The next snapshot for Minecraft, 20w49a, adds more upcoming features from summer 2021’s Caves and Cliffs update. This time around the snapshot adds Sculk Sensors and the Dripstone Caverns biome.
Snapshots are designed to give players the chance to test out new features, play around with new items and biomes, and also provide feedback to the developers. These snapshots are only playable on the Java version of Minecraft.
All that aside, here’s what you can test out in the new Minecraft 20w49a snapshot.
https://twitter.com/MCNews7102/status/1334191927886041088
First up, the first glimpse of a brand new biome arriving with the Caves and Cliff update – the Dripstone Cavern. During the last snapshot, Dripstone was added to the game – these are the blocks that make up the stalactites and stalagmites that are soon to be dotted around Minecraft’s cave systems.
As it stands in this update, the Dripstone Cavern does not spawn naturally, although you can choose to make a world in the Java edition which lets you explore this biome. These caves are full of Dripstone, with pools of water gathering at their base. This is just another small addition to the Caves and Cliffs that will make mining much more enjoyable.
Next up, the Sculk. This is perhaps one of the most fascinating additions in the Caves and Cliff updates, this bizarre and creepy new block has the ability to sense nearby vibrations. When a player walks over the Sculk it sends out a Redstone signal in a circular radius of 8 blocks.
You can fool the Sculk by creeping around, harvest it efficiently with a hoe (thanks Mojang, the hoe has a new purpose!), and potentially use the Sculk to create all sorts of weird and wonderful Redstone creations in the future.
The Sculk will be a crucial part of the upcoming Caves and Cliffs update, likely found in The Warden’s new biome, in the Deep Dark. Check out how creepy the Sculk is – definitely going to be a spooky block to encounter in the wild!
Lastly, the 20w49a snapshot addresses a few bug fixes (such as water from Dripstone breaking cauldrons, bundles sometimes dropping all their contained items, etc) and made a few changes to gameplay mechanics – a bit more technical, and nothing that really directly affects the casual player.
Jump into the Java version now and try out the new Sculk Sensors and explore a Dripstone Cavern.
