How to Find Treasure in Minecraft

Treasure hunting in Minecraft is among the most rewarding and exciting experiences within the game. You’ll be able to find loot like diamonds, enchanted books, and Heart of the Sea within these treasures.

You will be walked through everything you need to know about treasure hunting in Minecraft. From tools, preparation, best methods for finding treasure, shipwrecks, and the items you can get within the Nether and the End, you will be coming out of this guide as a master treasure hunter.

Understanding Treasure in Minecraft

First, we need to understand what exactly qualifies as treasure in Minecraft. Treasure is rare and valuable items that significantly improve your gameplay, and are found in secret locations. These locations can be buried treasure chests and generated structures. They provide essential resources that allow you to upgrade your tools and armor, enhance your survival, and open up new possibilities.

Treasure hunting, isn’t just about the thrill of the hunt; it’s about making your game more enjoyable and manageable as you collect rare and valuable resources.

Tools and Preparation for Treasure Hunting

To ensure your treasure hunts in Minecraft are efficient and successful, proper preparation is crucial. The right tools and equipment will make it much easier to find and retrieve treasure, especially when you’re exploring challenging locations like ocean ruins or dangerous strongholds.

The main tool you will need is a shovel, as many of these treasures will be buried beneath sand or gravel. A shovel with Efficiency or Unbreaking will allow you to dig much quicker and last longer. If you’re going for shipwrecks or ocean ruins, then you will need a boat to allow you to travel quickly across large bodies of water.

A Potion of Water Breathing is also recommended as there aren’t typically air bubbles or areas where you can go back up to the surface to regain your air supply in these underwater treasures.

Having your tools enchanted will also allow you to easily and quickly scavenge these treasure spots. Things like Aqua Affinity will make it easier to mine underwater, Fortune can increase the amount of valuable resources you collect when mining, and Looting will allow for a higher chance of rare drops to be collected from mobs.

You will also need to make sure to bring plenty of food, armor, and weapons along your adventure. Cooked meats like steak or pork chops will allow you to stay full longer and maintain your health as you explore dangerous areas.

Finding Buried Treasure

One of the easiest forms of treasure in Minecraft is buried treasure, which can be found using treasure maps. These chests are typically filled with items such as diamonds, emeralds, iron ingots, and the Heart of the Sea.

First, you will need to obtain a treasure map which can be found in shipwrecks and ocean ruins. Once you’ve obtained your map you’ll see a “X” marking where the treasure is hidden. You’ll also notice that you are a white dot on the map. All you have to do is move in the direction of the X until you’re on top of it, the map will fill in as you continue along making it easier to navigate.

Once you’ve reached the “X”, you can now start digging. Buried treasure is typically located at Y-level 9, and is covered by sand or gravel. Start in a 3×3 grid and slowly expand outwards, sometimes the chest can be a bit tricky to find, but don’t worry you will find it eventually.

Exploring Shipwrecks for Loot

Shipwrecks are one of the best locations to find treasure in Minecraft. These underwater structures are often partially submerged or entirely underwater, and they can be found in most ocean biomes.

To find a shipwreck, use your boat to sail across the ocean making sure to keep an eye on the ocean floor. Once you’ve located one, dive down and look for loot chests within the shipwreck. There can be up to three chests, so make sure to look carefully to not miss out on potential loot. You may find things like enchanted gear or even treasure maps.

Potions of Water Breathing will help you explore more effortlessly, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can create temporary air pockets by placing doors or torches inside the shipwreck. Additionally, be prepared to fight off Drownedmobs, which commonly spawn near shipwrecks and can be a significant threat if you’re not adequately armored.

Ocean Ruins and Underwater Temples

Ocean ruins are typically found at the bottom of the ocean, are made of stone bricks, and are filled with tons of treasure.

They are located in cold and warm oceans, although they can appear sparingly in other ocean biomes. Make sure to have a Potion of Water Breathing and Night Vision Potion, as being underwater and in the dark makes it difficult to go treasure hunting. Drowned mobs are also common around ocean ruins, so keep an eye out for them.

