What is the deepest level in Minecraft?

We all know the old rule of thumb. Dig down to about Y=11 and build a branch mine with two rows of blocks between each tunnel. That’s because in the old system, diamond, redstone, iron, lapis lazuli, and gold were all found in significant quantities at this one level. There was no variety in block height aside from the much newer copper which was more likely to be found around Y=48. All of this has changed with the release of Minecraft 1.18, however. So let’s dig into the changes and explain where diamond can be found in Minecraft 1.19.

What Did Minecraft 1.18 Change?

Just about everything, it turns out. The build height is now 320 with blocks found as high as 256. Y=0 is no longer roughly the layer of bedrock. Instead you can dig as deep as Y=-64. That’s a whole lot of new blocks to fill!

In an attempt to make things more diverse and reward the exploration of different biomes, Mojang has completely rebalanced ore generation. That means you’ll need to target different world heights for the various materials going forward.

What is the Best Level/Height to Find Diamond in Minecraft 1.19?

Diamond used to appear between Y=0 and Y=15 with most generated between levels one and five. While the ore still starts generating at 15, it now becomes more and more common as you dig deeper into the earth. Diamond has the highest odds of spawning at Y=-64. You don’t want to go all the way to the bottom, however, because you’ll constantly be interrupted by bedrock. We recommend digging one level above the lowest bedrock. After all, even if the bedrock is part of your floor, that’s one less block that could have been useful. If you want the smoothest and fastest mine possible, you should be digging at Y=-57. Since -59 to -64 have a lot of bedrock, this way you can avoid those layers completely and still get info on -58 below you.

If you don’t know what level you’re at, hit F3 to display your current information and look for the XYZ values.

An important change, however, is the added effect of reduced air exposure. From a technical standpoint, this means when the world is being generated and a diamond ore block is about to be placed in a location where it would be exposed to open air (like in a cave), there’s a chance that the ore will be skipped instead. In short, this means there is a higher chance of finding diamond ore if you’re mining. If you’re the type of player who prefers to delve in caves and only mine the diamonds you visually come across, you’re going to get fewer diamonds.

It’s worth noting that you can still find redstone, lapis lazuli, iron, and gold at these levels, but there are now more optimal heights if you’re searching specifically for those materials.

Want to see the changes for yourself? Here’s the official ore distribution map from Mojang.

It’s a bit hard to parse, but you see that solid light blue block in the comparison? That means diamonds were equally likely to spawn at all of those levels. In the new distribution on the left, the ore now becomes more and more prevalent as you approach the bottom of the world.

While you’re here you can use that chart to figure out where to get the other ore types, but we’ll also be writing up guides to help decipher it all since it can be a big confusing. Hope this was helpful!

Page 2

We’ve gone through an entire Minecraft patch cycle since Mojang completely overhauled the world’s ore distribution system. With it, the old Y=11 rule was retired and now you need to have an entirely different strategy depending on which ore you’re looking to find. While it’s easy to remember that old traditions no longer apply, it’s harder to remember exactly which world level is the most likely to have what you’re looking for. In this guide, we explain where you can find gold ore and what the best single height is as far as density goes.

What is the Best Level/Height to Find Gold Ore?

You can find gold ore between Y=-64 and Y=256, making it the only ore in the game that can be found at every single world height. There are three different sections of gold. The most basic is a solid distribution below Y=-48 down to the bedrock. You’ll find some gold ore down here if you’re digging for diamonds, but it’s not the most efficient place to search.

There’s also a triangle shaped distribution from Y=-64 to Y=32 with a center point at Y=-16. This is the best spot to mine unless you’re in a Badlands biome.

If you do have access to a Badlands biome, gold ore is widely available from Y=32 up to the world generation limit at Y=256. It doesn’t matter which world height you’re at, it’s just as likely to generate, and at a much higher frequency.

Therefore, the best place to mine for ore is in a Badlands biome at Y=32 as land is more likely to exist the lower you are.

If you don’t know what level you’re at, hit F3 to display your current information and look for the XYZ values.

An important change, however, is the added effect of reduced air exposure. From a technical standpoint, this means when the world is being generated and a gold ore block is about to be placed in a location where it would be exposed to open air (like in a cave), there’s a chance that the ore will be skipped instead. In short, this means there is a higher chance of finding gold ore if you’re mining.

Want to see the changes for yourself? Here’s the official ore distribution map from Mojang.

It’s a bit hard to parse, but you see that solid gold block in the comparison? That means gold ore was equally likely to spawn at all of those levels, with an exception for the Badlands biome just like there is not. In the new distribution on the left, the ore now becomes more and more prevalent as you approach Y=-16 when underground with the exception of near bedrock where it’s not as frequent, but is more common than it would be otherwise.

While you’re here you can use that chart to figure out where to get the other ore types, but we’ll also be writing up guides to help decipher it all since it can be a big confusing. Hope this was helpful!

Page 3

We’ve gone through an entire Minecraft patch cycle since Mojang completely overhauled the world’s ore distribution system. With it, the old Y=11 rule was retired and now you need to have an entirely different strategy depending on which ore you’re looking to find. While it’s easy to remember that old traditions no longer apply, it’s harder to remember exactly which world level is the most likely to have what you’re looking for. In this guide, we explain where you can find coal ore and what the best single height is as far as density goes.

What is the Best Level/Height to Find Coal Ore?

Coal used to appear between evenly between Y=0 and Y=125. This made things incredibly easy. Whatever material you were looking for would also help you uncover all the coal you could possibly need. With the newer ore distribution, however, coal is completely nonexistent below Y=0, where you’re likely digging for diamonds.

You can find coal ore between levels zero and 256. There are two different sections of coal. One is a triangle shape, between Y=0 and Y=192, becoming more common as you approach Y=96 and less common as you reach those outer extremities. Because of this Y=96 is the best place to mine for coal in most areas. This isn’t true 100% of the time, however. There’s a secondary distribution of coal that is only available in extremely high world heights. This one begins at Y=136 and extends all the way up to the world generation limit at Y=256. This shape is a rectangle, meaning the odds are static the entire way through. This second section does overlap with the first in some points meaning Y=136 is likely to have the most coal per chunk, making it the true best level to mine.

If you don’t know what level you’re at, hit F3 to display your current information and look for the XYZ values.

An important change, however, is the added effect of reduced air exposure. From a technical standpoint, this means when the world is being generated and a coal ore block is about to be placed in a location where it would be exposed to open air (like in a cave), there’s a chance that the ore will be skipped instead. In short, this means there is a higher chance of finding coal ore if you’re mining. You will need to balance speed and the number of coal. You can more quickly venture through caves than you can mine tunnels.

It’s worth noting that you can still find copper, iron, emerald, and gold at these levels, but there are now more optimal heights if you’re searching specifically for those materials.

Want to see the changes for yourself? Here’s the official ore distribution map from Mojang.

It’s a bit hard to parse, but you see that solid black block in the comparison? That means coal ore was equally likely to spawn at all of those levels. In the new distribution on the left, the ore now becomes more and more prevalent as you Y=96 and again at Y=136 where the triangle and rectangle overlap.

While you’re here you can use that chart to figure out where to get the other ore types, but we’ll also be writing up guides to help decipher it all since it can be a big confusing. Hope this was helpful!