Minecraft: How To Find Ancient Debris (2024)

Ancient debris is one of the rarest and most useful resources in all of Minecraft. These blocks are used to create Netherite Scraps, which are used to craft Netherite Ingots. As of Update 1.16, Netherite has replaced diamond as the most durable mineral for crafting tools and armor, so ancient debris is certainly in high demand.

As the name "Netherite" might suggest, ancient debris can only be found in the Nether and is roughly 12 times as rare as diamonds. It can only be mined by Diamond or Netherite Pickaxes, and it will drop as a block, meaning the Fortune enchantment can not be used to yield extra debris. Ancient debris as a dropped item can not be burned by lava or fire, and the block can not be blown up, so players need not worry about losing it.

Updated by Abigail Angell on December 21, 2023: this guide has been updated with the latest info on Ancient Debris and Netherite Scraps. Along with formatting updates to showcase clearer images and more eye-catching featured image, additiona links have been added throughout to offer easy access to additional Minecraft content.

Where To Find Ancient Debris Blocks

To find ancient debris, players will have to first travel to the Nether. This is done by creating for finding a Nether Portal. To make a Nether Portal, arrange a minimum of 9 Obsidian Blocks in a doorway shape, then light it with a Flint and Steel.

Once in the Nether, players want to open their coordinates. In Java Edition, this is done by hitting F3 (fn + F3 on Mac). In Bedrock Edition, this is enabled in the video settings. Coordinates are helpful, as ancient debris spawn rates vary based on the Y (height) coordinate. In general, one vein of 1-3 ancient debris attempts to spawn in every 16x16 chunk, between heights Y=8 and Y=22. An additional vein of 0-2 ancient debris attempts to spawn between Y=8 and Y=118. Ancient debris replaces Netherack in world generation, so it's possible that a vein generation attempt can fail if the randomly selected position in the chunk does not have Netherack.

Ancient debris will never generate with natural exposure to air, so players can not rely on exploring the nether and just keeping an eye out for it. Digging around is mandatory. The Y value that ancient debris generates most commonly is Y=15, so this is where players should focus their efforts.

Things To Bring With You

• A Diamond Pickaxe withEfficiency V is ideal, as it can instantly mine Netherack. This makes digging around for Ancient Debris much faster.
• Wear at least one piece of gold armor. This will prevent Piglin attacks.
• Fire Resistance Potions to protect against Lava

How To Find Ancient Debris In Bastions

An alternative option for gathering Ancient Debris is via chest loot. Chests inside Bastion Remnants, which are natural structures that appear in the Nether, have decent chances of spawning with Ancient Debris as treasure. Three types of chests can appear in bastion remnants, with varying odds of having ancient debris.

Java Edition - Bastion Ancient Debris

Bedrock Edition - Bastion Ancient Debris

Each chest has a relatively low chance of having Ancient Debris, but if enough chests are searched, the odds are in the player's favor. This also removes the need to have a Diamond Pickaxe or to attain any enchantments, but it instead requires a lot more Nether exploration to find bastion remnants. Whichever option players opt for is based on personal preference.

How To Use Ancient Debris

As stated before, the primary use for ancient debris is the creation of Netherite Scraps. By smelting ancient debris in a furnace, players will receive one Netherite Scrap. By combining four of these scraps with four gold ingots on a crafting table, players will receive a single Netherite Ingot. This means that to craft a Netherite Pickaxe, for example, players will need to find a whopping 12 Ancient Debris Blocks.

An arguably cooler use of ancient debris involves its blast resistance property. Similar to obsidian, ancient debris can not be blown up by explosions — whether that be from creepers or TNT — but unlike obsidian, it can be pushed by a piston. As such, Redstone experts have used ancient debris, in conjunction with TNT duplicators, to create semi-automatic tunnel bores. These are unfortunately only possible in Java Edition, but they can be used to very quickly mine for gems in the Overworld without using up resources, or they can even be used in the Nether to mine for more ancient debris.