Best Way to Find Ancient Debris and Netherite

Ancient debris is a rare ore block found exclusively in the Nether dimension. It was introduced in the 1.16 Nether Update and is the only source of netherite scraps, which are used to craft netherite ingots. Netherite gear is stronger, more durable, and more enchantable than diamond gear, making it the end-game material for serious survival players.

Ancient debris has several unique properties that distinguish it from other ores. It has the same blast resistance as obsidian, meaning it cannot be destroyed by explosions including TNT, beds, and respawn anchors. Dropped ancient debris items are immune to fire and lava damage, so they float safely on lava pools. It also cannot be pushed by pistons and does not generate in veins larger than 3 blocks for the primary batch.

When you mine ancient debris with a diamond or netherite pickaxe (it requires at least a diamond pickaxe), it drops itself as an item. You then smelt it in a furnace or blast furnace to produce netherite scraps. Four scraps plus four gold ingots combine on a crafting table to make one netherite ingot.

Ancient debris generates in the Nether through two separate generation passes per chunk, each with different rules.

The first batch is the one you want to target. Its generation peaks at Y=15, making that the optimal mining level. The second batch provides a small bonus across the entire Nether height, but its uniform distribution means the density at any single Y level is very low. By mining at Y=15, you capture the peak of batch 1 while still having a chance to encounter batch 2 debris nearby.

Unlike diamond ore in the Overworld, ancient debris does not have a reduced air exposure mechanic. It generates in all Nether biomes equally, including the wastes, soul sand valley, crimson forest, warped forest, and basalt deltas. However, the basalt deltas biome can be more difficult to mine in because of the mixed block composition of basalt and blackstone.

Ancient debris never generates exposed to air. It is always fully surrounded by other blocks, which means you will never find it on the surface of a Nether cave or lava lake. Every piece must be dug out from solid terrain.

Bed Mining (Best Early-Game Method)

Beds explode when you try to use them in the Nether, creating a powerful blast that clears surrounding netherrack. Because ancient debris is blast-resistant, any debris caught in the explosion radius remains intact while the netherrack around it is destroyed.

To bed mine effectively, dig a tunnel at Y=15 that is one block wide and two blocks tall. Every 6-8 blocks, place a bed at the end of the tunnel. Stand back at least 5 blocks from the bed (further is safer), then right-click or use the bed to detonate it. The explosion clears a roughly 5-block radius sphere. Walk forward, check the exposed area for ancient debris, and repeat.

Bring plenty of beds. A full inventory stack of 30-40 beds per mining session is reasonable. Also bring fire resistance potions or golden apples, because the explosion deals significant damage and can set you on fire. A blast protection IV armor set dramatically reduces the damage taken. Always place a block between yourself and the bed for additional protection.

TNT Mining (Best Late-Game Method)

TNT works similarly to beds but with more control. TNT has a slightly larger blast radius than beds and does not set nearby blocks on fire. You can place TNT in a line along your tunnel, ignite one end with flint and steel, and the chain reaction clears a massive corridor.

The main disadvantage of TNT is cost. Each block of TNT requires 5 gunpowder and 4 sand. Gunpowder farms (usually creeper farms) and access to a desert or soul sand valley for sand are prerequisites. Once you have a steady supply, TNT mining is faster than bed mining because you can place and chain-detonate dozens of blocks at once.

For players on servers that allow TNT duplication, this method becomes essentially free and is the fastest vanilla approach to ancient debris farming after X-Ray.

Strip Mining (Slow but Reliable)

Traditional strip mining at Y=15 works for ancient debris just as it works for diamonds in the Overworld. Dig a two-block-tall tunnel in a straight line, checking all exposed blocks. This method is slow because netherrack mines quickly with an Efficiency V pickaxe but you cover less volume than explosive methods.

Strip mining is best combined with a Haste II beacon to maximize mining speed. Place a beacon at your mining base and select Haste II to break netherrack almost instantly. Even with this setup, explosive methods typically clear more ground per minute.

X-Ray Method (The Fastest by Far)

The X-Ray resource pack makes the Nether completely transparent. Netherrack, basalt, blackstone, soul sand, and soul soil all become see-through, leaving only ancient debris, nether gold ore, nether quartz, magma blocks, and structures visible. You can stand in one spot and see every piece of ancient debris within your render distance.

With X-Ray enabled, ancient debris farming goes from a tedious multi-hour grind to a quick scavenger hunt. Simply walk through the Nether at Y=15, scanning the terrain for the distinctive brown ancient debris texture, and mine directly to each piece. No explosives needed, no wasted effort breaking empty blocks, and no risk of dying to bed explosions.

For detailed installation steps, see our installation guide. The pack works in the Nether on both Java and Bedrock editions.

Converting ancient debris into netherite gear is a multi-step process. Here is the complete chain from raw ore to finished equipment.

As of 1.20 and later, you also need a netherite upgrade smithing template to perform the upgrade. This template is found in bastion remnant loot chests. You only need to find one, because you can duplicate it on a crafting table using 7 diamonds and 1 netherrack surrounding the template. Always duplicate your template before using it so you never run out.

Total Materials Needed

Gold is easy to farm in the Nether. Nether gold ore is abundant and a gold farm using zombified piglins produces thousands of gold ingots per hour. The bottleneck is always the ancient debris. This is why an efficient mining method matters so much.

Bring fire resistance potions when mining in the Nether. Lava pockets are everywhere, and a sudden lava flow while mining can destroy your inventory. An 8-minute fire resistance potion gives you complete immunity to lava and fire damage.

Use a lodestone compass to mark your Nether portal location. Getting lost in the Nether while mining at Y=15 (far below the typical portal level) is common. A lodestone near your portal with a linked compass ensures you can always find your way back.

If you are bed mining, craft beds in bulk before entering the Nether. White wool is the easiest to obtain. Build a small sheep pen near your Overworld base and shear them regularly. Three wool and three planks per bed means you need substantial wool reserves for extended mining sessions.

Check the best Y levels guide for optimal mining depths for nether gold and nether quartz while you are in the Nether. You might as well collect those resources too since you are already there.

Consider using the X-Ray glitch methods if you do not want to install a resource pack. Some vanilla glitches work in the Nether and can help you spot ancient debris, though they are far less convenient than the resource pack.