goats appear in the cliff areas and jump really high, two full blocks to be precise! Goats are rather fickle beasts though and if you annoy them enough, they’ll bash into you and send you flying off the snowy mountains. You can milk them and there’s even a small chance that these goats will be screaming goats (with slightly different sounds).

While they will eventually be found in the Lush Caves, Minecraft’s Axolotls are currently found in narrow underwater paths in caves and, well, just look at them. They’re utterly adorable aren’t they? These are real creatures that are relatives of the cave salamander. They have the cutest yawns too.

MINECRAFT CAVES & CLIFFS NEW BLOCKS

Given the nature of the split update, it’s easier to just list which blocks are coming and where you can find them. The new Minecraft blocks in 1.17 are:

Note that you can also find some of these items by trading emeralds with wandering traders. Outside of these new blocks, the new textures for ores will also appear in the Minecraft 1.17 update. They were redesigned due to accessibility issues for colourblind players.

In rare circumstances, caves can lead to Amethyst geodes. Walking on crystals emits a sound effect that sounds like a wind-chime.

Telescopes also require Copper, a new resource. They are similar to iron but have an orange hue to the ores. They are found in ore veins rather than blobs, can be used like Iron to make blocks and steps, and Copper ages over time as it is exposed to oxygen, taking on a turquoise colour instead of browny orange.

Crafted from an amethyst shard and copper ingots, it allows the player to zoom in on specific locations for a closer look.

You can light up the darkness with Candles in the 1.17 update – crafted from string and honeycomb, they can be dyed a variety of colours, and – of course – popped on top of a cake to celebrate someone’s birthday.

Stalagmites and stalactites are what make the new caves stand out. Destroy the blocks at the top of the stalactites to drop the rest from above. Stalagmites act like spikes and can hurt friends and foes alike. Stalactites also drip water, so you can use a bucket to collect the water. This gives you a renewable source of water.

If you own the Bedrock edition of Minecraft, you can now play the beta, although only the first phase of new features are available including goats and the powdery snow. Find out how to play Minecraft Beta snapshots in both Java and Bedrock editions, by following the steps outlined in our guide.