Although not the most valuable resource in Minecraft, gold still holds significant importance for several purposes, such as crafting powered rails and clocks, trading with piglins, and creating netherite ingots. It is wise to have some gold reserves, and fortunately, there are several ways to collect it in the popular sandbox game.
Though mining is a simple way to find gold, there are additional options to take into account. So, here are some possibilities to think about if you're seeking for quick ways to get gold in Minecraft.
1. Mining in the overworld and nether
While not the most exciting method, mining for gold in Minecraft can be highly profitable and requires minimal effort. Whether you venture underground in the Overworld or search for nether gold ore in the Nether, breaking gold ore, nether gold ore, and gilded blackstone blocks can yield raw gold and gold nuggets.
The efficiency of mining can be increased by adding a Fortune enchantment to the pickaxe, making the laborious task more satisfying. The good news is that the location of gold ore blocks and their variants has remained consistent in Minecraft 1.19, so as long as you know where to look, you should have success in mining for gold.
Gold generation levels
Gold ore generation in Minecraft differs between Java Edition and Bedrock Edition. In Java Edition, gold ore generates 4 times per chunk in blobs of size 9, from levels -64 to 32, in all biomes. It is most commonly found around layer -16 and is less likely to be exposed to air, with 50% of exposed ore blocks not generating. There is an additional blob of size 9 that may generate uniformly between -64 and -32 with the same 50% air exposure rate. In badlands biomes, gold ore generates 50 times per chunk in blobs of size 9, from levels 32 to 256 uniformly, regardless of exposure to air. Gold ore can replace several blocks, including stone, granite, andesite, tuff, and deepslate, and any gold ore replacing tuff or deepslate becomes deepslate gold ore.
In Bedrock Edition, gold ore generation happens in two batches. The first batch generates 4 times per chunk in blobs of size 9, from levels -64 to 32, with the highest concentration around layer -16 and less common toward either end of the range. The second batch generates in 1/2 chunks in blobs of size 9 that generate uniformly between -64 and -48. Like in Java Edition, 50% of exposed ore blocks from the first and second batch will not generate. Additionally, an extra batch of gold ore generates 50 times per chunk in badlands biome in blobs of size 9, from levels 32 to 256 uniformly. Unlike Java Edition, the extra batch in badlands generates regardless of exposure to air. Gold ore can replace several blocks, including stone, granite, andesite, and deepslate, and gold ore replacing deepslate becomes deepslate gold ore.
2. Looting generated structures
In Minecraft 1.19, nearly all generated structures contain loot chests that may contain gold ingots when opened. However, certain structures are more likely to provide gold ingots in their chests than others, so it may be wise to prioritize looting these structures to save time. The structures that are more likely to offer gold ingots in their chests include end cities, villages, nether fortresses, shipwrecks, jungle temples, bastion remnants, and buried treasure chests on beaches in the Overworld.
Although the loot within each chest is randomized for each world seed, it shouldn't be too difficult to find a few gold ingots in Minecraft by looting chests.
3. Breaking gold blocks in ocean monuments and bastions
Apart from loot chests, two of Minecraft's generated structures have solid gold blocks as part of their structure, which cannot be mined conventionally. These gold blocks can be found in ocean monuments or bastion remnants, and they can be collected with a Silk Touch-enchanted pickaxe. Once obtained, the gold blocks can be crafted into nine gold ingots each at a crafting table, which can come in handy when you need a quick boost of gold.
4. Smelting golden gear
It is widely known that golden tools, weapons, and armor in Minecraft are not the most durable and tend to break easily. However, if you have accumulated a significant amount of golden gear, you can melt it down into gold nuggets. While gold nuggets may not be as versatile as ingots in most situations, they can be crafted into an ingot with nine nuggets. Therefore, it may be worthwhile to consider smelting excess golden gear and crafting ingots if you have enough of it lying around.
Just remember to keep at least one piece of gold gear to avoid getting aggro from piglins.
5. Farming zombified piglins
Creating a gold farm in Minecraft can be a difficult and resource-intensive task, but once you have one, you'll have a consistent source of gold that will last indefinitely. To set up a gold farm, you'll need to build a structure in the Nether that spawns and automatically kills zombified piglins. These creatures drop gold nuggets upon death, and you or a tamed wolf can also get gold ingots from them.
While most gold farms focus on collecting gold nuggets, the farm can produce such a high volume of them that you won't need to worry about running out of ingots anytime soon. Although setting up a zombie piglin farm can be challenging, the resulting stream of gold makes it a worthwhile investment. Additionally, the farm will provide you with plenty of XP as well.
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