Oxidation

From Minecraft Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
All blocks that are affected by oxidation.

Oxidation is a mechanic that causes most blocks made from copper to oxidize over time, changing their appearance.

All blocks that oxidize can be 'locked' in their current oxidation state by being waxed with honeycombs, and can gradually be scraped of their wax and/or oxidation using an axe.

Mechanics[edit | edit source]

Non-waxed copper blocks have four stages of oxidation (including the initial normal state). Lightning bolts and axes can remove the oxidation on copper blocks.

As the block begins to oxidize (exposed copper), it gets discolored and green spots begin to appear. As the oxidation continues (weathered copper), the block is a green color with brown spots. In the last stage (oxidized copper), the block is teal with several green spots.

Oxidation is a purely visual mechanic in most cases. However, the light level of copper bulbs depends on the oxidation level. Normal copper bulbs have a light level of 15, exposed copper bulbs have a light level of 12, weathered copper bulbs have a light level of 8, and oxidized copper bulbs have a light level of 4.

Oxidation of copper blocks relies only on random ticks. Unlike the real-world phenomenon, rain or water does not accelerate oxidation, and covering copper blocks with other blocks does not prevent oxidation.

In Java Edition, groups of non-waxed copper blocks oxidize far more slowly than single copper blocks that are spaced at least 4 blocks apart. This is because a block in a group being at the same or lower oxidation level than the others slows down the oxidation process for all other blocks within 4 blocks of taxicab distance. Oxidation speed for a group of copper blocks can be increased by placing oxidized copper blocks around less oxidized copper blocks, but this does not offer a speed improvement over placing the blocks 4 apart. The calculations for the oxidation behavior are as follows:

In Java Edition, when a random tick is given, a copper block has a 64⁄1125 chance to enter a state called pre-oxidation. This means a copper block has approximately a 5% chance per minute to enter pre-oxidation at least once, and enters pre-oxidation after roughly 20 minutes on average.

In pre-oxidation, the copper block checks all non-waxed copper blocks within a distance of 4 blocks taxicab distance in order to determine whether it should oxidize.

  • If there is any copper block that has a lower oxidation level, then the copper block does not oxidize, and pre-oxidation ends.
  • Otherwise, the chance of oxidation is determined by the proportion of nearby unwaxed copper blocks that are at the same or higher oxidation level. Let a be the number of all nearby non-waxed copper blocks, and b be the number of nearby non-waxed copper blocks that have a higher oxidation level. Calculate a proportion value c from this equation: c = b + 1⁄a + 1. Additionally, let a modifying factor m be 0.75 if the copper block has no oxidation, or 1 if the copper block is exposed or weathered.[1] Then the final oxidation probability is mc2.

For example, an unweathered copper block surrounded by 6 unweathered copper blocks and 6 exposed copper blocks has a 21.7% chance to oxidize if it enters the pre-oxidation state. In this case, a = 12, b = 6, and m = 0.75.[2]

The resulting behavior for groups of copper blocks is that oxidation typically begins at corners or edges, and spreads evenly from there, with an entire region needing to reach a minimum oxidation level before advancing to the next.

Waxing[edit | edit source]

Using a honeycomb on a non-waxed copper block (or crafting them together) turns it into its waxed variant, which prevents the block from oxidizing entirely. Using an axe on a waxed copper block turns it into the respective non-waxed copper block.

Deoxidation[edit | edit source]

Using an axe on an exposed, weathered, or oxidized copper block reverts it one stage to a regular, exposed, or weathered copper block respectively. The axe removes wax first, then oxidation layers.

Lightning can also remove oxidation from copper blocks. A lightning bolt striking an non-waxed copper block (or a lightning rod attached to one) removes all oxidation from the struck block, and may also deoxidize randomly selected copper blocks nearby.

