A Guide to Finding the Hardest Items to Find in Minecraft

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The rarest items in Minecraft and how to find them

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IN THIS ARTICLE

1 Enchanted Golden Apple

2 Elytra

3 Dragon Egg

4 Heavy Core

5 Mace

6 Nether Star

7 Beacon

8 Echo Shard

9 Recovery Compass

10 Ominous Bottle

11 Ominous Trial Key

12 Totem of Undying

13 Banner Patterns

14 Smithing Templates

15 Mob Heads

16 Trident

17 Heart of the Sea

18 Nautilus Shell

19 Conduit

20 Bottle O’Enchanting

21 Dragon’s Breath

22 Golden Apple

23 Music Discs

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Co-authored by Zac Churchill and Travis Boylls

Last Updated: August 15, 2025 Fact Checked

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In Minecraft, rarity is a statistic applied to various items and blocks to signify their value and ease of obtaining. You can tell what an item’s rarity is by how the text is color coded when you select it in the toolbar. Most items are common and appear as white text in the toolbar. Uncommon items appear as yellow text in the toolbar. Rare items appear as cyan, and Epic items appear as purple. How rare or epic an item is doesn’t necessarily reflect how hard they are to get. Some rare items are pretty easy to obtain, while some common and uncommon items are pretty hard to get. This wikiHow article teaches you what the rarest items in Minecraft are and how to get them.

How to Find Rare Items in Minecraft

Most rare items can be found in buried treasure chests or by looting chests in various structures. The Trial Chamber with Bad Omen (Ominous) status effect is also a great place to find rare items. Many rare items are found in the End or by defeating bosses.

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1

Enchanted Golden Apple

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1. 
   Enchanted golden apples can be found in loot chests. The Enchanted Golden Apple (Notch Apple) is one of the rarest items in the game. It is a golden apple with added enchantments. Consuming one grants the player Absorption IV for 2 minutes, Regeneration for 30 seconds, Fire Resistance for 5 minutes, and Resistance for 5 minutes. There is a 1% to 3% chance of finding one in the chests found in dungeons, mineshafts, desert temples, ruined portals, and woodland mansions. There is a 6% chance of finding one in the chests of a Bastion remnant, and an 8% chance of finding one in the chests of an ancient city.
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2

Elytra

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1. 
   The Elytra is found in an End Ship treasure room. The Elytra is used for flying. It can be equipped in the chest piece slot. You can fly by pressing jump while falling once it’s equipped. The Elytra is found in an item frame in an End Ship treasure room. A shulker guards the treasure room. When you reach The End, each tower has a 50% chance of generating a bridge. Each bridge has a 12% chance of generating a ship.

3

Dragon Egg

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1. 
   A dragon egg is generated once when the Ender Dragon is defeated. It spawns on the highest block above the End Portal after you defeat the Ender Dragon. It has little practical use other than serving as a trophy. It only generates once in the game. Even if the Ender Dragon is re-summoned using End Crystals, it will not drop another dragon egg.
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4

Heavy Core

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1. 
   A heavy core is found in an ominous vault. Each vault has an 8% chance of dropping a heavy core. You need an ominous trial key to open the vault. The heavy core is one of the rarest blocks in the game. It is used to craft a mace, which is one of the rarest weapons in the game. Using an ominous bottle during the trial increases the chance of getting a heavy core.

5

Mace

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1. 
   A mace is crafted from a heavy core and a blaze rod. They deal 5 base damage but also allow the player to perform a smash attack by attacking after falling. A smash attack deals additional damage for each block fallen. The first 3 blocks deal 4 damage (two hearts) each. The next 5 blocks that fall deal 2 damage each. Each block after that deals an additional 1 damage. A minimum of 1.5 blocks fallen is needed to trigger a smash attack.
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6

Nether Star

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1. 
   A Nether Star is dropped when the Wither Boss is defeated. To summon a Wither Boss, you’ll need to stack 4 blocks of soul sand or soul soil in a T-shape. Then, place three Wither Skeleton skulls on top of the T-shape. Once the Wither boss is defeated, it will drop a nether star. The Nether Star can be used to craft a beacon.

7

Beacon

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   A Beacon is crafted from a Nether Star, 5 glass blocks, and 3 obsidian blocks. You’ll need a crafting table. Place the Nether Star in the center. Place three obsidian blocks on the bottom row and place 5 glass blocks around the top of the Nether Star. Once a beacon is activated, it will shine a light into the sky and grant status effects to nearby players. The status effect depends on what item the player feeds the beacon. The radius of the status effect depends on the size of the pyramid base the beacon sits on.

