UPDATE: As expected, Minecraft is getting a raft of new features to make use of the copper resource — including the long-awaited debut of copper golems.
Minecraft will now let you craft copper tools and armor, positioning it as useful halfway house for new players to utilise in the early game, before moving on to the harder-to-find iron.
Most excitingly, the copper golem from Minecraft’s 2021 Mob Vote is finally being added, after remaining a fan-favourite concept over the years. Now, the cute metallic creature will help with item management in chests, sorting and stacking items from a copper chest and matching them with other chests nearby.
Minecraft’s copper update is live now via Bedrock’s beta branch, so you can try it out now.
ORIGINAL STORY: Cryptic teases from Minecraft’s official social media accounts have hinted at something big coming soon to do with copper.
A post on the Minecraft X/Twitter account features a teasing message stating “C U in the mines!” while on Instagram, the inside of a cave with blocks spelling out “CU 29” can be seen alongside the message: “Teleported Steve to 29, 11, 63.54.”
What does all this mean? Well, Cu is copper’s chemical symbol, 29 is its number in the periodic table, 11 is its group in the period table, while 63.54 is its atomic mass. So it’s definitely something to do with copper. But beyond that? Well, fans do have one big idea.
Copper has existed in Minecraft for some time, as one of the game’s many ores you can harvest and smelt into blocks, ingots, stairs, doors and so forth. There are even exposed, weathered and oxidized versions of the material, so you can build using copper of various types.
Back in 2021, a concept for a copper golem was proposed by Minecraft developer Mojang as one of several potential mobs it was considering — though, sadly, the copper golem lost that year’s Minecraft Live vote, and the concept was shelved.
C U in the mines! pic.twitter.com/2Pq0iG1gHl
— Minecraft (@Minecraft) June 30, 2025
The copper golem has remained something of a fan-favorite, however, popping up as an Easter egg in subsequent Mob Votes. The helpful creature would have acted as a regular golem, albeit with the ability to randomly press copper buttons.
One cool mechanic would have seen the golem slowly oxidize over time, eventually turning into a statue unless players remembered to chisel off the oxidization with an axe, or if the golem was struck by lightning.
“What is something important involving copper that Mojang has teased in the past?” one fan excitedly wrote on reddit. “I think it’s pretty obvious we are getting a copper update, and I think it might be the copper golems introduction,” wrote another.
Perhaps the best evidence of a return for the copper golem comes from yet another official tease, this time posted to the Minecraft YouTube channel. Here, Minecraft director Agnes Larsson is seen visiting an actual real-life mine after taking a break from playing Minecraft. As fans on reddit have pointed out, the brief snippet of gameplay shown at the beginning of the video shows a house clearly shaped like a copper golem, made out of copper blocks.
Could the copper golem finally be getting his moment in the sun? Well, maybe. Both the teases also seem to be pointing more underground, where copper ore can actually be found. Exactly what Mojang is hinting at, however, players will have to wait and see.
Last month, Minecraft got a big graphical update courtesy of its Vibrant Visuals update — but only on supported platforms.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
