Minecraft Snapshot 21w40a

Yet another snapshot is now available for Minecraft Java. This time around we've done some additional tweaks to world generation and a few changes to mob spawning.

We've continuously made performance improvements since we released the first Caves & Cliffs: Part II snapshot (21w37a), and we've created another survey about performance. If you try out the snapshot, we would very much appreciate it if you could fill out this survey and tell us how you perceive the current performance. Thanks and happy mining!

We still highly recommend backing up your world before loading it in this snapshot.

Changes in 21w40a

• World generation tweaks
• Changes to mob spawning
• Copper Ore now drops 2-5 (from 2-3) Raw Copper items
• In the Stonecutter, a Block of Copper can be converted to four Cut Copper
• A bunch of biome variants with similar features but different shapes have been merged into one since the shape is controlled independently now
• Renamed some biomes

World Generation

• Updated ore distribution to make branch mining deep down more rewarding. Updated ore distribution chart
  • For example, added more unexposed diamonds
  • Iron ore now generates above 80, with more iron ore as you go higher
  • Extra gold generates below height -48
• Non-cave biomes no longer change with height - so no more savannas in the sky and things like that
• Tweaked the relative size of some biomes to match 1.17 a bit closer.
• Increased the average size of most biomes (this also means biomes aren’t in the same places as before)
• Fixed some aquifer issues (a side effect of this is that aquifers are in different places now compared to last snapshot)
• Slightly increased the frequency of underwater magma
• Increased the amount of dungeons, especially below height 0
• Gravel now generates below height 0
• Villages are slightly more spread out
• Removed water lake features, Aquifers provide local water levels

Mob Spawns

• Axolotls now only spawn in water, above clay blocks, in lush caves
• Glowsquids now only spawn in water blocks, under height 30
• Cod, Salmon, Pufferfish, Tropical Fish, Squid, and Dolphins now only spawn in water from height 50 to height 64
• Tropical Fish now also spawn in lush caves at any height
• Zombies once again spawn in dripstone caves – drowned can also spawn there however
• Goats no longer spawn in stony peaks