   • To activate a beacon, the beacon must have an unobstructed view of the sky (transparent blocks above the beacon are okay). Place it at the top of a pyramid constructed of iron, gold, emerald, diamond, or netherite blocks. The pyramid can be made of one type of block or a combination of the required block types. The radius of the beacon’s status effect depends on the size of the pyramid. The smallest permitted pyramid is made by placing the beacon in the center of a 3x3 grid of blocks. The next level pyramid has a 5x5 base, with a 3x3 stack on top. The largest pyramid you can construct has a 9x9 base, with 4 smaller levels stacked on top.
   • To feed a beacon, stand next to it and right-click it to open the GUI. You can then feed it an iron, gold, or netherite ingot, or a diamond or emerald. The primary powers are Speed 1, Haste 1, Resistance 1, Jump Boost 1 (requires a level 2 pyramid), or Strength 1 (requires a level 3 pyramid). A level 4 pyramid allows you to activate Regeneration 1 as a secondary power or increase your primary power to level 2.
   • You can change the color of the beam emitted into the sky by placing different colored stained glass blocks on top of the beacon.
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8

Echo Shard

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1. 
   Echo shards can be found in ancient city chests. There is a 30% chance of finding an echo shard in an ancient city chest. You’ll need eight of them to craft a Recovery Compass.

9

Recovery Compass

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1. 
   A recovery compass is crafted from 8 echo shards and a compass. Open a crafting table and place a compass in the center space. Then place 8 echo shards all around the compass. A recovery compass will point you in the direction you last died so that you can recover your inventory. A recovery compass does not work if you died in a different dimension, such as the Nether or the End.
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10

Ominous Bottle

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1. 
   Ominous bottles are dropped by raid captains. Ominous bottles grant a bad omen status effect. This can either start a raid when you enter a village, or if used in a Trial Chamber, it will turn nearby trial spawners into ominous trial spawners, which increase the challenge difficulty and get you better loot. You can get an ominous bottle by killing a raid captain that spawns as part of a patrol or in a pillager outpost. They are the illagers with grey skin that raid villages. The raid captain usually has a banner on his back. Raid captains have a chance of dropping an ominous bottle when you kill them.

   • Raid captains that spawn as part of a raid do not drop ominous bottles.
   • Ominous bottles have 5 different levels, which determine how long the effect lasts.

11

Ominous Trial Key

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1. 
   Ominous trial keys can be found in ominous spawners. To get one, a player must have a Bad Omen status effect when entering the Trial Chamber. The trial spawners will become Ominous Trial Spawners. They will start spawning harder monsters that the player must defeat. Once they are all defeated, the Ominous Trial Spawner has a 30% chance of spawning an Ominous Trial Key. The Ominous Trial Key can be used to open the Ominous Trial Vault, which may contain rare items, such as a heavy core.
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12

Totem of Undying

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1. 
   A Totem of Undying is dropped by an Evoker pillagers. You can find Evoker pillagers in woodland mansions or during raids. They are the spell-casting pillagers. When they are killed they may drop a Totem of Undying. If a player takes fatal damage while holding a Totem of Undying, it will restore the player’s hearts and prevent them from dying. It will also apply Regeneration II for 45 seconds, Fire Resistance I for 40 seconds, and Absorption II for 5 seconds. A Totem of Undying can only be used once.

   • A Totem of Undying can be held in your main hand or your off hand.

13

Banner Patterns

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1. 
   There are various ways to obtain banner patterns. There are 10 banner patterns in the game. 6 out of the 10 of them can be crafted by combining paper and various items. The Flower, Field, Bordure, and Globe patterns are considered common. The Creeper and Snout patterns are considered uncommon. The Flow, Guster, Skull, and Thing banner patterns are considered rare.

   • The Creeper pattern can be crafted using a creeper head and paper, whereas the Snout pattern can be found in bastion remnants. The Flow and Guster patterns can be found in trial chambers, whereas the skull can be crafted with a wither skeleton skull and paper, and the Thing pattern can be crafted from an enchanted apple and paper.
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14

Smithing Templates

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1. 
   Smithing templates can be found in chests in various structures. Smithing templates are used to apply a decorative trim to your armor, tools, and weapons. Most smithing templates are classified as uncommon items, but the Ward, Eye, Vex, and Spire templates are rare items, and the Silence template is an epic item.

   • The Silence template has a 1% chance of being found in an ancient city chest. The Ward template has a 5% chance of being found in an ancient city chest. The Vex template has a 50% chance of being found in a woodland mansion chest, and the Eye template has a 10% chance of being found in a stronghold altar chest, or a 100% chance of being found in a stronghold library chest.

15

Mob Heads

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1. 
   Mob Heads are dropped by slain mobs or mobs killed by charged creepers. Mob heads can be worn or displayed as a trophy. Some mob heads are rarer than others. Wither skeleton heads are considered rare. A wither skeleton has a 2% chance of dropping a wither skeleton head when slain. Player, skeleton, zombie, and piglin heads are considered uncommon, even though they are pretty hard to get. These mobs drop their heads when they are killed by a charged creeper (a creeper that’s been struck by lightning). Dragon heads are considered epic items. They can be found on End Ships in the End City.
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16

Trident

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1. 
   A trident is dropped by a drowned enemy that carries a trident. Even if you find a drowned enemy that is carrying a trident, the chances of them dropping a trident when killed is only about 6% in Java Edition, or 15% in Bedrock Edition. You can increase these chances by killing a drowned with a Sword of Looting. A trident can be used as a melee or ranged weapon. When thrown, the attack can be charged for greater damage and range.

