The Caves and Cliffs update is one of the most anticipated updates in the history of Minecraft. Fans have been eagerly awaiting a much-needed revamp that is set to completely change the cave and cliff generation. The announcement first came during Minecraft Live in October of 2020. Following the event, Snapshot updates have been released frequently since November of 2020. These snapshots often only fix existing bugs from the previous updates, whilst also adding in the occasional new block or feature that will release with Minecraft 1.17. On February 17, snapshot 21w07a was released for players to dive into. The new snapshot not only features the new grimstone block, but also includes generation updates, and bug fixes.

Grimstone Added In Minecraft Snapshot 21w07a

The grimstone block can only be found deep underground and takes a little longer to mine than stone. The newest addition looks to be a great one for the avid Minecraft builder, as the block acts as a great accent between stone and blackstone.

Not only is grimstone a great accent block, but it can also be crafted into stairs, slabs, walls, and more! The full list of grimstone craftables can be found in the patch notes below.

The image below comes from Reddit user u/Yonatart who pointed out how the new grimstone block can be a great transition from stone to blackstone.

Snapshot 21w07a Patch Notes

The Grimstone block has been added in the latest Minecraft Snapshot!

Like Blackstone, Grimstone can be used to craft basic tools, furnaces and brewing stands.

You can craft the following blocks with this new stone type:

- Grimstone Slab

- Grimstone Stairs

- Grimstone Wall

- Polished Grimstone

- Polished Grimstone Slab

- Polished Grimstone Stairs

- Polished Grimstone Wall

- Grimstone Bricks

- Grimstone Brick Slab

- Grimstone Brick Stairs

- Grimstone Brick Wall

- Grimstone Tiles

- Grimstone Tile Slab

- Grimstone Tile Stairs

- Grimstone Tile Wall

- Chiselled Grimstone

CHANGES IN 21W07A

Tweaks and updates to world generation and ores

Changes to the visuals of some ores and stone types

Reordered Redstone Tab in Creative Inventory

WORLD GENERATION

Tweaked huge caves to be more rare and decreased the chance that caves are filled with water

Changed ore generation to match the new world height and to add more strategy to mining

Tweaked size and positioning of diorite, andesite & granite generation

Exception: Diorite and Granite and Dirt no longer generate below y = 0

Strongholds are now mostly encased in stone

Mineshaft corridors are now supported by log pillars below or chains above when needed

VISUALS

Ores without unique shapes have been given new textures for accessibility reasons, so that each ore is distinguishable by shape alone

Being the most iconic ore, Diamond Ore texture is staying the same to keep that classic feel maintained

Blackstone, Polished Blackstone Bricks, and Cracked Polished Blackstone Bricks have had some minor touch ups

CREATIVE INVENTORY

The Redstone Tab has been reordered to prioritize highly-used blocks

Redstone items/blocks have been grouped and ordered in the following way:

Essentials

Unique activators

Miscellaneous

Common activators

Openables

FIXED BUGS IN 21W07A

MC-147589 - Vines no longer randomly generate in jungles

MC-208613 - Amount of players who need to sleep to skip the night is calculated incorrectly

MC-208618 - Clicking on a bed immediately skips the night if gamerule playersSleepingPercentage is set to 0

MC-211224 - Seagrass can occasionally replace parts of a swamp hut

MC-214082 - Crash after placing soul sand or magma under 2032 tall water

MC-214814 - Strongholds generate floating and without walls, floors, or ceilings when inside caves

MC-214844 - Bedrock can be exposed to the air at the very bottom of the new caves

MC-214885 - Beacon beam only render 256 blocks from source

MC-214973 - Powder snow bucket in a dispenser at y = 319 facing upwards or at y = -64 facing downwards is replaced with empty bucket, despite no powder snow being placed

MC-214986 - Large dripstones only generate as stalagmites below Y=0

When Will The Caves And Cliffs Update Release?

As of writing, there's no official release date for the Caves and Cliffs update. Mojang has suggested that the update could be released in the Summer of 2021.