5 most difficult structures to find in Minecraft

Minecraft's collection of different structures grows with just about every update, but not every in-game structure is as easy to find as its counterparts. Things are further complicated by the fact that some world seeds can make finding some structures easier than others, which makes it difficult to gauge which in-game structures are the most difficult to find among their peers.

Whatever the case, it doesn't hurt to take a look at some of the hardest-to-find structures in Minecraft. Even if they may be more prevalent in a given player's world seed, these picks are quite difficult to find compared to most common in-game structures.

NOTE: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.

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Five Minecraft structures that can be very tough to find

1) Trail ruins

Trail ruins can be passed over in Minecraft pretty easily. (Image via Mojang)

Trail ruins haven't been around long in Minecraft, and their relative lack of appeal has left players to leave them alone more often than not. However, even players who want to check these locations out might have a hard time finding them because they're buried underground and only leave small indications of where they're buried thanks to a tiny cluster of (usually) terracotta blocks.

While there are rare circumstances where trail ruins can generate above the ground, for the most part, a keen eye is required to find them.

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2) Nether fossils

Nether fossils aren't easy to find and aren't particularly useful either. (Image via Mojang)

Although they're technically only considered a true generated structure in Minecraft: Java Edition, it's understandable for players to feel as though Nether fossils don't measure up as structures in general. Unlike Overworld fossils (which are considered features), Nether fossils are composed entirely of bone blocks, making them less useful than Overworld fossils that can contain diamond ore.

Whatever the case, useful or not, Nether fossils are generated only in soul sand valley biomes in the Nether. Because they do so randomly, they're pretty tough to spot compared to other (larger) Nether structures like fortresses and bastion remnants.

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3) Abandoned villages

Abandoned villages are much rarer than ordinary villages. (Image via Mojang)

Also known as zombie villages, abandoned villages in Minecraft are rarely generated across various landscapes and biomes, much less than ordinary villages. They still contain decent loot on occasion, but they're riskier to explore due to the presence of zombified villagers.

Regardless, because they're generated much less frequently and can appear in a litany of biomes, finding abandoned villages isn't usually a simple task.

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4) Woodland mansions

Woodland mansions are easy to see but don't pop up all that much in Minecraft. (Image via Mojang)

Sure, Minecraft's woodland mansions are pretty easy to see from a distance due to their size, but the opportunities to do so are usually few and far between on various world seeds. Since they only generate in dark oak forests, the chances of finding them are slim, and even when dark oak forests appear in a player's world, there's no guarantee that a woodland mansion will generate within.

Sometimes, woodland mansions also generate partially underground if they're adjacent to some high-reaching terrain, which can complicate the matter of finding them further.

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5) End cities

End cities are pretty easy to spot but tend to generate far apart. (Image via Mojang)

While End cities are effectively the only generated structures in the End dimension (end ships are considered part of them), End cities aren't always easy to find depending on a Minecraft player's seed. Because of the size of the End dimension in the first place and the fact that it takes time and effort to hop between the End's floating islands, finding one End city can take quite a bit of work.

Even though they can take time and effort to find, considering End cities have valuable loot (and shulkers) and have the potential to generate with end ships that carry elytra, they're certainly worth searching for.