Top 5 places to mine diamonds in Minecraft 1.18

Minecraft 1.18 completely changed the game’s world generation. The world height is now 320, and players can dig down to Y=-64. To encourage exploration and rebalance the game’s mining, Mojang has also redone the game’s ore generation. This has completely changed the classic way of getting diamonds: digging down to roughly Y=11 and then strip mining.

As the game has changed, so too have the players.

---

How to find diamonds easily in Minecraft 1.18

5) Set in stone

A strip mine made in an older version of Minecraft (Image via Minecraft)

If players don’t want to change their old habits, they don’t necessarily have to. Diamonds can still be found in the same way they used to: by strip mining at roughly y=11.

This spot of the world still contains all the same old goodies: redstone, lapis, gold, iron, coal, and diamond. The frequency of diamonds has been reduced at this level and increases the deeper a player gets.

But if this is how a player has always done it and wants to keep doing it, they can, and there will be diamonds to be mined.

---

4) Mineshafts

An example of a mineshaft (Image via Minecraft)

Mineshafts are long, spiraling tunnels filled with mine tracks and chests, implied to be a mine dug out long ago. These structures see the same benefit that many of the game's structures do: they allow for many blocks exposed to the player. This means that it can be easy to find diamonds in deeper spawning mineshafts due to the sheer number of blocks players can see.

---

3) Ravines

An example of a ravine (Image via Minecraft)

Ravines are a staple of the game. Massive scars on the land, exposing massive amounts of area to air. If a player is lucky, this reveals deeper caves and lava falls and diamonds.

There isn’t any inherent increase in the spawn rate of diamonds in ravines, but since so much area is exposed, it is not especially rare to see diamonds in the lower walls of a ravine. This is especially true in ravines that spawn deep in the world.

---

2) Lava pools

A lava cavern (Image via Minecraft)

One of the oldest and most well-known rumors is that diamonds spawn near lava. While there isn’t any kind of code in-game that causes diamonds to spawn near lava pools, these caverns see the same idea that ravines do: they are large open areas around the same level that diamonds spawn, meaning it’s easy to see the diamonds that have generated.

---

1) The new Y=11

An example of a deepslate cave (Image via Minecraft)

When the ore generation map was changed, diamonds were set to become more common deeper into the deepslate of the world. The new ideal level for strip mining is going to be Y=-58. Any lower generation of bedrock interferes with diamond spawns. Any higher and it's technically less efficient due to diamond spawn rules.

The best strategy for strip mining will be to dig three tall tunnels, with two solid blocks between each tunnel. This allows each tunnel to see the blocks to the left and right of what the player is mining, and the gap means that each tunnel sees a unique set of blocks to the left and right. Each tunnel can effectively hunt for diamonds in a three-block tall, three-block wide area.

---

Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the writer.