The world ofMinecraftis filled to the brim with all kinds of blocks and objects. From common dirt blocks to the rare Ender Dragon Egg, blocks and objects of all kinds can be found inMinecraftto be used as either tools, equipment, food, building materials, or simple decor. When most players first begin new worlds, they likely make their first house out of now several different types of wood, from the common birch and spruce to the recently added pale oak. Wooden planks are some of the most versatile building objects inMinecraft, but there’s one other block type that should receive a similar expansion in variety: stone.
An Exploration Into Minecraft’s Current Stone Catalog
Once players build their first wooden house in new worlds, they’ll typically start mining stone and its various sister blocks as their next primary building material. Stone is one of the most important block types inMinecraftas it allows players to mine iron ore and subsequently allows them to mine more precious ores and minerals. The rock can further be used to build furnaces, stonecutters, and redstone mechanisms alongside cobblestone. Smooth stone, after being smelted from cobblestone, can additionally be used to buildbuttons, plates, slabs, stairs, and stone brickswhich themselves could be made into slabs, stairs, walls, and chiseled stone bricks. Cobblestone can also be made into slabs, stairs, walls, as well as brewing stands, pistons, and dispensers.
Regular gray stone isn’t the only type of stone players can find underground and in other environments, however. In deserts and the badlands, players can find either regular white sandstone or red sandstone just below the sandy surface. Near the surface, commonly around regular stone, players may find chunks of andesite, diorite, tuff, and granite. As players mine deeper and deeper underground towards bedrock and lava, they may encounter dripstone or obsidian before becoming surrounded bythe dark deepslate stone type. All of these stone types can be crafted into slabs, stairs, and walls, while only sandstones can be made into smooth and chiseled blocks and deepslate can be made into cobble, cracked, polished, and brick blocks.
Cobblestone was the first stone block type featured inMinecraft, with cobblestone initially being the only block found underground when the game first debuted in 2009.
Minecraft’s Potential Stone Expansion
Both stone and wood blocks inMinecrafthave evolved and become more varied over the game’s 15-year-long history. While there are currently nine different types of stone, excluding cobble variants, there are10 different types of trees, including oak, birch, spruce, jungle, acacia, dark oak, mangrove, cherry, and pale oak, all with their own unique colored logs and planks. Players can additionally get crimson, teal, or chartreuse colored wood-like planks from huge fungi found in the Nether and bamboo found in jungles. With 13 total different colored plank blocks, a few more stone block variants could be added to match the two block types and expand options for home and base construction.
One new stone type Mojang could add is kimberlite, an igneous rock formed from deep-source volcanic eruptions. Appearing to be mostly black with gold-colored chunks or spots, kimberlite is often found to be the host rock for diamonds, with the rock being the target of many real world mining companies due to its potential to lead to diamonds. With diamonds being harder to find amongdeepslate in modernMinecraft. Mojang could add kimberlite sporadically deep underground as a sign to help people find diamonds. A few other stone types Mojang could add toMinecraftare tachylite, jaspillite, and gossan. These colorful rocks can make for great potential alternatives to wood or wool as stone cannot be burnt down.
Potential Updates to Minecraft’s Stone Blocks
Not only could Mojang and a set of new stone types in a potential new update, they could also upgrade some past stone features and crafting abilities. Andesite, diorite, and granite cannot currently be made into bricks or chiseled blocks, but Mojang could updateMinecraftto have those stones feature those options and give fans of building more choices to build with. Dripstone blocks likewise cannot be built into bricks, chiseled, smooth, slab, stair, or wall blocks, but Mojang could update the game to give dripstone more utility.Obsidian and crying obsidian, while long blocks to mine, could be further expanded upon as well to be able to craft obsidian bricks, stairs, etc.
Minecraft
WHERE TO PLAY
Minecraft is a game made up of blocks, creatures, and community. You can survive the night or build a work of art – the choice is all yours. But if the thought of exploring a vast new world all on your own feels overwhelming, then fear not!Minecraft has no set goal and can be played however you’d like! This is why it’s sometimes called a “sandbox game” – there are lots of things for you to do, and lots of ways that you can play. If you like being creative, then you can use the blocks to build things from your imagination. If you’re feeling brave, you can explore the world and face daring challenges. Blocks can be broken, crafted, placed to reshape the landscape, or used to build fantastical creations.Creatures can be battled or befriended, depending on how you play. The world of Minecraft allows for epic adventures, quiet meditations, and everything in between. You can even share your creations with other players, or play in community worlds!
