Minecraft: Java Edition Snapshot 21w42a adds new 1.18 'Caves and Cliffs Update' Part Two music

What you need to know

• Mojang Studios is in the final stages of finishing 1.18 'Caves and Cliffs Update' Part Two for Minecraft.
• The latest Minecraft: Java Edition snapshot is now available, and includes a handful of bug fixes and improvements.
• The biggest addition here is the arrival of brand-new music for the 'Caves and Cliffs Update' in the Overworld and the main menu.
• Lena Raine is returning again with new original compositions, and a secret music disc called "Otherside" for players to find.

As we learned during the busy Minecraft Live 2021 event, 1.18 Caves and Cliffs Update Part Two is still slated for release in 2021. Mojang Studios is hard at work polishing the upcoming release to ensure it's ready for the wider Minecraft community with continued betas and snapshots released almost weekly.

Today, Mojang is dropping Minecraft: Java Edition Snapshot 21w42a, which builds on the Caves and Cliffs Update and its predecessor with a fresh batch of fixes and tweaks. However, what makes this snapshot interesting is the arrival of new original music to the Minecraft soundtrack, courtesy of Lena Raine (who returns once again) and Kumi Tanioka.

Not only are there brand-new additions to the soundtrack for the Overworld and the main menu, but a new music disc is being added to the game, called "Otherside." With the last snapshot adding a new background image, and this snapshot introducing new music, it's clear that we're getting close to a public release of 1.18 Caves and Cliffs Update Part Two.

Minecraft: Java Edition has already proven itself as one of the best PC games, but the arrival of this massive release will further cement it at the top. In case you missed it, Mojang has also announced the next major update for Minecraft with The Wild Update. The Wild Update will arrive in 2022 with new biomes, mobs, and more, and will likely influence new Minecraft toys and gifts.

The full changelog for Minecraft: Java Edition Snapshot 21w42a includes:

New features

• New music has been added to the game
• Added world autosave indicator for single-player worlds

Music

• Added new music by Lena Raine and Kumi Tanioka to the Overworld (when playing in survival mode) and to the main menu
• Added a new music disc from Lena Raine titled 'Otherside'. This can be found on rare occasions in Stronghold corridor chests or much more rarely in Dungeon chests

Changes

• World spawn selection algorithm has been reworked, now spawns player according to climate parameters
• World generation tweaks

World generation

• Lava springs can generate in mountains and snowy terrain
• Water springs don't generate higher than y 192, and are slightly less common
• Badlands gold generates higher up

Technical changes

• Replaced light and barrier particles with block_marker

Particles

• block_marker
  • Renders with texture declared in particle slot for model assigned to configured block state
  • Summoned with same syntax as block particle (i.e. block_marker wheat[age=2])

Fixed bugs

• Player no longer spawned at highest level at world spawn
• Spawning inside icebergs
• Player does not spawn on the surface of the world when min_y is greater than 0
• Parity issue: Light blocks do not display their light level when shown via a held light block item
• The player can occasionally spawn underground when loading into a new world
• Beaches generate between desert and ocean
• Values of 'Infinity' in noise settings in default worldgen