Building Blocks

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Image This article is about the series of articles on minecraft.net. For the Minecraft Dungeons version, see Dungeons:Building Blocks. For the page about blocks, see Block.
Building Blocks
Author(s) Duncan Geere
Language English
Genre(s) Editorial
Set in Minecraft
Publisher Minecraft.net
Release date June 7, 2024

Building Blocks is a series of articles on Minecraft.net that touches on various structures in Minecraft.

Articles

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Title Header Subjects Release Author
Building Blocks: Shipwreck Image ImageShipwreck June 7, 2024 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Stronghold Image ImageStronghold July 4, 2024 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Village Image ImageVillage August 1, 2024 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Trial Chamber Image ImageTrial Chamber September 19, 2024 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Trail Ruin Image ImageTrail Ruin October 11, 2024 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Mineshaft Image ImageMineshaft November 9, 2024 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Ruined Portal Image ImageRuined Portal December 4, 2024 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Igloo Image ImageIgloo January 14, 2025 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Ocean Monument Image ImageOcean Monument February 16, 2025 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Swamp Hut Image ImageSwamp Hut February 28, 2025 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Ancient City Image ImageAncient City April 25, 2025 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Abandoned Village Image ImageAbandoned Village May 10, 2025 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Desert Pyramid Image ImageDesert Pyramid May 29, 2025 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Woodland Mansion Image ImageWoodland Mansion June 23, 2025 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: End City Image ImageEnd City July 18, 2025 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Ocean Ruins Image ImageOcean Ruins August 14, 2025 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Desert Well Image ImageDesert Well September 16, 2025 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Amethyst Geode Image ImageAmethyst Geode October 20, 2025 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Bastion Remnant Image ImageBastion Remnant November 15, 2025 Duncan Geere
Building Blocks: Monster Room Image ImageMonster Room February 26, 2026 Duncan Geere

Quotes

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Occasionally, you’ll find a huge ruined portal, many blocks larger than a standard one. These seem to have once served some kind of ceremonial purpose, though it’s hard to say what that might have been. They’re big enough to fit a ghast through, which raises all kinds of terrifying questions.

— Duncan Geere in Building Blocks: Ruined Portal
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Our geologists first started reporting the discovery of ancient cities after the Wild Update was released in June 2022. They take the form of an enormous, ancient settlement, made up of long corridors and guard towers, some of which contain the riches of the ancient world.

— Duncan Geere in Building Blocks: Ancient City
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Essentially, you should think of a woodland mansion as a giant canvas on which you can express yourself – either in fierce combat against the inhabitants, or in rebuilding after you’ve cleared the place out. Or both, of course. Don’t expect that doing either of those things will be easy – but you can be sure that you’ll be proud of the results.

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Speaking of loot, there are all kinds of goodies you’ll find in a trial chamber. The vaults are the main event, spawning rare tools, weapons, and armor. You’ll also come across a scattering of chests, barrels and pots containing resources to top you up between fights.

— Duncan Geere in Building Blocks: Trial Chamber
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Be prepared to face some heavy opposition. Ocean monuments are populated by dangerous creatures called guardians that shoot lasers and are spiky enough that hitting them with a melee attack will hurt pretty bad. But they’re nothing compared to the elder guardians that you’ll find in the deepest parts of the structure. As well as the laser and the spikes, these ancient beasts will zap players with Mining Fatigue III, making it very difficult to attack or break blocks. Even an invisibility potion won’t save you from that one.

— Duncan Geere in Building Blocks: Ocean Monument
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As you progress and upgrade your weapons and armor, you’ll find monster rooms less tricky to handle. But that doesn’t mean they’re not still useful. If you don’t destroy the spawner, it can be used to reliably pump out baddies that can be automatically or semi-automatically killed in what’s known as a mob farm – making it easy for their drops to be collected in large quantities. The Minecraft Wiki has some nice advice on setting those up.

— Duncan Geere in Building Blocks: Monster Room
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Bastion remnants began appearing after the release of the Nether Update in June 2020 – the same patch that added piglins, netherite equipment, chains, and target blocks. They come in four different varieties – each with its own structure and loot opportunities: there’s a bridge variant, a variant made up of hoglin stables, one with housing units for piglins, and a treasure room piled high with gold.

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You’re unlikely to get lost in an End city, but death from falling is a real risk because the shulkers that inhabit them will often apply the levitation effect. Feather Falling enchantments can help, but really you’re just gonna need to be careful – try to stay under low ceilings when you can, and if you do find yourself rising unexpectedly then either drink a bucket of milk to void the effect or place water below you just before you hit the ground to void the damage.

— Duncan Geere in Building Blocks: End City
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The best reason to visit a village is for trade. Villagers often have raw material needs that only outsiders can fulfil, and they’re willing to pay for those goods in emeralds. You can then use those emeralds to buy things off other villagers – including rarities like enchanted books and chainmail armour. As you trade with a villager, they’ll level up – and so the more you trade, the more interesting items can be obtained.

— Duncan Geere in Building Blocks: Village
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The first sign that you’re encountering an amethyst geode is a wall of smooth black basalt, with a layer of white calcite underneath. Break on through to the other side, as Jim Morrison once suggested, and you’ll suddenly find yourself in a cave of purple amethyst blocks, with shards of amethyst growing out of the sides. Some will appear cracked – these are budding amethyst blocks, which are extremely fragile but can grow new crystals over time.

— Duncan Geere in Building Blocks: Amethyst Geode
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