Top 5 things to know about Ancient City in Minecraft

Introduced in Minecraft's 1.19 update, Ancient Cities are the lone structures found in the deep dark biome. Despite having plenty of riches and loot, they're not particularly safe compared to other Overworld structures.

If a player is looking to check out an Ancient City on their own, they'll want to keep some important facts in mind. Without any foreknowledge, they can end up in a dangerous situation.

It also doesn't hurt to know exactly what can be found within Ancient Cities. Some players may not consider the trip to one of these structures worth it if the loot isn't ideal for them.

Regardless, it's worth looking into the most vital facts about Ancient Cities for posterity. Fans may never know when the information will be helpful.

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Redstone apparatuses in the basement and 4 other important things to know about Minecraft's Ancient Cities

1) Loot chests contain unique items

A player holds an Echo Shard in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

While Ancient Cities in Minecraft carry plenty of standard items in their loot chests, they also possess very unique ones that can't be found anywhere else. Specifically, Echo Shards and the rare music disc "Otherside" can be found within chests alongside other items of varying rarity and quality.

Echo Shards can be crafted into a Recovery Compass, which can then be used to find the location where a player last died.

Additionally, Minecraft players can find shards of the music disc "5" within Ancient City loot chests. When fully assembled in a crafting menu, this music disc can be played in a jukebox and features one of the eeriest tracks in the game. Some have even speculated that there may be a hidden story when one listens to the disc closely.

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2) Redstone apparatuses reside in the basement

Basic redstone machinery can be found underneath Ancient Cities (Image via Mojang)

It appears that the former denizens of the Ancient Cities were fans of tinkering with redstone.

Players can find a hidden redstone-activated door within the city that is activated by a Sculk Sensor block. After passing the door and heading underground, they will find a small laboratory containing redstone contraptions.

It's unclear as to what these redstone machines may have been used for, but they may just be helpful if they can be re-engineered. Otherwise, it can't hurt to collect the redstone blocks for other purposes.

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3) The Ice Room

Cool-colored wool blocks mark the presence of the ice room (Image via Mojang)

Though the Deep Dark biome is generally quite temperate, Ancient Cities in Minecraft possess a room filled with ice and snow. It's quite an oddity in the sculk-filled ruins but can be a helpful source of ice, blue ice, and snow blocks if a player brings along a tool enchanted with Silk Touch.

To find this particular room, keep an eye out for blue and cyan wool blocks within the Ancient City ruins. By mining through and around these wool blocks, Minecraft players should be able to spot the hidden snow and ice room buried within this ominous structure.

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4) No hostile mob spawn points

Ancient Cities are quite barren compared to many structures (Image via Mojang)

At first glance, Minecraft's Ancient Cities may seem quite empty. Though this isn't necessarily the case, they seem this way due to the inability to spawn hostile mobs within.

This occasionally gets disrupted when certain structures inadvertently generate near Ancient Cities. However, Mojang has made strident efforts to keep the likes of Zombies, Skeletons, and Creepers out of the sculk-ridden cities.

Despite not having any conventional hostile mobs inside, Ancient Cities are still very much protected by the system of Sculk Sensors and Sculk Shriekers capable of summoning the Warden.

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5) Beware of the Warden

The Warden doesn't take kindly to outsiders (Image via Mojang)

Standard hostile mobs may not spawn in Minecraft's Ancient Cities, but the Warden makes up for their absence.

Sporting the highest health total in the game, the Warden possesses the power to kill unprepared players in a couple of strikes. However, players have one particular advantage when dealing with this mighty creature.

For all intents and purposes, the Warden is blind. It can pick up on nearby vibrations and has an acute sense of hearing. However, stealthy Minecraft players can avoid conflict with it entirely.