   • A trident enchanted with Loyalty will return to the player when thrown. A trident enchanted with Riptide will launch the player when thrown in water or while it is raining.

17

Heart of the Sea

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1. 
   A Heart of the Sea can be found in a buried treasure chest. If you feed raw salmon or raw cod to a dolphin, they will lead you to a buried treasure, shipwreck, or ocean ruin. You can usually find a buried treasure map in a shipwreck or an ocean ruin chest. The buried treasure chest will be marked with a red X. Heart of the Sea can be used to craft a conduit, which is a rare item.
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18

Nautilus Shell

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1. 
   There are numerous ways to get a Nautilus shell. They’re considered common items, but you need eight of them to craft a Conduit. On rare occasions, they can be found as treasure by fishing. A drowned enemy has a 3% to 8% chance of spawning with a Nautilus shell in their off-hand. If a drowned enemy has a Nautilus shell, it will always drop it when killed. Wandering traders may sell Nautilus shells for five emeralds, but they will only have a limited supply of five.

   • You can increase your chance of finding a Nautilus shell by fishing using a Luck of the Sea enchantment on your fishing rod.

19

Conduit

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1. 
   A Conduit is crafted from a Heart of the Sea and eight Nautilus shells. You’ll need a crafting table to make one. Place the Heart of the Sea in the center of the crafting table, and then place the Nautilus shells around the Heart of the Sea. Once you have a conduit, you’ll need to build a conduit frame out of prismarine blocks. You can use any type of prismarine block. Once the conduit is activated, it will give all players within its range water breathing, underwater night vision, and increased mining speed. It will also attack hostile mobs.

   • To build a full-sized Conduit frame (which will extend the conduit effects to a 96 block radius), you will need 42 prismarine blocks. Start by constructing a 5x5 plus (+) sign out of prismarine (the frame must be under water). Then stack 4 blocks on each end of the plus sign. Connect each of the ends on top, so that there is a 5x5 plus sign on the top. Construct a 5x5 square around the center of the 4 pillars. You should have a structure that looks like a 5x5x5 cube with a 5x5 plus sign on each side, and on top and bottom. Place a temporary prismarine block in the center of the bottom plus sign. Place the Conduit on top of the temporary block. Break the temporary block to activate the Conduit.
     • Alternatively, you can construct a minimum-power frame out of a single 5x5 upright square made of prismarine. With this frame, the Conduit effect radius will be 16 blocks. Adding another square around each side of the Conduit will increase its power and radius.
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20

Bottle O’Enchanting

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1. 
   A Bottle O’Enchanting can be bought from a master-level cleric. The master-level cleric must be standing next to a brewing stand. You can purchase a Bottle O’ Enchanting for 3 Emeralds. When you throw a Bottle O’ Enchanting, they drop experience points.

21

Dragon’s Breath

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1. 
   Dragon’s breath is collected from the Ender Dragon’s breath attack. Dragon’s breath can be very dangerous to collect. To do so, you will need to enter The End with an empty bottle. When the Ender Dragon attacks you with its breath, you can use an empty bottle to collect its breath. Dragon’s breath can be combined with any splash potion using a brewing stand to add lingering to the splash potion. When you throw the splash potion, it will create a cloud that lingers on the ground. The effects of the splash potion will be applied to any player or mob that walks through the cloud.
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22

Golden Apple

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1. 
   Golden apples can be found in chests or crafted. There is a 10% to 30% chance of finding a golden apple in a chest, depending on the structure it is looted from. You can also craft a golden apple from an apple and eight golden ingots. Use a crafting table and place the apple in the center. Then place eight gold ingots around the apple. A golden apple can be used to apply Absorption I for 2 minutes and Regeneration II for 5 seconds. They can also be used to cure a villager who has been turned into a zombie. Feeding them to a horse increases the chance of taming them.

23

Music Discs

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1. 
   Music discs can be found in various loot chests. There are thirteen music discs in total. They can be used with a jukebox to play different musical tunes. Most of them are uncommon and can be found in various loot chests. However, if a creeper is killed by a skeleton, wither skeleton, stray, or bogged, it will drop a music disc. The music discs, 5, Relic, Pigstep, Precipice, Otherside, and Creator, are rare items.

   • 5 must be constructed from 9 disk fragments using a crafting table. Disc fragments can be found in ancient city loot chests. Pigstep can be found in Bastion Remnant loot chests. Otherside has a small chance of being found in a monster room, stronghold altar, or ancient city loot chest. Relic can be found in the Trial Ruins. Precipice can be found in Trial Vaults, and Creator can be found in Ominous Trial Vaults.
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