How to find rare materials in Minecraft

Wed Dec 14. 2022

After a long wait, the much-anticipated Minecraft Caves & Cliffs update is now available. Many players are now creating new survival realms and upgrading existing ones after the update has been released.

Mining for ores is one of the most common tasks players will do in a new world. The world has seen an increase in the generation of ores.

Overworld: Emerals and Diamond

Although emerald ore is more common, diamond and other Overworld ores remain rare. Emerald ores are only found in Minecraft 1.18's mountains and windswept hills biome. It can produce at any level, Y -16 to 256.

While diamonds can be found in all Overworld biomes, they are less common. You will find diamonds at Y levels 14 through -64.

Players will need an iron pickaxe, or better, to mine the emerald or diamond ore. Any other pickaxe will cause the ore to break, but it won't produce any diamonds or emeralds.

Nether: Ancient Debris

Ancient debris is the rarest mineable ore in Minecraft. It's generated in the Nether. The game uses ancient debris to obtain Netherite. To create Netherite Ingots, players can use ancient debris to smelt.

In every Nether biome, ancient debris produces Y levels 8 to 119. The majority of ancient debris is generated at Y level 15. To mine it, you will need a netherite pickaxe or a diamond.

Mining rare ores in Minecraft is possible using efficient methods

One of the most efficient ways to mine diamonds ores is strip mining. This method involves the player mining in a straight line at low levels of Y. After some time, the player returns back to their starting point and continues mining in the same direction. This leaves a gap of two blocks from their previous mining path.

Players can use TNT blocks and beds to destroy any blocks that are not necessary for ancient debris mining at Y 15. Because ancient debris is very resistant to blast, it can be collected later.