Minecraft Could Go Sky-High After Caves & Cliffs, Vibrant Visuals Updates

As Mojang continues improving the realism of Minecraft through updates, experimental snapshots, and content drops, various changes ranging from cloud designs to world generation could inspire new features that could help the game reach new heights. While it has since been revealed that Vibrant Visuals will now be included in Mojang’s larger Chase the Skies drop alongside the likes of Happy Ghasts and player locator bars, there could be some hidden potential in a few of its smaller changes to Minecraft. More specifically, a recent update to Minecraft‘s clouds and ambient fog could be a step closer to Mojang overhauling the game’s mountaineering mechanics.

Though there aren’t any features that are directly attributed to mountain-climbing in Minecraft, there are an increasing number of in-game mechanics that seem to indicate its potential nevertheless. For instance, both halves of Minecraft‘s Caves & Cliffs update appeared to lay significant groundwork for future mountaineering features, such as changes in world generation, powder snow, and mountain biomes. With even newer updates introducing more changes like reworking clouds to exploring biome temperatures, Mojang could seize the opportunity to finally bring these scattered features together and experiment with Minecraft‘s underutilized mountainous environments.

After Minecraft’s Vibrant Visuals Update, The Next Update Should Swing in the Opposite Direction

Minecraft’s upcoming Vibrant Visuals shaders are looking great, but the update’s successor should put its focus on different areas.

Minecraft’s Ready For Mountaineering After Caves & Cliffs, Vibrant Visuals, and Chase the Skies

Whether Mojang intended to or not, there has been a growing trend in previous and upcoming Minecraft updates where a few features have gradually fleshed out the game’s mountaineering potential. While such changes could date back further to older updates, it arguably started with the overhaul of Minecraft‘s world generation during Caves & Cliffs’ second part, leading to even taller mountains and even deeper caves. However, though later updates like The Wild would capitalize on the Overworld’s newfound depth with new underground biomes and structures, there didn’t seem to be any similar exploration of Minecraft‘s equally new heights.

These same updates seemed to at least continue making small additions and changes geared towards mountain-climbing in Minecraft, such as the mechanics behind powdered snow and leather boots, or new temperature-based mob variants.

The latest Vibrant Visuals and Chase the Skies drops appear to do the same by changing Minecraft‘s cloud designs, overhauling one of the game’s most basic and unassuming mechanics to improve their realism. Therefore, should Mojang continue refining Minecraft‘s existing gameplay by embracing and enhancing overlooked features, its next step could be to officially introduce mountaineering to the game.

Minecraft’s World Generation and Cloud Changes Are Perfect Together

Between Minecraft‘s older update to world generation and its latest change to clouds, as well as the various changes and features listed below, there is a strong case to be made for in-game mountaineering:

World height increases to y=320.
Potential temperature mechanics influenced by mob variants and freezing in powered snow.
New uses for leather armor linked to powered snow.
Cloud changes that emphasize in-game altitude.
Easier access to flying with mountable Happy Ghasts and Elytra.
Potential altitude-based rework of air and breathing mechanics.

As the newest features in Minecraft‘s Chase the Skies greatly expand the player’s ability to fly, it seems that Mojang is actively incentivizing players to explore the game’s skies, enabled further by the combination of its new world generation and clouds. Therefore, in light of these changes, it might finally be time for Mojang to consider mountaineering mechanics in order to maintain the balance between Minecraft‘s gameplay and progression.

Minecraft Could Embrace Mountaineering in Future Updates

For instance, with flight more readily accessible thanks to Happy Ghast mounts, Mojang could ensure the feature isn’t exploited by adding gradual breathing and freezing damage at higher altitudes, requiring players to wear leather armor or Respiration-enhanced helmets. But to better balance the risks and requirements of Minecraft‘s potential mountain-climbing, players could be aided and rewarded when mountaineering with new features and mechanics like the examples below.

Anchors that combine with leashes to prevent players or mobs from falling.
Waypoints that appear on maps or the player locator bar.
Enchantments that increase speed on snow or ice, prevent sliding on ice, or prevent freezing.
Mountain-based structures with loot, like forts, camps, or temples.

While adding new limits and challenges to a player’s ability to traverse the Overworld could receive some pushback, it could be an inevitable step in Mojang’s push for realism that balances its recent updates and taps into Minecraft‘s mountaineering potential.