A new 1.18 Experimental Snapshot is now here for Minecraft: Java Edition

Source: Mojang Studios | Twitter

Part Two of the Caves and Cliffs Update for Minecraft will include a huge number of new features and changes for players to try out, and all of these features need extensive testing. To test the waters with the major world generation changes coming in 1.18 Caves and Cliffs Update Part Two, Mojang Studios has been releasing new Experimental Snapshots to committed players who don’t mind dipping their toes into extremely early game builds.

Following 1.18 Experimental Snapshot 3 from last week, Mojang Studios is now releasing 1.18 Experimental Snapshot 4, which continues to focus almost entirely on world generation changes. This time around, there doesn’t appear to be any obvious known issues, so this snapshot may be more stable than its predecessor.

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The full changelog for Minecraft: Java Edition 1.18 Experimental Snapshot 4 includes:

Changes

• Temple tweaks: Desert temples tend to be partially buried, and Jungle temples and Desert temples no longer generate on water
• Badlands and deserts are larger and less likely to show up as ugly microbiome splotches. Terracotta bands go higher. Wooded badlands grass and trees start higher
• Made biome placement a bit smoother and less noisy (again). This should result in fewer microbiomes (again). Tweaked biome placement in general to reduce the risk of harsh collisions
• Removed surface freezing for hot biomes, and raised the altitude at which snow layers are placed. This should result in fewer weird things like jungle trees with snow on top
• Made snowy slopes less dirty. Again. For real this time
• Made extreme hills terrain less unextreme. And fiddled with the placement of shattered terrain and extreme hills in general, to make it fit in with the terrain better
• Reduced the likelihood of rivers being cut off and turning into steep dry river gorges in mountainous terrain. Instead rivers will tend to either carve a fjord through the mountain range, or raise the terrain to form a saddle valley between the peaks. This should make the terrain friendlier for both walking and boating. I think it also makes rivers a bit wider in general
• Reduced the number of diorite / andesite / granite blobs on the surface. This should reduce the spray-paint look of stone shores and such
• Stone shores sometimes generate layers (strips) of gravel, diorite, andesite, or granite. Stony peaks sometimes generate layers of gravel, calcite, andesite, or granite. No more need to destroy geodes to get calcite
• More iron! You’ll still mostly have to go caving or mountain climbing to find it. But you’ll find more iron when you do!
• Swampier swamps. Tweaked swamp placement a bit, just to keep them happy. They are less likely to extend far out from the coastline now, and rivers in swamps tend to be shallower
• Bigger copper blobs in dripstone caves. Go to that biome if you want more copper! Either that or find a large copper vein

Installation

Source: Mojang Studios

1. Download this zip file
2. Unpack the folder into your “versions” folder of your local Minecraft application data folder
   • Windows: Press Win + R and type %appdata%\.minecraft and press Ok
   • Mac OS X: In Finder, in the Go menu, select “Go to Folder” and enter ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft
   • Linux: ~/.minecraft or /home/<your username>/.minecraft/
3. Create a new launch configuration in the launcher and select the pending 1.18_experimental-snapshot-4.zip version
4. Start the game and the remaining files will be downloaded
5. Play in a new world! This version is not compatible with other snapshots!
6. Submit feedback on this site

Changes from 1.17