Minecraft: Java Edition 1.18 Experimental Snapshot 7 arrives with minor changes to elytra and more

What you need to know

• Mojang Studios has been testing features from 1.18 'Caves and Cliffs Update' Part Two with Experimental Snapshots.
• The latest Experimental Snapshot is now available for Minecraft: Java Edition, and includes minor changes.
• Noodle caves can now appear at any elevation, and elytra is enjoying a handful of tweaks to durability and boosting.
• These minor changes arrive as Mojang works to bring Experimental Snapshot features to regular snapshots and betas in the near future.

Mojang Studios is back again with new tests for Minecraft and the upcoming 1.18 Caves and Cliffs Update Part Two. Minecraft: Java Edition 1.18 Experimental Snapshot 7 is now available for testing, and continues to tweak the sweeping world generation changes arriving later this year. However, this Experimental Snapshot is considerably smaller than, say, its predecessor, 1.18 Experimental Snapshot 6, as Mojang is now pivoting to a new goal.

This is likely the last Experimental Snapshot we'll see, at least for a while, as Mojang is working on porting all of the new features and additions they've been testing to regular snapshots and betas for all versions of Minecraft. That means more players will be able to test all the alterations soon, and it means that we're inching closer to a full release for 1.18 Caves and Cliffs Update Part Two. Hopefully, we'll learn more about how Mojang intends to tackle the end of development for this colossal update soon.

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The full changelog for Minecraft: Java Edition 1.18 Experimental Snapshot 7 includes:

Changes

• Noodle caves can generate at any height, no longer capped at y 130. This means you'll sometimes find tiny cave openings and cracks in mountain peaks. Tread with care
• Some parts of the terrain are ever so slightly smoother (less 3d noise in tech speak)
• Elytra doesn't take durability damage when gliding, only when using rockets. So you don't HAVE to have mending or unbreaking enchantments to use your elytra, especially now that there are higher mountains and cliffs to launch from
• Elytra rocket boost is a bit weaker, so you can't fly as fast with rockets. We are testing this for several reasons:
  • Elytra rocket boosting is so fast that other means of transport become almost redundant. We want to balance it out a bit
  • Even in earlier versions of Minecraft most servers get laggy when players fly around with elytra & rockets because they fly faster than chunks can load. With the new world height this would probably get worse
  • There is so much more cool terrain to enjoy now, wouldn't want to zoom past it all too fast right?
  • Note that gliding speed is unchanged. This affects just rocket boosting

Known issues

• These issues are all addressed in the upcoming normal snapshot series and won't be fixed in the Experimental Snapshots
  • Low performance
  • Nether terrain is messed up
  • End pillars don't generate (however they do generate when you respawn the dragon...)

Installation

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-7.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

• New world height and depth
• New mountain biomes (lofty peaks, snowcapped peaks, grove, meadow, and snowy slopes)
• New cave generation (cheese, spaghetti, and noodle caves)
• Local water levels and lava levels in the underground
• New cave biomes generate naturally underground and inside mountains (lush caves, dripstone caves)
• Natural variation in terrain shape and elevation, independently from biomes. For example, forests and deserts could form up on a hill without needing a special biome just for that
• New ore distribution
• Large ore veins
• Integrated mountains, caves, and cave entrances
• Monsters will only spawn in complete darkness