5 best cave data packs for Minecraft 1.19 update

The traditional Minecraft experience is split between the different types of terrain, biomes and dimensions that players come across during their adventures.

Caves are a huge part of this experience, as the game is based on mining and excavation. Additionally, caves have been made even more appealing to players after a hefty buff that came with the Caves and Cliffs Part 2 update.

Data packs are specialized content packs that allow players to customize their Minecraft experience by adding new advancements, dimensions, functions, loot tables, recipes, structures, world generation settings and biomes.

This feature can only be found in Java Edition and is implemented without modifying the game's code.

This article will list five data packs that are great for enhancing Minecraft's caves.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinions of the writer. Each data pack mentioned below can be found on the Planet Minecraft website and is available for download there.

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Mangrove Swamp Caves and 4 other data packs for caves in Minecraft 1.19

1) Better cave gen

An ice cave variant (Image via danjhop/planetminecraft)

This data pack is relatively new, having been released in November 2021. It was updated for the latest 1.19.1 snapshot, which is titled “pre4”, about two days ago.

This pack adds a ton of new cave biomes to the game. These include overgrown dripstone caves and a new lush cave variant that has dripstone in it.

It also has magma caves that come with basalt pillars, much like the basalt deltas biome in the nether dimension. Cave spiders are commonly found in these magma caves, as are diamonds.

Other cave variants include:

• Sandstone caves
• Biolight caves
• Cave wastes; mimicking the older cave design

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2) DWAEBH | Caves - Structures - Vegetation - Vanilla styled

The Caves and Cliffs Part 2 update brought a significant change to Minecraft’s world height, increasing it to Y level 320.

The DWAEBH data pack takes this feature a step further by essentially doubling the world height to 640 blocks. It also adds a ton of new content to the game in the form of caves, vegetation, structures and other features.

A list of these features can be found below:

New cave variants: Ice caves, snow caves, desert caves, jungle caves, swamp caves, badlands caves

Structural additions: Villages in more biomes, swamp huts in dark forests (beware of the witch in the woods), pillager outposts in more biomes, campsites in mountains

Biomes and vegetation additions: New swamp vegetation, new birch forest vegetation, fallen trees in forests and taigas

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3) Mangrove Swamp Caves

Hanging foglights (Image via planetminecraft/Apollo404)

This data pack takes one of the most highly anticipated features of The Wild Update and integrates it into the pre-existing cave system.

Mangrove swamps are new swamp variants that can be found in the warmer biomes. This data pack adds the biome’s vegetation to the game’s cave generation, which has mud blocks on the floor and froglight hanging from the ceiling.

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4) "1.19" Hopo Better Mineshafts "9 Types of Mineshafts"

The Hopo Better Mineshafts data pack (Image via planetminecraft/Hoponopono)

The newest version of the Hopo Better Mineshafts data pack focuses on mineshafts, adding tons of new content to the structures. New sections and rooms can be found in each mineshaft, including ones with redstone, gold ore, mushroom and amethyst setups.

The loot for each section is also different. Some chests have emeralds, while others have food or weapons. Other features include mangrove mineshafts, nerfed zombie spawns and minecart spawning.

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5) Cavernous [1.19]

The Cavernous data pack (Image via planetminecraft/thxlotl)

As the name suggests, the Cavernous [1.19] data pack focuses on caverns. Thirteen new cave biomes can be found in this data pack. They are listed below:

• Ancient Caverns
• Crystal Caves
• Dense Dripstone Caves
• Desert Caves
• Icy Caves
• Inactive Caves
• Lush Dripstone Caves
• Marshy Caves
• Painted Sandstone Caves
• Sandstone Caves
• Volcanic Caves]

Other features of this data pack include new cave-related advancements that are achievable through new features and two new cave structures (cave villages and sandstone cave pyramids). Each of these structures has its own unique loot and internal structures.

Additionally, a new potion named the Mining Potion can be crafted in this data pack. The potion provides the “Haste 2” status effect for a whopping eight minutes.