How To Find Ancient Debris In Minecraft

You can find ancient debris in Minecraft by mining around Y level 15 in the Nether, where it generates most frequently. Ancient debris is the rarest ore in the game and the only source of netherite scraps, so most players consider it the final upgrade goal for gear. This guide covers the best Y level, the fastest mining methods, and what you need to get started.

TL;DR

• Mine around Y level 15 for the highest chance of finding ancient debris.
• You need a diamond or netherite pickaxe, since weaker tools destroy the block without dropping anything.
• Bed mining is the fastest method, using bed explosions to expose large areas at once.
• Strip mining at Y 15 with branch tunnels is the safer, more controlled alternative.
• Ancient debris is also found rarely in bastion remnant chests without any mining required.

What You Need

• A diamond or netherite pickaxe, required to mine ancient debris
• Gold armor, to avoid being attacked by piglins
• Fire resistance potions, especially useful near lava pockets
• Beds, wool and wood, if using the bed mining method
• Plenty of food and building blocks for general Nether survival

Best Y Level For Ancient Debris

Ancient debris can technically spawn anywhere between Y 8 and Y 119, but it is heavily concentrated in a narrow band. The highest concentration sits around Y 15, with most debris generating between Y 8 and Y 23. Many players mine slightly higher, around Y 13 to Y 15, to stay above the worst lava lakes that tend to sit closer to Y 10.

On Java Edition, press F3 to open the debug screen and check your current Y coordinate. On Bedrock Edition, enable “Show Coordinates” in your world settings.

Method 1: Bed Mining

This is the fastest way to find large amounts of ancient debris at once, since beds explode with a bigger blast radius than TNT when used in the Nether.

• Dig a tunnel to Y 15.
• Craft several beds using wool and wood. Bring extra, since this method uses them up quickly.
• Place a bed about 4 blocks ahead of you in the tunnel.
• Block yourself in with a solid block, or place a slab beneath you, to reduce the explosion damage.
• Right click the bed to trigger the explosion.
• Check the blast area for exposed ancient debris, since the high blast resistance means it survives the explosion while netherrack and other blocks around it are destroyed.

Bring fire resistance potions, blast protection armor, and a totem of undying if possible, since bed explosions deal heavy damage and there is often lava nearby.

Method 2: Strip Mining

This is the safer, more controlled option if you would rather avoid explosions:

• Dig a main tunnel at Y 15.
• Every 16 blocks, branch off with a short 1x1x5 tunnel at eye level, perpendicular to your main path.
• Mine through each branch to expose new chunks of netherrack and look for ancient debris.
• Mark your starting coordinates so you can find your way back easily.

Equip a pickaxe with Mending and Unbreaking III if possible, since you will be mining a lot of quartz and nether gold ore along the way, both of which give experience to repair your tool.

Method 3: TNT Mining

If you have a large gunpowder supply from a creeper farm, TNT can clear big areas quickly:

• Place TNT in the area you want to mine at Y 15.
• Detonate it from a safe distance.
• Search the blast zone for exposed ancient debris.

This method is resource-heavy and carries a risk of falling into exposed lava pockets, so use it carefully.

Where Else To Find Ancient Debris

Besides mining, ancient debris occasionally appears as loot inside bastion remnant chests. This method requires no mining at all, though it depends on luck and which loot table the chest rolls.

What To Do With Ancient Debris

• Smelt ancient debris in a furnace or blast furnace to get netherite scrap.
• Combine 4 netherite scraps with 4 gold ingots to craft a netherite ingot.
• Use netherite ingots with a smithing table and the correct smithing template to upgrade diamond gear to netherite.
• You need 36 total ancient debris for a complete set of netherite armor and tools, so plan for a long mining session if that is your goal.

Frequently Asked Questions