Ore texture changes in Minecraft 21w07a Snapshot: Everything players need to know

The newest Minecraft Snapshot has introduced new ore textures to the game as well as a new ore generation.

With the release of the latest Snapshot — 21w07a — the developers of update 1.17 have given players access to the newest type of stone block, called Grimstone. With this addition, the famous ore texture for Minecraft has been revamped into a more natural-looking one and converted to work with the new Grimstone block.

Here is an overview of the new ore textures and generations that players will find in this Snapshot, as well as the upcoming Minecraft 1.17 update Caves and Cliffs.

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What are Minecraft's new ore textures?

The new textures give the Minecraft overworld cave systems so much more life and vibrancy (Image via Planet Minecraft)

Due to the development of the new Grimstone block, the ore textures had to be recreated anyway to blend more seamlessly into the surroundings.

Developers for the new update found this to be a perfect opportunity to turn the repetitive ore texture into something a lot more interesting and unique — something Minecraft players and texture pack creators have been doing for a long time.

These new textures give the Minecraft overworld cave systems so much more life and vibrancy, as they add a lot of variation to the ores players can find.

The only texture that developers have not changed is the diamond ore block so that the game is still sticking to its roots and keeping that nostalgic texture and ore appearance.

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Why is Minecraft ore generation changing?

With Minecraft terrain soaring to new heights, the ore generation had to change to accommodate these changes (image via Minecraft Wiki)

Another significant addition that the upcoming Minecraft 1.17 update brings is a new height limit to the world. Skies are being made taller to account for the mountainous regions being added into the game. An extra sixty-four levels are being added below y-level zero to account for the Grimstone cave biomes.

With Minecraft terrain soaring to new heights, the ore generation had to change to accommodate these changes. It also provides ores with their own areas and makes their generation a lot more frequent.

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How is ore generation being affected?

Emeralds should spawn in larger quantities, making them a lot more accessible (Image via Minecraft)

Ore generation is being revamped with this new Snapshot due to the new cliffs being added into the game.

The general area at which ores spawn is the same as before, but due to the new depth to the world, rarer blocks like diamonds can be found at more significant quantities the lower the player goes.

Emerald, which used to compete for generation with diamond, will now spawn in high cliffs, allowing diamonds to generate without being overrun by emerald ore.

By this graph, emeralds are hopefully going to spawn in larger quantities, too, making them a lot more accessible through mining rather than just villager trading.

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What else did Snapshot 21w07a fix?

Players should check out the Snapshot to experience all the changes (Image via Minecraft)

This Snapshot also adjusts how large caves are generating, making them have more specifications to form, and making sure they aren't always filled with water when they do.

There is so much that has been added with this Snapshot despite there not being many visual additions, so it's a great thing for players to check out themselves by using the new Snapshot.