Minecraft diamonds are the most valuable crafting material you can find in the game, and so learning how to collect as many as possible is extremely important. They can help you craft some game-changingly powerful tools and armor, but this may explain why they are so hard to come by on your travels. It can be pretty easy to find diamonds once you know where and how to look for them, but that's only half of the battle, so we've put together this handy guide so you can learn how to get your hands on these valuable crafting materials.
If you're just starting out, we explain how to go about a Minecraft download. Once you've got your diamond tools and armor, it'll be time to take on the Minecraft ender dragon, and to help you out even more, we've got a full guide on Minecraft enchantments, too.
Here's where to find Minecraft diamonds.
Where can I get Minecraft diamonds?
Minecraft diamonds are very rare, but that shouldn't surprise you, as the whole game becomes pretty pointless if everything is readily available straightaway. Though I have to admit that the side of me who loves convenience wishes this were the case. However, there are a couple of solid ways to get your hands on them.
Mine them
Obviously, right? You can find Minecraft diamonds by simply mining them, which is the most reliable way. Diamond ore spawns in every biome, but you'll need to dig a fair way underground to eventually find them. If you're really lucky, diamond ore can spawn in veins of up to ten blocks, but there's no guarantee, so make sure your pickaxe, and your time, is up to the task.
Mineshafts
When you're hacking your way through the mines, you can sometimes come across an abandoned mineshaft. There are chests that have a chance of containing diamonds, so they're always worth checking while you're in the vicinity.
Nether Fortress
A Nether Fortress is a giant, dark, red-bricked structure made up of two parts. The exterior either doesn't have a ceiling, or the ceiling is made of Netherrack. To find diamonds in this area, you will need to find a single block of lava that marks the inside of the fortress. When you enter, explore and look for chests that may contain diamonds.
Shipwrecks
It's no guarantee, and you'll need a little - or a lot - of luck to find Minecraft diamonds in shipwrecks, but they are there. You can start by building a boat once you've located the ocean, and then set sail. Of course, you'll need to dive into the depths to find underwater chests inside of shipwrecks, so this method comes with a fair bit of risk. You can also find shipwrecks on icebergs that contain maps to buried treasure, and that might also score you some diamonds, too.
Temples
Certain randomly-generated structures can spawn with diamonds inside. The desert temple and jungle temples both have a chance of generating between one to three diamonds inside of chests. The Woodland Mansion, which is in the dark forest biome, may contain a certain room that holds a solid block of diamond. This block can either spawn in the obsidian or lava secret rooms. For more details on the mansion, visit the official wiki.
End City
If you make it to the End City, you need to slay the Ender Dragon. It is in this biome where you will find arguably the best loot in the game, and with no surprise considering how much of a battle the Ender Dragon gives you. The chests in this area drop diamonds and enchanted diamond loot, like chest plates, swords, and pickaxes, so despite it being particularly grueling, it's definitely worth it.
Villages
Villages are one of the easiest ways to get diamonds, as you just need to track down the toolsmith's or the weaponsmith's chest, in which you typically find one to three diamonds. Grindstones and smithing tables typically give away the buildings you can find these chests in.
Bastion Remnant
Bastions are structures that only spawn in the Nether. The treasure room inside this structure may contain diamonds, enchanted diamond items, and normal diamond items like pickaxes.
Minecraft diamonds level - where do they spawn?
Minecraft diamonds can spawn between levels one and 15. However, the most densely-populated levels for Minecraft diamonds are between levels five and 12. These are from the lowest point in the bedrock upwards. To calculate the level to dig to, you will need to dig down as far as you can go, and then count 12 blocks upwards from this point. From here, you are likely to find diamonds in any direction, so go nuts!
How to make a Minecraft diamond pickaxe
Here's how to construct a Minecraft diamond pickaxe in steps. All you need is sticks and diamonds.
- Head into your crafting table menu.
- Place two sticks in the crafting area, one in the middle, and one directly below it
- Place three diamonds in the top row of the crafting area
- Remove your diamond pickaxe and go mining for ore!
How to check Minecraft diamond coordinates
You can only view your in-game coordinates if the world you created has cheats activated. Do so and, in the game settings, you can see your current coordinates. This can help ensure that you're at the right level to mine for diamonds. You can also follow these steps to turn on coordinates while you're inside of a world.
Minecraft diamond mining tips and tricks
If you want to know the most efficient mining techniques to find Minecraft diamonds, then you've come to the right place:
- Strip mining: to strip mine, you will want to dig down to around the twelfth level from the bottom, and then dig in a straight line. Then, count two blocks and dig sideways in both the right and left directions from your middle channel. The reason for counting two blocks for each tunnel is that each strip will reveal the blocks on the right and left sides of the tunnel. Only leaving a one-block gap is far less efficient
- Tunnels: once you have dug down to the desired level of choice, the quickest way to make up ground is to dig a two-block-high tunnel for your character to walk down. You can keep doing this until you find diamonds. You can dig straight, left, or right. Just don't move off the desired level (3/10)
- Clearing: when you are at your desired height, it is tempting to just start smashing every single stone around you. While this method is expensive in terms of pickaxe usage, it can lead to surprising results (5/10)
- Cave exploring: if you want to find diamonds in a cave, it needs to be the right cave. This means that the cave needs to go on for miles and drop to near bedrock. If you find a giant underground chasm, this is also a great place to explore. You will need to bring supplies like food and blocks to escape, and it's best to mark your way out with torches. This method is time-consuming but is the most fun(7/10)
- Fortune 3: if you are mining for diamonds, you want to enchant your pickaxe to fortune three. This is because a pickaxe with fortune three gives you a chance to mine four diamonds from one diamond ore
We've told you all you need to know about Minecraft's diamonds now, so go out there and mine some!