Guide to Diamonds in Minecraft

Diamonds are one of the most precious and desirable items in Minecraft. Diamonds are rare, however, they have many practical uses, so players should try and obtain as many as possible. Not only can you use diamonds to craft extremely strong tools and armour, but they can also be used to craft an enchantment table. Finding diamonds can be an enjoyable part of the game. In our guide to diamonds in Minecraft, we discuss where to find these gems, which methods of obtaining them are best and how to get started.

How to get started

Before you begin your search, you need to ensure you have all the correct resources to help you succeed. To mine a diamond, you will need an iron or diamond pickaxe. It is important you have one of these two weapons as other pickaxes such as wood, stone or gold will not work. Using the wrong tool can lead to you mining straight through the Diamond ore without producing any diamonds at all which is a huge waste.

Once you have the tools to mine, also ensure you have plenty of torches to hand. You will be mining deep into the ground and in caves, so you need to ensure you have torches available.

Where to find diamonds

Diamonds can be found in several places across the world of Minecraft. Diamond ore itself only appears between layers 5-16 and are at their most abundant in layer 12. It is important to note that lava frequently appears between these layers as well, so you need to be on high alert when you are searching for diamonds as it is a dangerous task to undertake.

Explore Caves
You can also discover diamonds in certain cave systems. If the cave is large, it can be easier to spot Diamond ore. Again, you may more than likely come across some lava in these caves. If this is the case, use a bucket of water to help create pathways for you to manoeuvre your way around the lava hazard. To find cave areas, listen for lava and monsters as they can help identify gaps around you. Doing this is dangerous work so always be on high alert and be ready to fight some monsters before you get to explore the cave properly for treasure.

Chests
Diamonds can sometimes be found in chests which can be discovered in abandoned mine shafts or villages.  If you do find them in chests, consider yourself extremely lucky as they are a rare occurrence and therefore you should not depend on this method to discover the gems.

The best mining methods for finding diamonds

The Staircase method
As many Minecraft players know, you should never mine directly down. Doing so increases your risk of danger or death significantly as you could find yourself falling into lava or a deep cavern. Instead, you should use the popular staircase method. This involves digging yourself down at a 45% angle, creating stairs as you go. Dig one block deeper with every step you take to create the desired pattern. This allows you to easily travel to the desired depths you need to mine Diamond ore, whilst leaving you with a simple way to return to the surface. All you need to do is jump up the staircase you have formed. This method is perfect for mining, not just diamonds but all other minerals.

The Branch Mining Method
Another popular and effective way to mine for diamonds is to branch mine. Make a 2x2 tunnel and dig individual “branches” out from it every third block. This method allows you to cover a lot of ground quickly whilst removing the minimum number of blocks possible.

The Strip Mining Method
Finally, there is the strip mining method. This involves standing in between blocks and digging straight down. Place ladders on every block as you go so that you have an escape route. Once you have reached level 12, make a 2x2 tunnel as long as you desire. Light this tunnel with torches as you go. You can either mine a series of tunnels or mine a huge cavern, the choice is yours. This method is the most time consuming and can be boring. However, it is a convenient, safest method that can lead to gathering large amounts of resources and the best diamond payout.

Other Diamond Mining Tips

• Plan your mining carefully and try not to rush as this will more likely lead you to danger. If you hurry and not pay enough attention you may run into the lava. This can make you lose your treasure or even your life.
• Don’t go seeking lava just because you think it guarantees diamond ore. Although lava and diamonds can often be found in the same place, its not a guarantee and lava should be avoided wherever possible
• Have a crafting table, furnace and storage area near your mining location. This means once you have gathered a lot of resources you can return to the surface and place in your storage area before returning to mine some more. Without these regular drop-offs, you may find yourself in danger, such as a lava flow which can make you lose your resources forever. Having a storage area protects you against this.
• You can enchant your pickaxe using the fortune enchantment. This gives you the opportunity to get additional diamonds when you find them. The higher the enchantment, the more you can potentially get.
• Use your diamond mining time effectively by collecting as many other resources as you can at the same time. Although diamonds are what you are truly after, you will normally come across iron, gold, restone and more which you should store for the future.

In our guide to diamonds in Minecraft, we have discussed why they should be mined, how to get started and where the best locations for diamond ore are. Although we have explored some of the best methods to mine the diamonds, you can discover your own method that works best for you. Not only are diamonds extremely useful, but the hunt for them can also be both fun and rewarding.