Try out new 'Caves and Cliffs Update' features in the latest Minecraft beta

Experimental features activate!

What you need to know

• Minecraft: Bedrock Edition is the modern and universal version of the popular creative sandbox game, Minecraft.
• The game has a beta program that tests new updates and experimental features before they're released to the public.
• Minecraft is currently on 'the Nether Update' branch, but an experimental feature toggle allows Mojang Studios to test other things.
• The latest beta, 1.16.210.56 adds new features like pointed dripstone blocks, which is part of the upcoming 'Caves and Cliffs Update.'

Minecraft: Java Edition started the day with the first Caves and Cliffs Update snapshot of the year, and now Minecraft: Bedrock Edition is following suit with the release of the 1.16.210.56 beta for the Nether Update. Yes, this beta is still a part of the long-released Nether Update branch, but there's still plenty to be excited about in this beta.

The experimental features toggle present in Minecraft: Bedrock Edition has gained some new features from the upcoming Caves and Cliffs Update, which will even rival the already ginormous Nether update in sheer size and detail. We still have a little longer to wait before we start getting steady and proper betas under the Caves and Cliffs Update branch, but players can still try out pointed dripstone and sculk sensors right now.

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The full changelog for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition beta 1.16.210.56 includes:

New experimental features

Dripstone

• Added pointed dripstone blocks
  • These can be found in the creative inventory for now
• A pointed dripstone block can be placed in the ceiling and on the floor, creating stalactites and stalagmites
• Falling on a stalagmite causes increased fall damage
• Breaking the ceiling above a stalactite causes it to fall towards the ground and will cause damage on impact with entities
• Stalactites have a dripping water and lava animation
• Known issues:
  • When hanging Pointed Dripstones start falling their position is slightly offset
  • Sneaking while placing tips of opposing stalactites and stalagmites merges them
  • Placed pointed dripstone can be destroyed by lava on Bedrock
  • If player is killed by stalactite or stalagmite fall damage, custom death message is not displayed
  • Pointed dripstone item is rendered differently in-hand on Bedrock compared to Java Edition
  • Placing pointed dripstones in water results in the water being removed
  • Player receives 2 points of damage when jumping on a stalagmite

Sculk sensor

• Introducing the bizarre, tendril-filled world of sculk – prepare for sculk sensors to creep you out with their unique ability to detect nearby vibrations
• A vibration is anything that causes physical motion; if you are careful, there are some motions that are undetectable to sensors by sneaking. There are still quite a few of these events missing though - stay tuned!
• These sneak-friendly vibrations currently include walking, falling to the ground
• The current list of vibration events are as follows (more will be added in future updates):
  • Step
  • Swim
  • Block Place
  • Block Destroy
  • Elytra Free Fall
  • Hit Ground
  • Splash
  • Projectile Shoot
• Sculk sensors will not listen to vibrations that are directly created by other sculk sources
• When a vibration is detected, a signal is sent from the source location to the sensor at a speed of 1 game tick per block
• Other vibrations cannot be detected by a sensor when a signal is already traveling to it
• When the signal has arrived, the sensor will be activated for 40 game ticks (approximately 2 seconds)
• While activated, the sensor cannot detect other vibrations
• Sculk sensors can detect vibrations in an 8-block radius around it
• Known issues:
  • Sculk sensors cannot be waterlogged
  • Wool occlusion is not yet added to the blocks' functionality. This will be added in a later beta

Bug fixes

General

• Fixed Pork Chop achievement and trophy being unlocked by raw porkchop
• Fixed a bug where foxes wouldn't knock off and eat sweet berries
• Clicking "Download Template" when missing required templates of an existing world now correctly downloads the required templates
• Fixed bug that allowed players to place custom spawn eggs by default in Adventure mode

Commands

• The /setblock command now supports setting the connected state for the soul_lantern block
• The /setblock command now supports setting the rotation state for the chain block
• SetBlock and SetBlockAtPos events now support custom block states

Blocks

• Fix for certain Marketplace worlds having incorrect block data when played on Realms and multiplayer between mobile and PC

World generation

• Mcstructure files saved with entities no longer crash game when loaded into the world

Technical changes

• A boolean parameter called ignore_game_mode is added for the block event response decrement_stack, set to false by default. Thus decrement_stack no longer decreases the item stack when playing in Creative by default

Known issues

• A crash may occur when suspending and resuming the game on Android
• The patch notes screen may contain an invalid link to the Marketplace

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