How to get Ancient Debris in Minecraft (2024)

How to get Ancient Debris in Minecraft (1)

Of all the oddities in Minecraft, Ancient Debris might be one of the hardest to stumble across naturally. There’s a lot of reasons for this, most of which involve the place in which you find this rare rock, the Nether, being a horrifying hellscape that's best avoided unless you’re really spoiling for a fight.

Of course, they don't call it a survival game for nothing. And because of that, you’re going to need to know more about it. So, here’s everything you need to know about Minecraft Ancient Debris, including what it is, how and how to get it as efficiently as possible.

Minecraft Ancient Debris: What is it?

Ancient Debris is a very special kind of ore that can be found in the lowest layers of the Nether. Naturally, what with it being a fair way into any Minecraft world, you’ll need to be geared up to the eyeballs to be able to just survive here, let alone manage to actually mine any Ancient Debris.

The reason why Ancient Debris is so important is that it’s the most efficient way of getting your hands on Netherite Scrap, which you'll need if you want to get Netherite. This is an incredibly rare material that can help you get the most powerful gear in the game, and you’ll want to be as strong as possible if you’re hoping to see everything Minecraft has to offer.

Minecraft potions: Recipes and brewing guide
Minecraft enchantments: Magical reference list
Minecraft villagers: All the jobs and trades
Minecraft realms: How to start your own server

How to get Ancient Debris in Minecraft

Best of Minecraft

How to get Ancient Debris in Minecraft (3)

Minecraft update: What's new?
Minecraft skins: New looks
Minecraft mods: Beyond vanilla
Minecraft shaders: Spotlight
Minecraft seeds: Fresh new worlds
Minecraft texture packs: Pixelated
Minecraft servers: Online worlds
Minecraft commands:All cheats

Well, the first thing you’ll need to do is to create a Nether Portal to actually visit the Nether, so, uh, get that done and then we can move onto actually farming this stuff. Once you’re there, head down its lower levels (from 8-22). Now, there are a few key things to keep in mind when it comes to Ancient Debris.

For starters, you can only mine it with a Minecraft Diamond Pickaxe or above, so come prepared for that. You’ll also likely have to fight off all manner of monsters to actually survive in the Nether, so make sure you’ve got good armour and weapons, too.

Now that’s all out of the way, there’s one way that’s head and shoulders above all others when it comes to finding Ancient Debris, and that’s to... make some beds. But while sleeping normally is an important way of warding off a Minecraft Phantom, unfortunately you won’t actually be getting any shut eye.

Comic deals, prizes and latest news

Sign up to get the best content of the week, and great gaming deals, as picked by the editors.

Basically, you aren’t allowed to use beds in the Nether, so if you try and do so, the bed explodes. Oddly enough, it explodes with a larger radius than TNT, and is also far easier to create than TNT. This makes exploding bed strip mining of the lower-levels of the Nether the best way to find Ancient Debris. It’s weird, but it works.

  • Minecraft Bastion Remnants: How to pilfer treasure rooms
  • Minecraft Piglins: How to trade with them
  • Minecraft Netherite: Make powerful gear
  • Minecraft Respawn Anchors: Spawn in the Nether
  • Minecraft Soul Campfire: Ward off Piglins

Jason Coles

More about survival crafting

Fallout 76 was kicking my butt until I respecced into an indestructible tankThis co-op Viking survival game is a lot different to Valheim because you can recruit NPCs, assign them jobs, and occasionally devour their souls

Latest

Escape From Tarkov dev finally caves, says people who paid $150 for the game will get access to its new mode 'in waves'
See more latest►

See comments

Most Popular
My quest to find one of Stardew Valley's rarest items left me as a social outcast, but that won't stop my early-morning rummages
Get a superb Star Wars game and multiple Day One releases on PC Game Pass this April
Fallout 76 was kicking my butt until I respecced into an indestructible tank
Manor Lords won't let me get away with my usual survival city builder cheese strats, so I guess I'm actually gonna have to become a competent mayor
This co-op Viking survival game is a lot different to Valheim because you can recruit NPCs, assign them jobs, and occasionally devour their souls
Dark Roast Cafè is an adorably satanic, cozy game where you employ quirky demons to help run your business
Why games are still full of fetch quests in 2024
I almost quit Fallout 76 until I realized Bethesda still hides its most important setting in a config file
Of course Fallout fans are thirsty for The Ghoul—this isn't the first time everyone's fallen for an irradiated guy
18 times the Fallout show was exactly like a videogame
I have become obsessed with a goat in Lovecraftian dating sim Sucker for Love: Date to Die For
How to get Ancient Debris in Minecraft (2024)

FAQs

How to get Ancient Debris in Minecraft? ›

It is found in the Nether

the Nether
The Nether is a dangerous, hell-like dimension containing fire, lava, fungal vegetation, many hostile mobs, and exclusive structures and biomes.
https://minecraft.fandom.com › wiki › The_Nether
most commonly at Y=15, although mining at lower levels is safer due to lower risk of mining into a lava ocean. While strip mining is still a potential and straightforward way of mining for ancient debris, using explosives is a lucrative possibility due to its high blast resistance.

