Minecraft 1.18 update rolls out dramatic new changes to the game as you know it

PART two of Minecraft’s gargantuan Caves and Cliffs updates is here at last with the release of patch 1.18.

The first half of Caves and Cliffs dropped back in June and bought new blocks, items, and mobs to the game.

Minecraft Caves & Cliffs: Part 2 introduces increased world height and more dramatic mountainsCredit: Mojang

Dripstone caves, lush caves, and large ore veins have been introducedCredit: Mojang

The second half, which is now live, brings new elements to world generation, like taller mountains, huge veins of ore, and intricate cave systems.

There are a few missing features that have been delayed as detailed in a dev blog earlier this month — archeology, bundles, and goat horns.

Here’s a brief overview of what’s included from the blog post and FAQ.

Minecraft update 1.18 is live now on both the Bedrock and Java editions of the game.

Scroll down for the full patch notes for Minecraft Bedrock Edition on Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One,  PS5, PS4,  Nintendo Switch,  iOS,  Android, and Windows 10 and 11.

You can check out the patch notes for Minecraft Java Edition on Windows, MacOS, and Linux here.

Minecraft 1.18 update — Caves and Cliffs: Part Two

Increased the world height and depth, adding 50% more vertical space to build and explore
New cave generation to explore below your existing worlds
New cave and mountain biomes like Lush Caves and Jagged Peaks
Drastically updated and improved biome, cave, and ore generation
Added several new music tracks to enjoy during gameplay
Fixed over 70 bugs, issues, and parity changes

Minecraft 1.18 update — patch notes

These are patch notes relating to all of the new features added in the Minecraft 1.18 update.

Increased world height and depth
- Overworld height and depth for new and existing worlds has been extended to y320 and y-64, opening up more space to explore and build in
World blending
- Players can now update existing worlds to include the new overworld height dimensions and world generation features. See our World Upgrading FAQ for more details
- The bedrock layer at y0 below saved chunks will be replaced with Deepslate and feature new cave generation underneath
- Biomes and terrain generating across new and existing chunk borders will blend seamlessly, creating natural-looking environmental transitions
New terrain and mountain generation
- Terrain shape and elevation is no longer always determined by biome, resulting in new biome placements such as deserts on top of hills
- Mountains are taller than ever and can now generate up to a maximum height of 256 blocks
New biomes, 3D biome generation, and biome distribution
- Added 3D biomes – cave biomes can now generate directly below surface biomes
- New cave and mountain biomes added, including Jagged Peaks, Meadows, Lush Caves and Dripstone Caves
New cave generation
- Added noise caves – the three primary types of noise caves are large, open Cheese Caves, wide, tunnelling Spaghetti Caves and the narrow, winding Noodle Caves
- Added aquifers – these create local level bodies of water such as flooded caves or underground lakes
Ore distribution and large ore veins
- Added large ore veins – these long formations stretch through cave systems and contain larger deposits of ore than the clusters usually found underground
- Ore distribution has been adjusted to compensate for the new world height
Mob spawning
- Monsters will now only spawn in complete darkness. Players can spawn-proof dark areas such as caves using light sources
New music
- Added new music by Lena Raine and Kumi Tanioka
- Added a new music disc from Lena Raine titled “otherside”. This can be found rarely in Stronghold corridor chests or much more rarely in Dungeon chests
- Mobile players: To hear the new music, you will need to download the updated Minecraft Original Music Pack, available FREE from Marketplace
New achievements/ trophies
- Caves & Cliffs – Free fall from the top of the world (build limit) to the bottom of the world and survive
- Feels Like Home – Take a Strider for a loooong ride on a lava lake in the Overworld
- Sound of Music – Make the Meadows come alive with the sound of music from a jukebox
- Star trader – Trade with a villager at the build height limit