Minecraft: Java Edition Snapshot 21w14a adds new raw ore items to replace smeltable blocks

News
By Zachary Boddy
published

For consistency and aesthetics, here's some raw ore.

Minecraft Caves and Cliffs Update Image
Minecraft Caves and Cliffs Update Image (Image credit: Mojang Studios)

What you need to know

  • Minecraft: Java Edition tests future updates and changes through preview builds known as snapshots.
  • The latest snapshot, 21w14a, is smaller than previous snapshots with a couple of minor changes and bug fixes.
  • The most notable change here is the addition of raw ore items, which replace smeltable blocks of ore like copper, iron, and gold.

It's time for another Minecraft: Java Edition snapshot! Today, Minecraft: Java Edition Snapshot 21w14a is the star of the show, and furthers the work being done on the upcoming Caves and Cliffs Update. The latest snapshot for Minecraft: Java Edition is certainly smaller than some of the more recent snapshots, but still includes an interesting (if minor) change to how ores and smelting work in Minecraft.

Players who participate in Minecraft: Java Edition snapshots will be testing out a handful of small changes and bug fixes in the 21w14a snapshot. The most notable of which is the addition of raw ore items for iron, gold, and copper. These raw ore items replace smeltable ore blocks when you mine ore. This is more consistent with other ores and how Minecraft normally operates. It also has the nice side effect of making these raw ore items more visually distinct from the rest of your inventory.

Minecraft: Java Edition Snapshot 21w14a is available right now, but the Caves and Cliffs Update doesn't release until this Summer. Need some more Minecraft in your life before the update lands? Consider something from our list of best merch, toys, and gifts for Minecraft.

The full changelog for Minecraft: Java Edition Snapshot 21w14a includes:

New features

Source: Mojang Studios (Image credit: Source: Mojang Studios)
  • Added Raw Copper, Raw Iron, and Raw Gold items
  • Tuff blobs can now be found between heights 0 and 16

Smeltable ore

  • Ores that are smeltable now drop raw item forms of the ore instead of the ore block and these can be smelted just like before
  • This is to prevent cluttering the inventory and have consistency with Fortune on all ores
  • Ore blocks from old worlds and silk-touched ore blocks will continue to be smeltable

Changes

  • Fully oxidized Copper can now be waxed

Bug fixes

  • Fishing rod texture always looks like it has been cast when in the player's hand
  • Entering only colons into multiplayer Direct Connection & pressing enter crashes the game
  • Command block output no longer is displayed immediately after running a command
  • Crash upon attempting to generate a world with a height of 0 blocks
  • Crash upon entering a nether portal when logical_height is set to 0 and min_y is set to 80 or greater
  • World-gen datapacks can cause crashes when first generating world
  • Having min_y set to lower than -64 causes either a crash or the world not to behave correctly if the height limit wasn't modified
  • Game crashes (ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException) during world feature placement / decoration
  • Fishing doesn't animate or render the rod, line or bobber anymore
  • IndexOutOfBound exception hard crash when loading a simple custom dimension datapack
  • The end dimension generates differently than it did previously
  • Excessive pillager spawning in pillager outposts
  • Ocean monuments are completely empty
Zachary Boddy
Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

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.