Changes to copper in new Minecraft 21w11a Snapshot: Everything players need to know

Minecraft Snapshot 21w11a brings a ton of great features to the game, but builders will be particularly pleased about the addition of waxed copper.

Some players may know that copper blocks and all of their variants oxidize in Minecraft. However, with the new wax mechanic, copper blocks will no longer oxidize.

This is great news for builders who do not want their beautiful bronze builds to turn green over time.

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Changes to copper in new Minecraft 21w11a Snapshot

Oxidation

Shown: The process of oxidation (Image via Minecraft)

Oxidation takes place when a molecule loses its electrons due to a chemical reaction. In Minecraft, this just means that copper turns greener over time.

Using an axe on an oxidized block of copper will revert it back by one stage of oxidation. While this is a neat little feature, players who do not want their copper oxidizing at all should use wax instead.

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Wax

Shown: What the previous image would look like if the player used wax (Image via Minecraft)

Wax will prevent the player's copper from turning green over time.

To apply wax on a copper block, the player must use the honeycomb item on each block. This will be difficult for the player on larger Survival builds, as honeycombs aren't that common.

If the player decides that they want the beautiful green color, axes can be used to scrape off wax from a block.

Wax can be applied to any variant of the copper block as well as at any stage of oxidation. This means that if players want to keep a specific stage of green on their builds, they can do so by applying wax when it reaches that stage.

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