The history of copper in Minecraft

Minecraft fans were beyond excited when copper was added to the game with the monumental Caves & Cliffs update back in 2021. However, things soon felt quite underwhelming, as there was barely any use for the metal. Other than crafting decorative blocks, copper had no practical use, eventually leaving players disappointed.

Now, copper in Minecraft has seen a great arc, from an underwhelming addition to finally becoming a highly useful metal. This article explains the interesting history of copper in the blocky world and the potential future of this metal.

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Copper comes to Minecraft

The developers took a long time before making copper more useful in Minecraft (Image via Mojang Studios)

Copper came to Minecraft with a bang; the first wave introduced copper ore, raw copper, copper blocks in multiple oxidation stages, cut variants, and the lightning rod and spyglass. Suddenly, rooftops could patina, coastal towns could be made with the soft orange glow, then fade to teal after some time. Players also had a new way to redirect thunderstorms away from wooden builds.

Oxidation was the only thing that made copper somewhat special. Copper blocks and items would have the bright orange glow, but after a few in-game days, they would weather and then finally oxidize with the rusty teal color. However, players could prevent this from occurring by waxing the metal with honeycomb.

The addition of a new block, game mechanic, and another use of honeycomb was great. But players wanted something more. The oxidation mechanic made the metal stand out from others like iron and gold. However, unlike the latter two, copper could not be used to make anything useful.

From a utility point of view, early copper was known for being visually appealing while doing little. The lightning rod protected builds from fire, and the spyglass added scouting flair. However, they didn't have much use. Spyglass felt like a gimmick, while the lightning rod was used to add detail to builds rather than protecting one against thunderstorms.

The developers even brought the copper golem that lost the Minecraft Mob Vote in 2021 (Image via Mojang Studios)

The only good thing about the ore was that it was found in abundance. Players could use copper blocks liberally in builds. But still, many found copper to be too much, and with very little use. Thankfully, Mojang Studios took note of all the complaints, and while it came up with a solution very late, it was better than not getting anything.

The first phase of improvements did make things interesting. Decorative expansion brought cut copper stairs and slabs, a richer palette mixing with sandstone, prismarine, warped wood, and brick. Texture updates smoothed the gradient from raw orange to turquoise, which encouraged gradient roofs, maritime domes, and even steampunk machines.

Redstone players folded copper into aesthetic casings around contraptions, hiding rails and droppers behind industrial cladding while maintaining color contrast. Copper was getting better, but it still needed something more.

Now, nearly five years since its announcement, Mojang Studios is about to release The Copper Age update in 2025. It will add everything players wanted copper to have since day one. This game drop includes copper tools, weapons, chests, and even a cute copper golem. Players can now use all the stockpile of copper ores that had no practical benefit, while copper horse armor can also be crafted.

Apart from these items, Mojang Studios is also bringing copper chains, bars, lanterns, and even copper torches in Minecraft – copper torches have a green glow to them. While it did take the developers a long time, they are finally adding a metal that works like it should in the blocky world.

It will be interesting to see what else Mojang Studios comes up with in the future. The Copper Age update is scheduled to release on September 30, 2025.