What is the easiest way to get ancient debris? ›

How to Strip Mine For Ancient Debris. Players stacked up with plenty of enchanted pickaxes will probably find it easier go to the spawn level for Ancient Debris and simply strip mine it in the late game. Players should head down to the Y-level -14 in the Nether then begin mining away with their multiple pickaxes.

What level does ancient debris spawn at? ›

It is most typically found in Nether at Y=15, while mining at lower levels is safer owing to the lesser chance of mining into a lava ocean. We give you the Ultimate guide to finding ancient debris in Minecraft in this blog.

Is ancient debris rare in Minecraft? ›

Ancient debris is a rare ore found in the Nether, and is the main source of netherite scraps. Its high blast resistance makes it immune to normal explosions.

Can I mine ancient debris with iron? ›

Ancient debris requires a diamond or netherite pickaxe to harvest. Using anything else will take a very long time and will drop nothing anyway. Ancient debris will not generate in explored chunks of already generated worlds before 1.16. ↑ Times are for unenchanted tools in seconds.

How rare is 5 ancient debris? ›

5, on average they generate 1.56 ores per chunk. Given this number, and that there are 32768 blocks in a chunk (16×128×16), there is approximately a 0.004% chance that any randomly selected block will be an ancient debris block.

What is rarer than ancient debris? ›

Ancient debris is more common as you can find it in all nether biomes and the ore vein is bigger than emerald ore. Emerald ore, on the other hand, can only be found in extreme hills (mountains) and usually it is found in veins of only one ore. Ancient debris is still rarer than diamonds though.

How rare is netherite? ›

Players can have a 42.1% chance of finding one Netherite Ingot inside a treasure chest at the Bastion Remnant on Java and Bedrock.

Is netherite rarer than diamonds? ›

With Minecraft's 1.16 version update, the rarest ore of them all came along- the netherite. And it's the material that most players think is better than diamond. Netherite items are the most robust and the most durable. As mentioned, they do not burn in fire and lava, but they are pretty hard to obtain.

What pickaxe to mine Ancient Debris? ›

4 A Diamond or Better Pickaxe Can Mine Ancient Debris

Ancient Debris is one of the most difficult and time-consuming blocks to mine. Unfortunately, it also only drops if destroyed with a Diamond or Netherite pickaxe.

Is ancient debris worth it? ›

Ancient debris is one of the most valuable resources in Minecraft, due to it being a source of netherite scraps and thus netherite ingots.

Is diamond armor better than netherite? ›

Netherite armor has 12% more durability than Diamond armor. Netherite armor provides the same amount of protection as Diamond armor, but gives the player more durability and +1 Knockback Resistance per piece, decreasing the amount a player is knocked back, and sometimes canceling it altogether.

How much ancient debris for a full set of tools? ›

36 blocks of Ancient Debris must be mined to upgrade a full set of gear (as it requires 9 Netherite Ingots). Additional Ancient Debris can be used to upgrade more gear or craft Netherite Blocks and Lodestones.

Does Fortune 3 work on ancient debris? ›

It is obtained when mined with a diamond pickaxe or better. Although, in some cases, ancient debris generates under a twisting vine and is visible from the surface as well. It's worth noting that the Fortune enchantment does not work on ancient debris, just like iron and gold ore.

Will TNT destroy ancient debris? ›

Using TNT To Find Ancient Debris. Using TNT is the most efficient way to mine ancient debris. Unlike every other block in the Nether, ancient debris is blast resistant. This means that the block will not be destroyed when TNT explodes near it.

Does ancient debris spawn in every chunk? ›

There is an average of 1.65 ancient debris blocks per chunk, with a normal maximum of 5. However, it is technically possible for up to 11 ancient debris to be found in a single chunk; adjacent chunks can generate blobs on the border with up to 2 blocks spawning in an adjacent chunk.

How to easily find netherite? ›

To get Netherite you'll need to mine Ancient Debris first, which can only be found in the Nether. When you enter the Nether you'll need to mine until you reach Y level 8-15. Most Ancient Debris will spawn at Y level 15. Once you get at the Y level, begin mining as you would normally.

How do you get ancient debris without a diamond pickaxe? ›

Players must turn ancient debris into netherite scraps, which they then turn into netherite Ingots. These Ingots can be used for crafting. Ancient debris drops itself if mined by a diamond or netherite pickaxe. Ancient debris does not drop by using any other tool.

Is ancient debris rarer than emerald ore? ›

1 Answer. Emeralds spawn in veins of 1 in each chunk only in extreme hills. While 2 ancient debris spawn per chunk, but although they usually don't spawn together. If you're thinking by quantity then emeralds are more rare.

How to find ancient debris using TNT? ›

Place TNT down on every other block until you get to the beginning of your tunnel. Set it off with either a flame bow or flint and steel. Go find your ancient debris. You may want a potion of fire resistance for mining it.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Domingo Moore

Last Updated:

Views: 5595

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (73 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Domingo Moore

Birthday: 1997-05-20

Address: 6485 Kohler Route, Antonioton, VT 77375-0299

Phone: +3213869077934

Job: Sales Analyst

Hobby: Kayaking, Roller skating, Cabaret, Rugby, Homebrewing, Creative writing, amateur radio

Introduction: My name is Domingo Moore, I am a attractive, gorgeous, funny, jolly, spotless, nice, fantastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.