A really challenging treasure hunt would be an ocean monument or guardian temple. These structures are much larger than ocean ruins and contain prismarine blocks, sponges, or gold blocks. Instead of drowned, these are guarded by guardians and elder guardians, which are extremely powerful mobs that deal tons of damage and apply mining fatigue. Make sure to have plenty of armor, weapons, and potions, or you won’t be coming out of this one alive.

Raiding Desert Temples and Jungle Temples

If you’d rather do your treasure hunting on land, then desert temples, and jungle temples are two locations for you. Desert temples are sandstone structures that are found in deserts, while jungle temples are hidden within the foliage of jungle biomes. Both contain valuable treasure, but also are guarded by traps.

Within desert temples, the treasure is located in a chamber beneath the floor, however if you step on the pressure plate you will trigger TNT destroying the loot and causing significant damage to you.

To avoid this, carefully break the pressure plate before climbing down to the four treasure chests below. Desert temples are in a distinctive pyramid shape, so make sure to keep an eye out when you’re travelling through your next desert.

Jungle temples, contain multiple puzzles and traps that you have to navigate through. Make sure to be on the lookout for tripwire traps as these will trigger dispenser arrows. Jungle temples are a little trickier to find since they’re hidden within dense foliage, so either use an Elytra or parkour across the tops of trees to find them easily.

These temples don’t always have the best loot, but they are a fun challenge for players to solve puzzles and dodge traps.

Strongholds and End Portals

Another spot for treasure hunting are strongholds, these are large underground structures containing End portals that lead to the End dimension. They are typically filled with enchanted books, ender pearls, and diamonds.

They are also home to libraries, where you can find tons of bookshelves and enchanted books. Among these enchanted books are high-level enchantments like Sharpness V or Protection IV.

Within the stronghold there are going to be numerous hidden treasure chests. Make sure to take your time and check all the dead-end hallways or hidden doors, to not miss out on loot.

Mineshafts: Hidden Treasure Underground

Mineshafts are underground structures with both danger and treasure. They are located within caves and can be identified by their wooden beams and tunnels. Typically these mineshafts contain spider or cave spider spawners.

Mineshafts have a unique treasure with minecart chests. These chests are scattered throughout the structure on rail tracks. While their loot isn’t so great, being iron and coal, they are extremely fun to locate and explore.

Make sure to carry torches to keep the mineshaft lit, and a bucket of water to extinguish fires or lava you might find in the tunnels.

Treasure Hunting in the Nether

There are two treasure locations hidden within the Nether. They are Nether fortresses and Bastions, both of these offer rewards you will not find in the Overworld.

There are multiple mobs within the Nether, but within Nether fortresses specifically you will find Blazes, Wither Skeletons, and Magma Cubes. The treasure you can find here are diamonds, nether warts, and saddles. You can also kill the mobs within these fortresses to get Blaze Rods or Wither Skeleton Skulls. These are essential towards summoning and defeating the Wither.

Bastion Remnants is the other structure within the Nether you will find. They are home to Piglins and their dangerous counterpart Piglin Brutes, these guys will attack you on sight. However, the rewards in these structures are worth the risk. You can find netherite scraps, ancient debris, and gilded blackstone. All of these are needed in upgrading your equipment past diamond.

End Cities: The Ultimate Treasure Hunt

Once you’re in the End dimension and have faced off the Ender Dragon the most valuable treasure in the game can be found. They are End Cities. These are huge structures on floating islands throughout the End which are filled with the best loot Minecraft has to offer.

The best treasure you can find in End cities are Elytra these are wings which allow you to glide and fly throughout your world. They can be found inside of End Ships which are attached to End cities. You can also find shulker boxes which are essentially portable backpacks that allow you to expand your inventory space.

One of the most dangerous mobs throughout these End cities are Shulkers. They are known to be so dangerous because of their levitation projectiles which will cause you to float upwards continuously then fall to the ground taking fall damage. To survive this, make sure to carry a bucket of water or ender pearls with you.

Conclusion

Overall this article, “How to Find Treasure in Minecraft”, tells you that Minecraft’s treasure hunting is a rewarding experience that can significantly enhance your gameplay. From buried treasure chests, to End cities, Minecraft has endless opportunities for adventure. By mastering all the techniques throughout this guide you’ll become a seasoned treasure hunter in no time.