New Minecraft update makes ore veins bigger and changes stalactite growth

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(Image credit: Mojang)

Minecraft's handy ore veins are about to be a whole lot bigger.

As posted on the official Minecraft website in a blog post earlier this week, Mojang has announced the 21w16a update for the Caves and Cliffs preview. Previously, ore veins in Minecraft were little more than mere blogs, but this new update has ramped them up to being "large, rare, snake-like underground ore formations," now with the ability to spawn underground.

Elsewhere in the new snapshot update for Minecraft, there's the addition of dripstone growth. "If a stalactite is hanging from a dripstone block with a water source above, it will slowly grow both the stalactite from above and a stalagmite from below," the official update notes from the Minecraft website read.

Earlier this year, Minecraft developer Mojang announced that it would be shutting down Minecraft Earth for good, primarily due to safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Right now, Minecraft Earth is scheduled to close its doors as some point in June, so there's still time to delve into the exploration game if you haven't experienced it already.

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Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.