How to get more diamonds and emeralds in Minecraft 1.18 update

Minecraft 1.18 has proven to be the biggest update the game has ever received. The update brings a plethora of changes to the game, some of which change features that have been in the game since the earliest versions of Minecraft. The changes include a complete revamp of the terrain and world generation system, new cave and mountain biomes, new types of caves, and more.

One of the biggest changes in the update pertains to the ore generation and distribution system. Y level 11 isn't the best layer for every ore anymore. Generation starts all the way from Y level 256 and goes down to Y level 64.

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Minecraft 1.18: How to get the most emeralds and diamonds

1) Emeralds

Emerald ore in Minecraft (Image via WallapaperAccess/Minecraft)

Since the release of Minecraft 1.18, the amount of emerald ore in the game has increased substantially. Before Minecraft 1.18, emeralds were found in the extreme hills biome, which only included mountains. However, the addition of six new mountain biomes contributed deeply to the increase in emeralds throughout the world of Minecraft.

As of Minecraft 1.18, Emeralds can be found in three of the six mountain biomes. These include:

• Jagged Peaks
• Stony Peaks
• Frozen Peaks

The best level for emeralds is the old world height, Y level 256. Mountains that stretch all the way to this level can be mined into and plundered for emeralds and iron, both of which are found in abundance over there. As players go down from this level, the amount of emeralds continues to decrease.

Some useful ways for obtaining Emeralds are:

• Strip Mining
• Trading
• Lootable Chests
• Lootable structures (Desert temples, Jungle temples)
• Underwater structures (Shipwrecks, etc)

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2) Diamonds

Diamonds are one of the strongest resources in Minecraft (Image via WallapaperAccess/Minecraft)

Diamonds are one of the most sought-after resources in Minecraft. After the revamped ore distribution system in Minecraft 1.18, the majority of diamond generates at Y level -58, in blobs of 1 or 2, and, rarely, more than that. Mining at a level this low has its advantages, like the fact that players will have to worry less about mining below them, as most of the ground at levels closer to Y -64 is filled with bedrock. This gives players one less layer to worry about while mining for Diamonds.

Some useful ways of obtaining Diamonds are:

• Buried treasure chests
• Bastion remnant chests and Nether fortress chests
• Exploring caves below Y level 0
• Strip mining
• End cities

Minecraft 1.18’s ore generation system is something that previously stayed almost identical to when it was first released for the game. Altering this feature gives players additional opportunities to profit from mining and exploring the deepest corners of Minecraft’s caves and caverns.