Minecraft’s Nether update is now live, and that means players can not only trade with Pig Men and encounter new mobs in the Nether, but they can also get Netherite. As the new, strongest material in the game that you can make tools, weapons and armor out of, there’s no surprise players will want to get as much Netherite as they possibly can. To do so, however, they must first get Ancient Debris. In this guide, we’ll talk you through how to get Ancient Debris in Minecraft, alongside the best levels to farm it at to make your life that little bit easier.
How to Get Ancient Debris
Ancient Debris can only be found in the Nether. To get there, you’ll need to build a Nether Portal, which requires 10 blocks of Obsidian.
Before heading into the Nether, you’re going to need to make sure that you either have a Diamond or Netherite pickaxe. If you don’t, you won’t get anything from mining any Ancient Debris you find, and we don’t want that!
Once inside the Nether, you’ll want to start digging down to lower your Y co-ordinate. Netherite can technically spawn anywhere from Y levels 30 and down, though it most commonly spawns around Y 15.
When you’re below Y level 30, you’ll now need to be on the lookout for Ancient Debris. It’s a pale brown color and has a swirling pattern on its top and bottom sides. We’ve included an image of it below.
With Ancient Debris being so rare, however, happening to stumble on it is highly unlikely.
An effective method of mining for Ancient Debris is to strip mine at Y 14, and to dig one 1*2 hole as far as you can. This allows you to quickly scour large amounts of the Nether for Ancient Debris in a small amount of time.
Finding Ancient Debris in Chests
Ancient Debris can also be spawned in chests found in the Bastion Remnants that can randomly spawn in the Nether. The amount found varies depending on the chest, and there’s also no guarantee that every chest you find in Bastion Remnants will contain it. We’ve outlined the chest type, quantity and chance of getting some in the table below.
| Chest Type | Quantity | Chance of Containing Ancient Debris |
| Normal Chest | 1 | 13.5% |
| Treasure Chest | 2 | 12.7% |
| Hoglin Stable Chest | 1-2 | 5.7% |
Best Y Levels to Farm Ancient Debris
From players’ experience in the Nether Update snapshot, Ancient Debris is believe to be found most frequently between Y levels 8 to 17, but in particular at level 15 as noted by CaptainSparklez in his video.
It’s also the method that he highlights in his video that we’re going to advise you do, too. This appears to be the most efficient way of farming Ancient Debris in Minecraft.
How to Farm Ancient Debris in Minecraft
For this method, you’re going to need to make sure you’ve got plenty of TNT or beds. Whichever is easiest for you to craft or that you have the most of will work fine.
You’ll also need a Composter, redstone dust and signal, and a Piston. This is used to easily find the areas you should mine to most likely find Ancient Debris in Minecraft.
Let us quickly explain, as that probably sounds very odd. Beds, or any other respawn point-setting item will explode if attempted to be used in the Nether. In other words, they’re a quick and easy explosive, and a handy mining tool.
Head to the Nether and down to Y level 15. Place your Composter into a hole in the ground and the Piston above you and place a Redstone signal block next to it. Flick the switch and you’ll be push down into the ground and will be able to look around.
This is a semi-glitch mechanic in the game, but it allows you to see what’s around you. Almost like an X-Ray vision. What we’re looking for in this view, are any areas that have a lot of just black nothingness. Any lava, we want to stay away from.
These black areas are where you’re most likely to find Ancient Debris hiding, and it’s here you’ll now want to start strip mining your way towards.
Once you’ve reached these areas, begin mining a few blocks directly in front of your head into a wall. Place a bed into it and then as you try to use it, begin backing away. As long as you’ve got some armor equipped, the blast won’t kill you. You do not need the Blast Protection enchantment to use this Ancient Debris farming method.
Once the explosion’s gone off, head through into the area and have a look for any Ancient Debris. If there’s any lava, use the Netherrack you get from the explosion to cover it up.
After a full check, make sure you’re back up to Y level 15 and rinse repeat the process.
Why does this work? Ancient Debris is not destroyed by explosives, and so any Ancient Debris that your blast mining reveals will be sitting there, waiting for you to mine with your Diamond Pickaxe.
Using Ancient Debris to Get Netherite
Once you’ve got Ancient Debris, you’ll need to smelt it in a Furnace to get Netherite Scrap. Combine four Netherite Scrap with four Gold Ingots on a Crafting Table to make one Netherite Ingot.
Netherite Ingots can then be used to upgrade Diamond gear into Netherite gear by placing both items on a Smithing Table.
That’s everything you need to know on Ancient Debris in Minecraft. For more tips, tricks, and guides, be sure to have a click through more of our guides below.
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