Are ominous trials worth it in Minecraft 1.21?

Minecraft 1.21, now known as the Tricky Trials update, introduced trial chambers and ominous trials, a way to increase the difficulty of combat challenges in the chambers to receive better rewards. While the feature is an intriguing one, are ominous trials worth undertaking in the 1.21 update? Based on the potential rewards provided, ominous trials are definitely worth it for most players.

Thanks to the presence of ominous vaults in Minecraft 1.21, players who complete ominous trials and collect their trial keys can get some pretty good loot including diamonds, enchanted golden apples, enchanted books, enchanted diamond gear, and more. These items aren't always easy to find elsewhere, so completing ominous trials is an excellent way to get them.

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Why ominous trials are worth doing in Minecraft 1.21

Ominous trials are difficult in Minecraft, but the rewards can definitely be worth the effort (Image via Mojang)

Ominous trials are initiated in Minecraft 1.21 when players approach the proximity of a trial spawner block in a trial chamber while under the Bad Omen status effect. The reworked effect can be accomplished by consuming an ominous bottle, which can be found in trial chamber vaults, award chests, and ominous vaults as well as being looted from pillager captains outside of raids.

Once you have approached trial spawners with Bad Omen, the effect will morph into a trial omen before ultimately starting an ominous trial. This will result in nearby trial spawners converting into ominous trial spawners, which can spawn more difficult opponents that use improved gear. However, once defeated, you can collect ominous keys from the trial spawners.

These ominous keys are the only way to unlock ominous vaults stashed away in trial chambers, which contain improved rewards compared to ordinary vaults and may have the best loot to acquire in the entire structure. This loot includes the following:

• Blocks of Diamond
• Blocks of Emerald
• Blocks of Iron
• Heavy Cores
• Flow Banner Patterns
• Enchanted Crossbows
• Enchanted Diamond Axes
• Enchanted Diamond Chestplates
• Diamonds
• Emeralds
• Enchanted Books (Breach, Density, Knockback, Punch, Smite, Looting, Multishot, Wind Burst)
• Enchanted Golden Apples
• Flow Armor Trim Smithing Templates
• Golden Apples
• Music Discs (Creator)
• Ominous Bottles
• Arrows of Slowness
• Wind Charges

Considering some of the items found in ominous chests are pretty rare in Minecraft 1.21 (including the heavy core which is used to craft the powerful mace weapon and can only be found in ominous vaults), most players would consider the reward worthy of the risk of ominous trials. Sure, endgame players may not need these items desperately, but those in the early or mid-game certainly would.

Ominous trials may not provide every rare or powerful item in the game, but they're a very good way of obtaining some of them or helping to complement your existing stockpile. Additionally, with countless trial chambers generating in the Overworld, as long as you have ominous bottles to spare, you can continue to conquer ominous trials for their loot time and time again in Minecraft 1.21.