In Java Edition, these additional blocks are chosen by random walks as follows: The position of the struck copper block is set as the start point. Then, the game performs 3 to 5 walks. In the beginning of each walk, a judgment point is set at the start point. For each step of the walk, the game randomly selects 10 blocks from a 3×3×3 volume centered on the judgment point. If an non-waxed copper block is found among these 10 blocks, the judgment point is transferred to the first such block found, and 1 oxidation layer of that block is removed (if the block is still unoxidized, the block stays as it is). The number of steps in a walk is between 1 and 8 (inclusive), chosen randomly for each walk. This means that one single lightning strike can deoxidize up to 41 blocks (1 block initially struck by lightning + 5 max walks*8 max steps in every walk).[3]

Affected blocks[edit | edit source]

The following blocks are affected by oxidation:

Achievements[edit | edit source]

Icon Achievement In-game description Actual requirements (if different) Gamerscore earned Trophy type (PS)
PS4 Other
AchievementSprite wax-on-wax-off.png: Sprite image for wax-on-wax-off in Minecraft linking to Achievement#Wax on, Wax offNewAchievementSprite wax-on-wax-off.png: Sprite image for wax-on-wax-off in Minecraft linking to Achievement#Wax on, Wax offWax on, Wax off
{ "anchor": "", "title": "Wax on, Wax off", "icon": "wax-on-wax-off", "title": "Wax on, Wax off", "description": "Apply and remove [[Wax]] from all the Copper blocks!!!
 ", "requirements": "Wax and de-wax each oxidation stage of the 4 original Copper Blocks in the game: [[Block of Copper|blocks of copper]], [[Cut Copper|cut copper]] blocks, [[Cut Copper Stairs|stairs]], and [[Cut Copper Slab|slabs]].
 ", "gamerscore": "30G
 ", "trophytype": "Silver
 ", "rewards": ""Copper Headband" headwear
" }
Apply and remove Wax from all the Copper blocks!!!Wax and de-wax each oxidation stage of the 4 original Copper Blocks in the game: blocks of copper, cut copper blocks, stairs, and slabs.30GSilver

Advancements[edit | edit source]

IconAdvancementIn-game descriptionActual requirements (if different)
Wax OffScrape Wax off of a Copper block!Use an axe to revert any of these 9 waxed variants of copper blocks:
The block can be in any of its four oxidation stages.
Wax OnApply Honeycomb to a Copper block!Wax any of these 9 waxable copper block variants using a honeycomb:
The block can be in any of its four oxidation stages, but cannot already be waxed.

History[edit | edit source]

October 3, 2020Oxidizing copper blocks are revealed at Minecraft Live 2020.
Java Edition
1.1720w45aAdded copper blocks and cut copper, which are affected by oxidation.
21w05aWeathering now relies on random ticks.
21w11aCopper blocks can be waxed by using honeycomb, producing yellow particles.
Honeycomb in a dispenser now waxes copper blocks.
Axes can scrape off wax and oxidation of copper blocks, producing white particles.
Lightning striking copper now cleans its oxidation.
1.20.3
Experiment
Update 1.21		23w43aAdded chiseled copper, copper bulbs, copper doors, copper grates, and copper trapdoors, all of which are affected by oxidation.
Bedrock Edition
1.17.0
Experiment
Caves & Cliffs		beta 1.16.210.57Added copper blocks and cut copper, which can oxidize.
beta 1.16.220.52Right clicking on copper while holding an axe de-waxes copper, scraping off patina one step at a time.
Lightning rods struck by lightning decrements the oxidation age of nearby copper blocks.
1.17.0beta 1.17.0.50Copper surfaces now deoxidize in a more random pattern when struck by lightning.
Horizontally placed Lightning rods now interact properly with respect to de-oxidizing copper blocks.
Copper blocks struck by lightning now deoxidize even if there's no lightning rod present.
Added sounds for scraping off wax and oxidization.
1.20.50
Experiment
Update 1.21		Preview 1.20.50.22Added chiseled copper, copper bulbs, copper doors, copper grates, and copper trapdoors, all of which are affected by oxidation.

Issues[edit | edit source]

Issues relating to "Oxidation" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "21w05a Code Review"
  2. ↑ "What's The Fastest Way To Get Oxidized Copper And How Long Does It Take?" – ilmango on YouTube, February 7, 2021
  3. ↑ "21w11a Code Review"

Navigation[edit | edit source]

Gameplay
General mechanics
Survival
Combat
Environment
Movement
User interface
Visuals
Retrieved from "https://minecraft.wiki/w/Oxidation?oldid=2715879"