HOW TO FIND NETHERITE IN MINECRAFT

WHERE DOES ANCIENT DEBRIS SPAWN?

Ancient debris is the ore you need to obtain netherite, and it only generates in the Nether dimension. It spawns between Y-level 8 and Y-level 119, with the highest concentration at Y-level 15.

Ancient debris is one of the rarest ores in Minecraft. Veins are small, typically only 1-3 blocks per vein, and each chunk can contain a maximum of about 2 veins. Unlike most ores, ancient debris never generates exposed to air, meaning it is always fully surrounded by other blocks. This makes it impossible to spot while exploring Nether caves - you must mine into the netherrack to find it.

METHOD 1: BED MINING

Bed mining is the most popular and resource-efficient method for finding ancient debris. Beds explode when you try to sleep in the Nether, and that explosion is powerful enough to clear large areas of netherrack while leaving ancient debris intact (it has high blast resistance).

1. Travel to the Nether and dig down to Y-level 15 (press F3 to check coordinates in Java, or enable "Show Coordinates" in Bedrock settings)
2. Dig a tunnel 1 block wide and 2 blocks high into the netherrack
3. At the end of your tunnel, dig a small hole 1 block deep at foot level
4. Place a bed in that hole so the head of the bed faces away from you
5. Stand back at least 5-6 blocks and place a block in front of you for protection
6. Right-click the bed to make it explode, clearing a large area of netherrack
7. Check the exposed area for ancient debris (dark brown/grey block with a spiral texture)
8. Repeat the process, advancing further into the tunnel each time

Pro tip: Bring plenty of wool and wood planks to craft beds on the go. Wear at least iron armor and carry fire resistance potions or golden apples to survive the explosions. Always keep a shield in your offhand.

METHOD 2: TNT MINING

TNT mining is the safest explosion-based method because you can detonate TNT from a distance. Ancient debris has a blast resistance of 1,200 (the same as obsidian), so it survives TNT explosions while surrounding netherrack is destroyed.

1. Mine to Y-level 15 in the Nether
2. Dig a long tunnel at least 20-30 blocks
3. Place TNT blocks every 4-5 blocks along the tunnel floor
4. Light the TNT furthest from you using a flint and steel or redstone
5. Retreat to a safe distance and wait for the chain of explosions
6. Once the debris settles, explore the blasted area for ancient debris

Pro tip: TNT requires gunpowder and sand, which can be expensive. Consider building a creeper farm for a reliable gunpowder supply. You can also use a redstone line to detonate all the TNT at once from a completely safe position.

METHOD 3: STRIP MINING

Traditional strip mining works in the Nether just like in the Overworld. While slower than explosion methods, it is the safest approach and requires no special resources beyond a good pickaxe.

1. Mine down to Y-level 15 in the Nether
2. You must use a diamond pickaxe or netherite pickaxe to mine ancient debris (iron pickaxes and below cannot mine it)
3. Create a main tunnel 2 blocks high and 1 block wide
4. Dig branch tunnels every 2 blocks, extending at least 20 blocks in each direction
5. Watch for the distinctive dark brown ancient debris blocks as you mine

Pro tip: Bring fire resistance potions to protect against lava pockets in the Nether. The Efficiency V enchantment on your pickaxe will speed up mining netherrack significantly. Always carry a few golden apples as emergency healing.

METHOD 4: USE A NETHERITE FINDER (FASTEST)

The fastest way to find ancient debris is using a seed-based Netherite Finder. Our Netherite Finder tool uses your world seed to calculate the exact coordinates of every ancient debris block in your Nether.

1. Find your world seed: type /seed in Java or go to Settings > Game in Bedrock
2. Enter the seed in our Netherite Finder
3. Enter your current Nether X and Z coordinates
4. Get exact ancient debris locations with X, Y, Z coordinates

This method works for both Java and Bedrock Edition and gives you precise locations, saving hours of dangerous Nether mining.

HOW TO UPGRADE TO NETHERITE

Once you've found enough ancient debris, here's how to turn it into netherite gear:

1. Mine 4 ancient debris using a diamond or netherite pickaxe
2. Smelt the 4 ancient debris in a furnace or blast furnace to get 4 netherite scraps
3. Combine 4 netherite scraps + 4 gold ingots on a crafting table to craft 1 netherite ingot
4. Place a smithing table (crafted from 2 iron ingots + 4 planks)
5. In the smithing table, combine a netherite upgrade smithing template, your diamond tool or armor piece, and the netherite ingot

Note: As of Minecraft 1.20+, you also need a netherite upgrade smithing template to upgrade diamond gear. These can be found in bastion remnants. The template is consumed on use, but you can duplicate it with 7 diamonds and a block of netherrack on a crafting table.

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