Publisher Microsoft and developer Mojang have announced details for the next update coming to Minecraft, chief among them colorblind-friendly ores and new stone.

The ores in Minecraft have largely been the same texture and pattern from the beginning of its development, with only colors swapped out for each tier of ore. This has naturally made it hard for colorblind players to identify what ore is coal, what is gold, and so on. The new update changes the pattern of each ore so it’s possible for these players to identify the ores.

The new update also adds Grimstone, a new type of stone found deep underground and is slightly harder to mine than regular stone. As this is a stone block, you can use it to make a host of crafting items like slabs, stairs, walls, and more.

Here’s the full list of new features and changes:

NEW FEATURES IN 21W07A

• Added Grimstone!

GRIMSTONE

Grimstone can be found in the deepest parts of the underground and is slightly tougher to mine than normal Stone.

• Like Blackstone, Grimstone can be used to craft basic tools, furnaces and brewing stands.
• You can craft the following blocks with this new stone type:
  • Grimstone Slab
  • Grimstone Stairs
  • Grimstone Wall
  • Polished Grimstone
  • Polished Grimstone Slab
  • Polished Grimstone Stairs
  • Polished Grimstone Wall
  • Grimstone Bricks
  • Grimstone Brick Slab
  • Grimstone Brick Stairs
  • Grimstone Brick Wall
  • Grimstone Tiles
  • Grimstone Tile Slab
  • Grimstone Tile Stairs
  • Grimstone Tile Wall
  • Chiselled Grimstone

CHANGES IN 21W07A

• Tweaks and updates to world generation and ores
• Changes to the visuals of some ores and stone types
• Reordered Redstone Tab in Creative Inventory

WORLD GENERATION

• Tweaked huge caves to be more rare and decreased the chance that caves are filled with water
• Changed ore generation to match the new world height and to add more strategy to mining
• Tweaked size and positioning of diorite, andesite & granite generation
• Exception: Diorite and Granite and Dirt no longer generate below y = 0
• Strongholds are now mostly encased in stone
• Mineshaft corridors are now supported by log pillars below or chains above when needed

Comparison between the old or distribution and the new ore distribution. Click here for a link to a full-resolution image.

VISUALS

• Ores without unique shapes have been given new textures for accessibility reasons, so that each ore is distinguishable by shape alone
• Being the most iconic ore, Diamond Ore texture is staying the same to keep that classic feel maintained
• Blackstone, Polished Blackstone Bricks, and Cracked Polished Blackstone Bricks have had some minor touch ups

Old ore textures on the left and new ore textures on the right.

CREATIVE INVENTORY

• The Redstone Tab has been reordered to prioritize highly-used blocks
• Redstone items/blocks have been grouped and ordered in the following way:
  • Essentials
  • Unique activators
  • Miscellaneous
  • Common activators
  • Openables

FIXED BUGS IN 21W07A

• MC-147589 – Vines no longer randomly generate in jungles
• MC-208613 – Amount of players who need to sleep to skip the night is calculated incorrectly
• MC-208618 – Clicking on a bed immediately skips the night if gamerule playersSleepingPercentage is set to 0
• MC-211224 – Seagrass can occasionally replace parts of a swamp hut
• MC-214082 – Crash after placing soul sand or magma under 2032 tall water
• MC-214814 – Strongholds generate floating and without walls, floors, or ceilings when inside caves
• MC-214844 – Bedrock can be exposed to the air at the very bottom of the new caves
• MC-214885 – Beacon beam only render 256 blocks from source
• MC-214973 – Powder snow bucket in a dispenser at y = 319 facing upwards or at y = -64 facing downwards is replaced with empty bucket, despite no powder snow being placed
• MC-214986 – Large dripstones only generate as stalagmites below Y=0

It’s worth reiterating that all future content updates for Minecraft are no longer supported on legacy Minecraft versions for PlayStation 3, PS Vita, Xbox 360, and Wii U, however the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch versions still get updates as the currently-supported versions of the game.

Minecraft is available for Windows PC, Linux, Mac (all via the official website) Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, Android, iOS, Amazon Fire, Amazon Fire, and Fire TV. The game also supports Samsung Gear VR and Oculus on certain platforms.