Minecraft's Caves and Rocks update increases the depth of the world by 60 blocks, which means that players have a new level where they can extract diamonds from a mine.
The Caves and Cliffs update brings some major changes to Minecraft, including how players will mine precious materials and ores. One of the biggest changes that the update brings to Minecraft is an increase in the maximum height and depth of worlds. Not only does this allow players to build higher and dig deeper than ever before, but it also changes where players can strip the mine to find more diamonds.
The Minecraft Caves & Cliffs update increased the world's maximum depth from Y-level 0 to Y-level -60, which means sixty additional layers have been added to the bottom of each world. While Y 12 was the optimal level for mining, this level has now been downgraded to Y -35. This means that diamonds will spawn at or near this level more often than any other. When the player breaks the mines in these levels, it means they ignore the caves and either dig in a straight line or clear the entire area looking for diamonds. However, diamond mining is no longer the best method of finding diamonds in Minecraft 1.17.
With the advent of new generations of Minecraft caves, a new type of mega caves has become the best source of diamonds. These megacaverns are huge open spaces underground, exposing tons of ore blocks. Players will need to drink potions of night vision in order to be able to see in these caves, as it is much more difficult to light up these open areas. These caverns are large enough for players to fly through on elytra or by boat, making finding ore easier than ever. However, this does not mean that the extraction at the outcrop is obsolete. For players who just want to relax and move in one direction, they can still do it in a new way and improve Y-level -35.
