suzpacefuz

Finally found a solution that fixed this problem for me, so I'll be posting it here in case anyone else ever encounters this issue

Go into your computer's console and enter the following:

echo drivers=pulse,alsa >> ~/.alsoftrc

Then reboot your computer, and it should be fixed. Credit for this goes towards https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxquestions/comments/v2knij/minecraft_openal_failure_failed_to_get_openal/ (u/dinnerbird)

Still don't quite understand what was causing the issue though, presumably something to do with OpenAL or audio drivers.