One of the oldest mechanics in Minecraft is getting a major change in the Caves and Cliffs Update. When you mine Iron, Gold, and Copper veins, you’ll no longer see blocks drop. Instead, you’ll see raw ore plop onto the ground!
There is a reason for this significant change, and it makes sense. A new block called Deepslate will make its way into Minecraft in version 1.17. This block is found deep underground, and like stone, will have veins of Iron, Gold, and Copper running through them. The developers, in all their wisdom, decided that most players would not want to have Deepslate Iron Ore blocks and Stone Iron Ore blocks.
To prevent the problem of a cluttered inventory, they decided that both the Stone veins and Deepslate veins would now drop raw ore of their respective resources. What’s even better, though, is that these raw mineral ores will be affected by the Fortune enchantment!
This means that, similar to Diamond Ores, mining any variant of Iron, Copper, or Gold ores with a Pickaxe enchanted with Fortune will increase the amount of resources you can get.
There are a few things that aren’t changing, however. The raw ores (aptly titled Raw Gold, Raw Copper, and Raw Iron) will still need to be smelted into their respective bars. Also, using a Pickaxe enchanted with Silk Touch will make each vein instead drop either Iron Ore or Deepslate Iron Ore. This means that these blocks will still be obtainable, just not from normal mining.
We’re excited to see a more logical form of mining that will increase our collection of resources!
Having trouble understanding some Minecraft mechanics? Check out our guides on How to Find Buried Treasure and What is the Range of a Beacon?
