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The stone pickaxe can no longer mine iron ore.

The copper pickaxe introduced in the latest Minecraft Bedrock Preview and the latest Minecraft Java Snapshot should now be the one that mines iron ore, instead of the stone pickaxe. This is to prevent players from ignoring the copper pickaxe and crafting the iron pickaxe after the stone pickaxe.

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    Registered User commented
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    Having optional side tiers (ie. gold) isn't neccesarily a bad thing in itself. If the copper remains as is, it would serve as a light general purpose upgrade to stone tools for players who aren't yet ready to search for iron. But I don't think I have a preference for either case; both are fine.

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    Registered User commented
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    Yes

  • 1
    Registered User commented
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    Update: MC Bedrock development versions are known as -preview-.

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    I fully agree with this idea; requiring players to craft a copper pickaxe to mine iron ore would have copper tools see some real use instead of being skipped over. Here’s my take on the idea:

    As it is, both copper and iron ore can be mined using a stone pickaxe. And, because both copper and iron are very common and generate at similar y-levels, there is little incentive to make copper tools. Iron tools are superior to copper in every way, and there’s just no reason to mine and smelt copper when you could mine and smelt iron instead. If nothing is done with copper tools to make them more useful and unique, they will end up being ignored just as hard as gold tools are, and bloat the game with more useless items.

    Requiring a copper pickaxe to mine iron ore would incentivize players to make and use copper tools. It would give copper a necessary role in progression, add more content to the early game, and spice up the ore progression tree, which has remained stagnant for well over a decade (excluding Netherite).

    Admittedly, this isn’t a full solution to the problem. If this change were implemented, and copper pickaxes were needed to mine iron, the two ores generate so often and near each other that copper would fall into the same boat as wooden tools. Copper tools would become transitional items that are created and discarded within minutes, without seeing any real use.

    Along with this change, the distribution of iron ore generation would also need to change to balance the early game.

  • 2
    Registered User commented
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    this seems like...really redundant and just adds another tool requirement to the chain

  • 1
    Registered User commented
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    I think the fact that copper is optional for that is better

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    But then you would not be able to get iron before getting copper. This would make the game more complicated and new players using toutorials that are set before this feature would not understand. Meaning there could be less players.

  • 1
    Registered User commented
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    I think a better alternative is a small chance of 2 iron with copper to make it more used, without disrupting other tools.

  • 1
    Registered User commented
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    I think it would be better to make copper tools have a small chance to drop 2 raw iron so people are more incentived to get copper tools but aren't forced to by completely changing how Minecraft has worked for years and years

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    Wouldn't it be better for them to implement tin and Bronze? So you will need Bronze to mine Iron. Just to add a bit more to the progression of the game. It gives you a reason to gather copper 

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    If Copper Tools was buffed and Stone got Nerfed. Please buff also Copper which it can mine Gold Ores, and Gold Pickaxe can mine Iron, Gold and Copper Ores to make these tools put at good use too. Please increase also the damage of Gold Tools that's equal to Copper itself. Gold Tools was left behind. Also I remember this Gold Armor has special ability which makes you welcome to piglins, add special ability to copper which makes the wearer of it become Lightning Rod but instead of getting damaged from Lightning, it makes the user become charged like creepers so if mobs or players tried to hurt the wearer of Copper Armor they will be hurt also for once but the damage is ⅕ of the damage back from the attacker, which example was 10 damage/5 heart damage. The attacker will receive half heart or 2 damage if the user was charged by lightning, but when user was hit once, the charged effect will worn off immediately while it damaged the attacker at the same time.

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    I completely agree.
    Wood should only be able to mine stone, stone should only be able to mine coal and copper, copper should be able to mine redstone, lapis, and iron, & iron should be able to mine diamond and gold, and finally as always diamond mines obsidian.