Top 5 new features of the Minecraft 1.17 Update

With the vast Minecraft 1.17 Caves and Cliffs update set to be released within the next couple of months, now's a better time than ever to revisit some of the most hotly anticipated features.

Mojang has famously described the upcoming update as their most ambitious yet, with an absolute myriad of fresh features. Some of these have been requested by fans since the game's debut, which over 10 years ago.

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5 Most Hotly Anticipated Minecraft 1.17 Caves and Cliffs Upcoming Features

#1 Copper

Copper is a new material that is being added to Minecraft within the 1.17 update. Like many other materials, copper ore is generated underground and can be mined with a stone pickaxe (or any higher tier pickaxe).

After the player mines the copper ore, they will receive raw copper. This can then be smelted to give the player copper ingots. Players can use copper to craft a variety of new items. Firstly, it can be crafted into a decorative copper block, which turns from the normal red/brown color into a shade of green over time.

Another use for copper ingots is to make Lightning Rods. Lightning Rods are used to divert lightning strikes to a set location. The final use for copper is to make a spyglass, which serves the purpose of a telescope.

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#2 Amethyst

Amethyst is another new material that will be added in the 1.17 Minecraft update. A new structure called an amethyst geode will generate between Y=50 and bedrock. The amethyst geode is pictured below. Amethyst clusters can be mined with an iron pickaxe (or any higher tier). This will result in the player receiving 4 Amethyst shards.

Amethyst shards (along with copper) are used to create a spyglass, which acts as a telescope. Amethyst is also used to create tinted glass, which is a translucent block that does not let light through.

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#3 New mobs

The new 1.17 update adds a multitude of new mobs to Minecraft. First is the Glow Squid. This was the mob that won the Minecraft Live 2020 vote. It acts the same as a regular squid, except that it has a luminescent property.

The next mob added in 1.17 is the Axolotl, which spawns in the Lush cave. This mob has the ability to play dead, and while doing so, it will regenerate to maximum health and no other mobs will attack them. The player has the ability to pick them up with a water bucket.

Another mob that will be added is the goat. The goat is a neutral mob that will perform a charge attack on anything that is nearby for more than 10 seconds. If a goat hits a block while charging, it will drop a goat horn (which currently has no use).

The final mob being added in the 1.17 update is the Warden. This mob spawns in the new “Deep Dark” biome. It will one-shot any player that is not wearing diamond or netherite armour. The warden is blind and will only attack players if they make vibrations. They can also be distracted with eggs, arrows and snowballs.

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#4 Bundles

Bundles are a new inventory management item that is being added to Minecraft in version 1.17. Bundles are created out of string and rabbit hyde and can be used to store different item types in the same inventory slot.

When opened, the player will see that it contains a counter which starts at 0/64. When items are placed inside the bundle, they raise the counter. Different items take up different amounts of the bundle. Items that stack up to 64 take 1 slot, items that stack up to 16 take 4 slots and items that don't stack take the full bundle.

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#5 Archaeology

In the Minecraft 1.17 update, players can create a brush which can be used on sand, gravel and dirt. When the brush is used on one of the blocks, there is a chance that the player will receive ceramic shards, a diamond block or an emerald block.

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