Minecraft 1.18 update pre-releases: New features, additions, release dates, and more revealed so far

Even without the deep dark caves, sculk blocks, and the warden, the Minecraft 1.18 Caves & Cliffs update is going to be one of the biggest updates in the history of Minecraft.

During Minecraft Live 2021, it was revealed by the developers that the 1.18 update is almost complete, and they will be releasing it in November or December this year. After releasing quite a few experimental and normal snapshots, the developers have started working on pre-release versions.

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Minecraft 1.18 pre-release versions: Everything to know

What are pre-release versions?

Like snapshots, pre-releases are test versions of Minecraft with all the new features from the upcoming major update.

Check out the full Minecraft Skindex here.

The main difference between pre-releases and snapshots is that pre-releases are a lot more stable.

Pre-release versions also do not usually have a lot of new features. They are more focused on improved and smooth gameplay. The developers fix a lot of bugs in these versions.

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Minecraft 1.18 pre-release 1

So far, only one pre-release version of Minecraft has come out. It was released on November 11, 2021.

Additions

Large biomes and Amplified world types that were removed with the first 1.18 experimental snapshot have been re-added. The developers have worked on these world types, and they have adapted to the 1.18 terrain.

To see Minecraftwiki, click here.

Characteristics of the terrain generated in the new Amplified world type:

• The terrain was rounded at Y320.
• The offset sea level has been doubled.
• 3D noise values have been significantly increased.
• Peak jaggedness has been doubled.

Characteristics of the terrain generated in the new Large Biomes world type:

• Except for mountains and rivers, most biomes are four times larger.
• For temperature, erosion, continentalness, and vegetation, multinoise is slowed down by factor 4.

Changes

• Conduit now has an assigned tool which is the pickaxe.
• Transitions between old and new terrain have been changed to be less cliff-like.
• In upgraded chunks, bedrock and deepslate are now properly generated. Cave carvers generate properly as well.
• "Caves" and "Floating islands" were removed from the World Creation screen.

Forty-seven bugs were fixed in this pre-release. Interested readers can learn about all of them from here.

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Date of next pre-release

The date of Minecraft 1.18 pre-release 2 is unknown. It may come out any day and fans can expect it to come with a lot more bug fixes. Once out, it can only be installed on computers with the Java Edition launcher.

The complete Minecraft Beginners Guide is available here, click here to view.