How to use the Ancient City Finder
Ancient cities generate deep underground (around Y −52) in the deep dark biome. The finder shows their center coordinates so you can dig down safely away from the sculk shriekers.
- Type or paste your seed in the seed box (numbers and text seeds both work), then pick your edition and version.
- Ancient cities are marked on the map automatically. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and hover an icon to see its coordinates.
- Click an icon to copy the coordinates or a ready-made /tp command, and tick "Completed" to keep track of the ones you have visited.
- Use the "Nearest" list in the sidebar to jump straight to the closest ones to spawn or to any X/Z you enter.
Where ancient cities generate
On Java, ancient cities use regions of 24×24 chunks with an 8-chunk separation, and the start must be in the deep dark cave biome. The deep dark forms deep underground, usually beneath mountainous inland terrain, so cities cluster wherever the deep dark is large.
All cities are huge (around 200 blocks across) and sit at the same depth. The floor of the central "portal" frame is at about Y −52, a few blocks above bedrock level.
Loot and the warden
Chests in ancient cities are some of the best in the game: enchanted golden apples, Swift Sneak books (the only source), echo shards for the recovery compass, music disc 5 fragments, the Otherside disc, diamond gear and the ward and silence armor trim templates.
Sculk sensors detect movement and sound, and sculk shriekers summon the warden after a few warnings. Sneak everywhere, place wool over sensors, and keep away from shriekers. The warden has 500 health and is not meant to be fought early.
Editions and versions
| Dimension | Overworld |
|---|---|
| Java Edition | 1.19.2 – 26.3, exact positions |
| Bedrock Edition | 1.19 – 26.3, approximate positions (about 9 in 10 markers are confirmed in-game (43/48); 99 % of real cities are shown.) |
Questions
What Y level are ancient cities at?
The city's floor is at about Y −52. Dig down at the marked coordinates, then sneak, because sculk sensors and shriekers summon the warden after enough activations.
Why is there no ancient city in my deep dark?
Ancient cities need deep dark at the structure origin within their 24×24 chunk region, and many deep dark patches are simply not at the right spot.
Is the ancient city finder accurate on Bedrock?
Close. On Bedrock about 9 in 10 markers are confirmed in-game, and 99% of real cities are shown. Java positions are exact.
Where are the Swift Sneak books?
In ancient city chests only. Check every chest in the city; the ones in the side buildings are safer to reach.
What command finds the nearest ancient city?
With cheats on, /locate structure minecraft:ancient_city on Java or /locate structure ancient_city on Bedrock.
Updated · data for Minecraft Java & Bedrock up to 26.3