When can fans expect more information on Minecraft 1.18 Caves & Cliffs Part 2 update?

In April 2021, Mojang announced the split of the much-awaited Minecraft Caves and Cliffs update. All the world generation changes were shifted to the second phase.

It has been more than two months since the release of the first part of Minecraft Caves and Cliffs update. Mojang hasn't revealed any information about the release of the 1.18 update. So far, players only know that the second phase will come toward the end of 2021.

This article shares everything there is to know about the 1.18 release and when players can get some new information.

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When might there be official information on the Minecraft 1.18 update?

Fans are still waiting for an official announcement related to Minecraft 1.18. However, developers have released experimental snapshots featuring new terrain generation, caves and mountain biomes.

Recently, Mojang released Minecraft 1.18 Experimental Snapshot 7 and said this could be the last experimental snapshot. The seventh experimental snapshot was also a minor one. With experimental snapshots and community feedback, developers have improved the new world generation and are pretty satisfied with it.

Also this is probably going to be the last experimental snapshot for now. We are focusing on getting these tweaks into the normal Java snapshot and Bedrock beta series.

— Henrik Kniberg (@henrikkniberg) September 8, 2021

Developers are now working toward shipping experimental snapshot features to regular snapshots. If everything goes well, players may receive the first 1.18 snapshot next week. Mojang may also share some new information about the update in the coming weeks.

It means natural terrain generation is now somewhat ready for official release. However, other challenges are waiting for developers, such as performance issues, deep dark caves and moving older worlds to 1.17.

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New challenges for Minecraft developers

Minecraft developers are pretty active on Twitter and Reddit. Often, they share information on what they are working on and ask for feedback. Kingbdogz, a Minecraft gameplay developer, has confirmed that they have started working on the deep dark cave biome and Warden.

Getting the Deep Dark biome distribution right has been tricky. Generally we're looking to get it deep underneath very continental/mountainous areas, and it will stretch all the way to -64. Looking forward to see how it feels.

— kingbdogz (@kingbdogz) September 2, 2021

With the first snapshot coming soon, players may soon experience the third and last cave biome for the 1.18 update. Apart from deep dark caves, the first 1.18 snapshot also means that players may see how older worlds will be updated to the latest version as the world depth changes from Y 0 to -64.

Another issue many players complained about was game performance. New mountains and caves will generate from Y 260 to -64. Loading so many blocks puts heavy pressure on any device.

Minecraft developers are already working on improving performance and crashes. They recently nerfed and buffed elytra to fix lag while flying in Minecraft.

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Minecraft Live 2021

Last week, Mojang announced the official date for Minecraft Live 2021 as October 16. The event is going to be all about the Minecraft 1.19 update. However, it may include some news for the 1.18 update release date as the livestream is before the Caves and Cliffs Part 2 update.