Generated Structures
Welcome to IGN's Minecraft Wiki guide, which details everything you need to know about Generated Structures. This page will provide helpful information on what you can expect from Generated Structure types, such valuable loot and any dangers such as roaming mobs, as well as several tips and tricks that will not only help you find better loot but also locate these often hidden structures.
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What Are Generated Structures?
Generated Structures in Minecraft are naturally spawning structures that appear throughout different biomes that are spread across the randomly generated world. These structures are seemingly man-made and are valuable sources of loot while also being critical to game progression.
Be warned that dangers do lie ahead for players who seek the valuable treasures found within these sometimes dangerous structures. However, some structures, such as Desert Pyramids and Woodland Mansions, can be made into good homes if you're able to eliminate all their dangers.
All Generated Structures
Large Structures
These structures are the main ones to be found in the game, however they only appear if you've turned Generated Structures on when creating your Minecraft world.
Ancient City | Bastion Remnant |
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Ancient Cities are vast underground complexes that only appear in the Deep Dark cave biome, which means they are very precarious to navigate thanks to the various Skulk blocks. They are a source for Music Discs not found anywhere else in the game. | Located in The Nether, these are giant ruined fortresses that house Piglins. This is the only place to get the Pigstep Music Disc, and you can get Gold Swords and Armor here too. |
Buried Treasure | Desert Pyramid |
Buried Treasure appears primarily on beaches, and consist of a single Chest buried in the sand. They are the only way to get the Heart of the Sea, which aids underwater navigation. They may also contain Ingots, Emeralds and rarely Diamonds. | These Desert structures appear empty at first, however they have a hidden treasure room under the floor. The four chests can contain Bones, Ingots, Horse Armor and even Diamonds, however the Pressure Plate in the middle is hooked up to TNT! |
End City | Igloo |
End Cities appear exclusively in The End, specifically the outer islands that are accessed after defeating the Ender Dragon. Home to Shulkers and End Ships, they often contain Enchanted tools and armor, as well as Ingots. | Only appearing in Snowy Plains and Snowy Taigas, are made of snow and feature a lower basement containing a Villager and a Zombie Villager, as well as Infested stone blocks. A Cauldron and Brewing Stand can be found here, and a Chest. |
Jungle Temple | Mineshaft |
Appearing only in Jungles and Bamboo Jungles, these contain a puzzle room and a trap corridor, both of which have a Chest. These can contain Bones, Ingots, Diamonds, Emeralds and Horse Armor. | Mineshafts are vase underground complexes that regularly have Spider Spawners and broken Rails. Chests can contain various Rails, Ingots, seeds and even Lapis Lazuli and Diamonds. |
Nether Fortress | Ocean Monument |
Large complexes found only in the Nether, these buildings are the exclusive home of Blazes and Wither Skeletons, but can also house Magma Cubes, normal Skeletons and Zombified Piglins. Chests can contain Ingots, Armor and Nether Warts. | Found only in Deep variants of Ocean Biomes, these Prismarine structures are one of the few places you can find Sponges among the randomly-generated rooms. It is also home to the dangerous Guardians and Elder Guardians. |
Ocean Ruins | Pillager Outpost |
Ocean Ruins are smaller buildings but can still vary greatly in size, and their material depends on the temperature of the ocean. Being ruined buildings, the contain no inherent threats. Their chests can contain Treasure Maps, Emerals or Enchanted Fishing Rods. | Pillager Outposts appear in a wide variety of biomes that always contain a large watchtower, and is one of only two places you can find Allays. Defeating its captain will give you the Bad Omen effect for five in-game days, which means entering a Village will trigger a Raid. Chests here can contain Goat Horns, food, Arrows and Ingots. |
Ruined Portal | Shipwreck |
Ruined Portals are the only structures to appear in more than one dimension, being the Overworld and the Nether. They are incomplete Nether Portals that are a good source of Obsidian, and can be rebuilt to transport you to the Nether. | Shipwrecks only appear in the various Ocean biomes, and can have different forms, including the bow/stern, the entire ship, and can even be found upside-down. They often hold Paper, food ingredients and Leather Armor. |
Stronghold | Swamp Hut |
Strongholds are very rare underground structures that can be located using an Eye of Ender. They can have a variety of rooms, but are the only places where an End Portal may appear, which is the only way to travel to The End. Loot can include Iron Armor, Diamonds, Horse Armor, Ingots and a Music Disc. | Also known as Witch Huts, these wooden buildings only appear in Swamps, and are always manned by a Witch and her Black Cat. While they have no notable loot, in the Bedrock Edition the Cauldron has a chance to have a Potion inside of it. |
Village | Woodland Mansion |
The most common structure in the game, Villages are the homes of Villagers and Cats, and are a source of Trading to obtain Emeralds. Their farms are also a good source of food. | Only appearing in Dark Forests very far from the world spawn point, this vast structure can have many randomly-chosen rooms, and is occupied by Illagers. It's also dark enough inside for other hostile mobs to spawn here and be protected during the day. Its Chests can include Bone, String, Music Discs, Ingots and Chestplates. |
Semi-Structures
These features are unique in that they are like Structures, but are often smaller and more natural in appearance. As such, these can appear even when you disable the generation of structures when setting up a Minecraft world.
Desert Well | Dungeon |
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Desert Wells are tiny sandstone structures that contain a single block of Water, a rare resource in a Desert if there aren't any rivers nearby to get it from. | Also known as Monster Rooms, these are Cobblestone rooms with two chests and a Skeleton, Spider or Zombie Spawner in the middle. The Chests can contain Bones, String, food ingredients, Music Discs and Horse Armor. |
Forest Rock | Fossil |
These are small boulders made of Mossy Cobblestone found only in Old Growth Taigas. They offer nothing outside of their stone. | Appearing in Deserts and the Nether's Soul Sand Valley, these structures are made entirely out of Bone Blocks, which can be broken into Bone Meal to make light dye or as a fertilizer. They are exceedingly rare, as in the Overworld they can sometimes have Diamond Ore inside of them. |
Geode | Iceberg |
Geodes are hollow rocks that can be found underground, and are the only place you can get Budding Amethyst and Amethyst Blocks. They are coated with layers of Smooth Basalt and Calcite. | Found only in Frozen Oceans, Icebergs are made out of Packed Ice and Snow Blocks at the top, and Blue Ice blocks on the bottom. They offer nothing else and primarily hinder navigation. |
Tips and Tricks for Finding and Looting Structures
- When attempting to loot generated structures, always bring your best armor! Mobs tend to gather near structures, especially those in the Nether. Wear gold in the Nether to avoid piglins.
- Even though the Nether is equally as vast as the Overworld, there are far less generated structures within it. If you are looking to loot a structure with nothing in specific in mind, look in the Overworld first!
- The higher level of the structure, the better the loot. Structures in the Nether and End will have better loot regardless of their status.
- Swamp Huts, Fossils, Desert Wells, Geodes, and Icebergs do not contain loot Chests.
- You can get maps from cartographer villagers that can locate Woodland Mansions or Ocean Monuments.