Minecraft: Bedrock Edition Beta 1.17.40.20 finally tests brand-new Caves and Cliffs Update features
A different way of building the world in today’s beta
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What you need to know
TheCaves and Cliffs Updateis the presentandfuture ofMinecraft, with 1.18 Part Two expected to bring massive world generation changes and new features to the long-running survival sandbox game. Today, Mojang Studios is finally bringing some of the major features they’ve been testing to the Minecraft: Bedrock Edition beta with the release ofMinecraft: Bedrock Edition Beta 1.17.40.20, which includes new features like the Stony Peaks mountain biome and many other tweaks.
More recent Minecraft: Bedrock Edition betas, like the previous1.17.30.25 release, have been considerably more minor, as Mojang continued to test more significant changes throughMinecraft: Java Edition Experimental Snapshots. Now that the experiment is ending, these features can begin to roll out to more people to test and provide feedback on.
If you’re interested in trying out a slice of Minecraft’s future right now, you can. Mojang Studios is also hosting their Minecraft Live 2021 even in October, which will likely feature a ton of new announcements and reveals for Minecraft in the months and years to come, including inspiration for the next wave ofbest Minecraft toys and gifts.
The full changelog for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition Beta 1.17.40.20 includes:
Caves and Cliffs Update Experimental Features
General
Lush Caves
Villages
Features and bug fixes
Blocks
Candle cakes
Character Creator
Commands
Gameplay
World generation
Graphical
Mobs
Powder snow
Structure block
User interface
Known issues
Technical updates
Data driven items
Animation editor
Commands
Data driven blocks
Graphics
Mobs
Molang
User interface
GameTest Framework
GameTest Sequence
Player
Block
BlockType
BlockPermutation
Available everywhere you play.
Minecraft is an inarguable and complete success. It has sold copies in the hundreds of millions, has a huge following of dedicated players, and lets you unlock your every creative desire. It’s also available on every platform imaginable, including Xbox, Windows 10, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS. Play with anyone and play anywhere.
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Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter@BoddyZachary.
