Minecraft: Java Edition 1.18.2 patch update grabs its first pre-release snapshot

Mojang Studios is already hard at work on the next major content update for Minecraft, but that doesn't mean the current version is abandoned without further polish. The studio has been preparing fresh fixes for Minecraft: Java Edition in the form of a 1.18.2 patch, which Minecraft: Bedrock Edition already enjoyed at the end of 2021. On Friday, the first pre-release snapshot for the upcoming update was released to interested players.

Minecraft: Java Edition 1.18.2 Pre-Release 1 includes a handful of technical changes and a couple of bug fixes, but isn't terribly exciting overall. Still, this release builds on what Mojang Studios has already accomplished in earlier snapshots, and indicates the finished product isn't far from being released. Assuming all goes well with testing, we could see the 1.18.2 patch update for Minecraft: Java Edition, one of the best PC games, within the next few weeks.

Of course, this patch update is built on top of the Caves and Cliffs Update, and will be similar to the various patch updates Minecraft: Bedrock Edition has enjoyed with fixes, quality-of-life improvements, and more. Don't expect any new features in the upcoming patch.

Mojang Studios is also actively building The Wild Update, the next major release for Minecraft, which will include all-new features like biomes, mobs, and much more. If you're interested in getting a peek into The Wild Update, the first Minecraft: Java Edition experimental snapshot was just released.

The full changelog for Minecraft: Java Edition 1.18.2 Pre-Release 1 includes:

Changes

• Users running Minecraft in a 32-bit environment will receive a warning in the main menu about the upcoming end of 32-bit environment support

Technical changes

• The data pack version is now 9
• It is now possible to add custom structures in experimental datapacks
• locate and locatebiome commands now support tags (prefix with # to distinguish from normal ids)
• The locate command parameter is now a configured structure rather than a structure type. For instance, you can now use /locate village_desert or /locate shipwreck_beached
• A lot of the cave generation is now configurable through data packs

Configurable caves

• A new registry was added for Density functions (caves are created by combining those together)
• Noise settings got a new field noise_router (and lost a couple of flags), seeworldgen/noise_settings folder in the worldgen report
• Noise router wires data-driven parts of the cave generation with the rest of the code

Configured structures & structure sets

• The game now generates and stores data-driven configured structures
• Experimental datapacks can add new structure sets:
  • The feature field in location predicates now references a configured feature
  • The exploration_map loot table function destination field is now a configured feature tag id
  • The exploration_map loot table function no longer automatically sets the display name of the map
• Some gameplay oddities have been affected by this change:
  • Dolphins will now more accurately pick the closest structure regardless of type
  • Bastion Remnant bounding boxes are now slightly more accurate to the shape of the structure

Fixed bugs

• Structure related mobs do not spawn in flat type world generation
• Player movement favors x-axis when in a corner
• Ruined portals never generate in superflat worlds by default
• Strongholds do not generate in certain customized worlds despite /locate saying otherwise
• Support for custom structures has been removed
• The option "level-seed" is not present in server.properties by default
• Elytra firework particle spawns on the wrong hand when dual-wielding fireworks