Minecraft 1.18 snapshot 21w40a brings more changes to ore distribution

Snapshots are one of the most exciting versions of Minecraft that the developers release to let interested players test new features. They are only available for Java Edition and can be installed easily from the launcher.

The Minecraft 1.18 21w40a snapshot was released on 7 October 2021. In this snapshot, major changes have been made to how ores are generated that will significantly affect the player's mining experience.

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Ore changes made in Minecraft 1.18 Snapshot 21w40a

1) Copper ore changes

A copper ore (Image via Mojang)

When mined, copper ores can now drop 2-5 raw copper items. In the previous versions, it used to drop 2-3 only. This will significantly affect the amount of raw copper acquired after a long mining session.

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2) New ore distribution

Latest ore distribution chart (Image via Mojang)

The following changes have been implemented for this mechanic:

• Coal ore: Between Y levels 0 and around 248. Reduced air exposure between 0 and 192. It generates the most at higher Y levels.
• Copper ore: Between -16 and 112. It generates the most at Y 48.
• Lapis Lazuli ore: Between -64 and 64. Exposed lapis lazuli ore will generate between -32 and 32. A lot of it generates at and around Y -2.
• Emerald ore: Between -16 and around 248 in mountain biomes. The higher the Y level, the more emeralds generate.
• Gold ore: Between -64 and 32. A lot of it generates at Y -16.
• Iron ore: Between -64 and 72. It starts generating again from 80 and goes up till around 248.
• Redstone ore: Between -64 and 16. The lower the player goes, the more they should find.
• Diamond ore: Between -64 and 16. Similar to the one above, the lower the player goes, the more diamonds they should find.

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3) Deepslate emerald and copper ores

Deepslate emerald ore (Image via Mojang)

Deepslate variants of emerald ore and copper ores are now generated naturally in the game.

The patch notes for Minecraft 1.18 snapshot 21w40a did not mention this. However, Henrik Kniberg, a developer of Minecraft, made a tweet stating that deepslate copper and emerald ore are now obtainable in survival mode.

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4) Diamond ore changes

Naturally generated deepslate diamond ores (Image via Mojang)

Since diamonds felt too accessible to some players, the number of unexposed and naturally generated diamond ores was reduced a few snapshots ago.

However, in this snapshot, more unexposed diamond ores have been added. Henrik Kniberg has also stated that exploration mining should be unaffected. However, branch mining might yield more diamonds. Apparently, it could be as good as Minecraft 1.17 on average.

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These changes to ore distribution will certainly elicit a reaction from the Minecraft faithful. Having said that, snapshots have always been a prudent step towards implementing new features in the game.