Mojang recently confirmed the arrival of an all-new ore to Minecraft with the 1.17 Update: Copper!
With the arrival of the new ore come new building and mining possibilities. Players can now make blocks, stairs and slabs out of copper.
However, copper will have another trick up its sleeve…
Where to find copper
As with most ores, copper will be found underground across all biomes, and drops when the block is broken.
NEW POSSIBILITIES: A new ore means new creative options
The ore will spawn in new large ore veins, and so will be abundant once discovered.
Once smelted, the copper can be used to craft two new items!
New items
The addition of copper to Minecraft allows Mojang to put more craftable items in the game.
For copper, this includes both Lightning Rods and Telescopes, both of which are made exclusively of the new material.
Whilst it has not yet been confirmed, it is likely that users will also be create armour and tools using the material, similar to iron.
Aging
As another cool new feature for the Caves and Cliffs Update, Copper ages over time. This can happen on each copper made block, so it could potentially happen to armour/tools if they are available.
LOOKING OLD: Copper blocks change appearance over time
This aging period manifests itself in a blue-green patina which takes over the block over a course of 16 days.
Additionally, weather such as rain can speed up this process, an exciting element of realism.
Update 1.17 release date
Mojang have planned for copper to arrive in your game with the new Cliffs & Caves Update, but when is that?
They have confirmed a release date of Summer 2021, giving us just under a year to wait.