This cryptic Minecraft teaser could be hinting at a big material update

Minecraft developer Mojang loves to keep players guessing when it comes to new updates, innovations, and content. Sure, we'll eventually get a set of patch notes, a blog post, or a trailer revealing all, but it often throws some breadcrumbs around first. It seems to be at it again, because a cryptic new teaser on Minecraft's Instagram page has left fans scratching their heads and cooking up some pretty wild theories - however, some science-savvy sleuths appear to have found a connection: copper.

It's been a busy old month for Minecraft updates and content drops already, with Vibrant Visuals certainly the highlight. Already a mainstay on our best PC games of all time list, Minecraft is now more beautiful than ever thanks to this visual overhaul. However, Mojang is wasting no time teasing what's next, and there are plenty of educated guesses (and complete stabs in the dark) emerging though.

In a new post on the official Minecraft Instagram account, Mojang shows a humble cave scene. But look a little closer, and you'll see the letters 'C' and 'U' carved into the wall, and the numbers '2' and '9' on the floor. As well as these visual clues, a notification can also be seen saying: "Teleported Steve to 29, 11, 63.54." The caption of the post also ties into this, simply reading: "/tp."

That's a weird collection of clues, right? So let's dive into some of the theories. First, a couple that I think you can disregard, due to them using only some of the available information. For anyone saying that '29, 11' is pointing to some kind of major update on November 29, I'd think again - that's a long old time away. I also don't believe those thinking that 'C,' 'U,' and '2' mean that Caves Update 2 is on the way - the original Caves and Cliffs update, which came in two parts, rolled out during 2021. To the Minecraft fan claiming that 'C U 2 9' sounds like 'see you tonight' and was hopeful some huge news the same day, better luck next time. And finally, if you thought the '2' was some kind of hint that Minecraft 2 might be announced on November 29, don't get your hopes up.

However, there's one extremely solid (and extremely nerdy) theory that I think is bang on the money. From what I can see, this was first stated as part of a joint effort in the Instagram comments by 'meowze_x' and 'charles__75,' and they predict that this is all to do with some kind of update to copper.

I know you don't come to read this article for a science lesson, but bear with me. In the periodic table of elements, copper is represented by the symbol Cu. Its atomic number is 29, and it's found in group 11 of the periodic table. Oh, and guess what copper's atomic mass is: 63.546. So, that all ties in to the visual clues in the cave and the coordinates that Steve has been teleported to. We have a winner.

Exactly what Mojang plans to do with copper is the next mystery. Maybe there will be new uses for copper as a material, or new items that you can craft out of it. Another theory is that the Copper Golem - a mob that lost in the final of the 2021 community mob vote and has become something of a niche Minecraft meme - could be added to the game. At this stage, we just don't know, but it's almost certainly something copper-related.

We'll of course keep you in the loop when Mojang finally confirms what it's up to. In the meantime, check out our guides to the best Minecraft seeds and best Minecraft mods.

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