Easy and Fast Guide to Minecraft Archeology

Archaeology is finally present here in the new Minecraft 1.20 update! Almost three years since its first announcement. Find out everything about the amazing new Minecraft archaeology system, the items you get from it, and the trail-ruined structure in this guide.

Archaeology Basics

The entire archaeology system in Minecraft is based on one item: the brand-new brush. The brush is made with a stick, a copper ingot, and a feather. It’s nice to have a new use for the copper ingot, and this incredibly cheap recipe means that archaeology is unlocked to the player basically on the first day.

With this brush item, you can sometimes find suspicious sand and suspicious gravel, which are located across a bunch of different structures in the game, some new and some old. Simply right-click on these blocks, and an object will eventually appear.

Crafting the Brush

• Ingredients: Stick, Copper Ingot, Feather
• Durability: 64 uses

You can enchant the brush with Unbreaking 3 and Mending to extend its durability. However, efficiency and looting enchantments cannot be applied to the brush.

Finding Suspicious Blocks

Suspicious gravel and sand are not very common, even within the structures where they are generated. Finding these blocks is probably the most difficult part of the archaeology system. The main difference between regular and suspicious blocks is the presence of darker patches on the suspicious ones.

Structures with Suspicious Blocks

1. Trail Ruins: A new structure, likely remnants of an ancient village.
2. Desert Temples: Contains suspicious sand.
3. Desert Wells: Contains suspicious sand at the bottom.
4. Warm Ocean Ruins: Contains suspicious sand.
5. Cold Ocean Ruins: Contains suspicious gravel.

Archeology Structures and Loot

Desert Wells

• Location: Found at the bottom of desert wells.
• Loot: Emeralds, Suspicious Stew, Bricks, Pottery Shards (2 unique types), Sticks.

Desert Temples

• Location: Hidden in secret rooms within the temple.
• Loot: Pottery Shards (4 unique types), Diamonds, TNT, and Gunpowder.

Cold Ocean Ruins

• Location: Underwater in cold ocean biomes.
• Loot: Pottery Shards (4 unique types), Emeralds, Wheat, Iron Axes, Gold Nuggets, Wooden Hoe, Coal.

Warm Ocean Ruins

• Location: Underwater in warm ocean biomes.
• Loot: Pottery Shards (3 unique types), Sniffer Egg, Iron Axes, Coal, Emeralds, Wheat, Wooden Hoe, and Gold Nuggets.

Trail Ruins

• Location: Old-growth forests, Spruce Forests (Mega Taiga), Taiga, Snowy Taiga, Jungle.
• Loot: Wayfinder Armor Trim, Pottery Shards (7 unique types), Emeralds, Gold Nuggets, Wheat, Wooden Hoe, Clay Balls, Bricks, Clay Blocks, Dyes (Yellow, Blue, Light Blue, White, Orange), Red Candles, Brown Candles, Green Candles, Purple Candles, Glass Panes (Magenta, Pink, Blue, Light Blue, Red, Yellow, Purple), Spruce and Oak Signs, Coal, Wheat Seeds, Beetroot Seeds, Dead Bushes, Flower Pots, String, Leads.

Tips for Successful Archeology

1. Essential Items: Brushes, shovels, torches, chests, scaffolding or ladders.
2. Enchantments: Use Unbreaking 3 and Mending on your brush.
3. Method: Dig layer by layer to avoid breaking suspicious blocks.
4. Safety: Use water breathing and night vision potions when exploring ocean ruins.

Note for the reader:

Archaeology adds a fascinating new layer to Minecraft exploration and storytelling. From uncovering ancient structures to finding unique loot, this system brings the game’s lore to life.