Hybrid Beta terrain generation means a modern world height but classic, more unique generation.
Deepslate only spawns below y=-40, combined with glowing ores and brighter lichen and fog gives caves a new, but classic feel.
Crimson/warped forests and piglins are gone, and nether gold and quartz are replaced with steel ore and blazing netherrack respectively.
Use the hundreds of custom advancements to find things to do and understand the new progression system.
Classic Chest models, kilns and furnaces and ovens and crucibles, the armor bench and crusher, the cartography table and loom.
All the classic ores you expect, with 2 new ones: nether steel ore and blazing netherrack, plus a block of blaze powder for smelting.
From golden sword's innate flame enchantment to chainmail's thorns, wooden swords' knockback and the copper helmet's respiration, every material has its time and place.
Food heals hearts directly over time (you can see how much above the hotbar and in the item name). To heal more, you'll need to combine more ingredients.
Wood colors are replaced for more variety, and can be inter-dyed. Plus, wooden walls and directional planks.
Every wood block and item.
A boat and chest for every wood type, nearly.
Nether mushrooms now better match their overworld counterparts, and contain new light sources.
Reworked full light blocks: glowstone, redstone lamp, amethyst block, glowing mushroom lantern, lichen lamp, and blaze block
Melon and Pumpkin Lanterns with regular and weak variants.
No concrete, no concrete powder, just the classics of glass, wool, and hardened clay in every color.
Mossy, cracked, and chiseled variants for every brick type, plus some extras.
Regular and/or cobbled, polished, brick, cracked brick, mossy brick, chiseled, and pillared variants for all these stone types.
Slabs, stairs, vertical slabs, and walls for every regular and/or cobbled, brick, mossy brick, and polished version of blocks.

A re-imagining of modern Minecraft with gameplay and visuals inspired by pre-b1.8.