Top 5 tips to find and defeat a dungeon in Minecraft

Dungeons in Minecraft (not to be confused with the spin-off game Minecraft Dungeons) are great ways for players to find spectacular loot.

Dungeons are rooms that naturally spawn when a Minecraft seed is created. They typically have at least one chest with a range of items that vary in importance, such as beetroot seeds or diamond horse armor. Dungeons come with one setback: mob spawners. These spawners can produce spiders, skeletons or zombies. Players must defeat the mobs that the spawners create or risk dying while attempting to collect the loot from dungeon chests.

These scary yet helpful Minecraft structures are not necessarily easy to encounter. Here are some tips to help players locate and defeat a dungeon in Minecraft.

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How to find and defeat a dungeon in Minecraft

1) Search Underground

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Locating a dungeon is arguably more difficult than defeating them. Unfortunately, there is no command to help locate dungeons in Minecraft like there is with the nether fortress or the stronghold, so finding one is entirely up to the player.

If in search of a dungeon, it is in the player's best interest to go mining. While dungeons can technically spawn anywhere in any given Minecraft world, they are usually found underground. This is because dungeons are always near a cave. Dungeon walls are made of mossy and regular cobblestone. Unearthing either of those blocks is a sign that a dungeon is ahead.

2) Shield

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No matter the situation, Minecraft players should be ready with their best defenses against mobs. One effective way is to bring a shield.

Players must be quick to react when they dig into a dungeon, as they could be attacked right away. Spawners produce many mobs at once, and dungeons only make up a small amount of blocks, so players risk getting cornered by a hoard of hostile creatures. Since there is a likely chance that any given dungeon has a skeleton spawner, a shield is a great defense.

3) Bow and arrows

In order to obtain the loot in the chests of dungeons, Minecraft players will have to fight back against the mobs. Perhaps the best way to do this is with a bow and arrows.

Shooting mobs with arrows will push them away from the player and eventually kill them. The mobs will want to ambush any player that enters the dungeon, and even after they are killed, more will be spawned. While searching for a dungeon, players should bring as many arrows as they may need.

4) Weapons and armor

As mentioned before, players will have to fight the ever-spawning mobs in dungeons since they will want to ambush a player. Arrows will only work to a certain degree, especially when the mobs are in close proximity to the player.

It is advised to bring a strong weapon and to wear durable armor when entering dungeons. Mobs from spawners can appear at an alarming, overwhelming rate and become too much for a player to handle. Dungeons in Minecraft are less than ideal spots to die if players want to collect their items again, because mobs will continue to spawn upon returning. One of the best ways to prevent dying in a dungeon is to be stacked up on protection and weapons.

5) Torches

Perhaps the most effective method of defeating a dungeon is to cover the spawner with torches, one on each side of the block. Doing so will prevent the mobs from spawning. Players should enter dungeons with a minimum of 5 torches to accomplish this.

Without an active spawner, dungeons become nothing more than a place to collect awesome loot. Once enough mobs are killed to safely place the torches, players will be able to access the loot chests easily.