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Minecraft structures

A guide to naturally generated structures in all three dimensions of the game. From villages and temples to strongholds, bastions and End cities, every structure comes with a description of its loot and mobs, plus tips and exploration strategies.

Structures (the game calls them generated structures) are builds that Minecraft creates automatically when it generates a world. Every structure hides unique loot, mobs and challenges. Some, like villages and ruined portals, you will run into all the time. Others, like the woodland mansion or the ancient city, call for a deliberate expedition and solid preparation. Understanding structures is the key to fast progress: many key items (elytra, the Totem of Undying, the Heart of the Sea, blaze rods) come from specific structures.

Minecraft Java Edition 26.3 (as of October 2026) has over 25 types of structures spread across three dimensions: the Overworld (the main world), the Nether and the End (the final dimension). Below you will find a catalog grouped by dimension, with the rarity and tags of each structure.

The newest structure is the Abandoned Camp. It arrived with the Wilderness Bound drop, released on September 15, 2026 for Java Edition (version 26.3) and Bedrock Edition. You can find it in 18 biomes, including Meadow, Cherry Grove, Swamp and Pale Garden, and the look of the camp depends on the biome. Chests and barrels hold wheat, bread, leather, axes, arrows, gunpowder and new explorer maps, among other things. Hidden chests sometimes even contain diamonds and potions. You can read more about this update in the article Wilderness Bound is now out on Java and Bedrock.

26 structures total
22 Overworld
2 The Nether
2 The End

Overworld

22 structures

Village

Common

Villager settlement with houses, farms, a blacksmith and a church. Generates in five Overworld biomes.

tradingvillagersraidsiron golem farm

Desert Pyramid

Rare

Sandstone pyramid with a hidden treasure chamber and a TNT trap underneath.

desertTNT trapdiamondspyramid

Jungle Pyramid

Rare

Stone structure hidden in dense jungle, with arrow traps and a lever puzzle.

jungletrapspuzzleredstone

Pillager Outpost

Rare

Wooden watchtower with Pillagers armed with crossbows. Killing the captain gives you Bad Omen.

PillagersraidsBad Omencrossbows

Ruined Portal

Common

Incomplete Nether portal made of obsidian, surrounded by netherrack and a chest with gold.

Netherportalobsidiangold

Igloo

Rare

Snow hut with a bed. Half of igloos have a hidden lab with a zombie villager.

snowzombie villagerlabcuring

Swamp Hut

Rare

Wooden stilt hut in a swamp, often called a witch hut. Witches spawn inside it, which makes it a good spot for a witch farm.

swampwitchfarmredstone

Desert Well

Common

Small sandstone basin of water in the desert. A decorative structure with suspicious sand.

desertwaterarchaeologypottery

Abandoned Camp

Rare

White wool tent and an abandoned campsite in 18 biomes. Chests, a hidden copper chest and explorer maps to other structures. New in 26.3.

Wilderness Bound26.3explorer mapshidden chest

Ocean Monument

Rare

Massive underwater prismarine structure guarded by Guardians and Elder Guardians.

oceanGuardianElder Guardiansponges

Shipwreck

Common

Sunken wooden ship with 1-3 chests. Maps to buried treasure.

oceantreasure mapHeart of the Seadiamonds

Ocean Ruins

Common

Underwater ruins made of stone or sandstone. They contain suspicious gravel with pottery sherds.

oceanarchaeologybrushpottery

Buried Treasure

Rare

Chest buried under sand on a beach. The only source of the Heart of the Sea.

beachtreasure mapHeart of the Seaconduit

Stronghold

Unique

Massive underground complex with an End portal, a library and many chests.

EndportalEnder DragonEye of Ender

Mineshaft

Common

Network of tunnels with rails, cobwebs and minecarts with chests. Cave spiders spawn here in large numbers.

minecave spiderrailsdiamonds

Dungeon

Common

Small room with a spawner (zombie, skeleton or spider) and two chests.

spawnerXP farmzombieskeleton

Ancient City

Very rare

Huge underground city in the Deep Dark biome. Sculk, the Warden and exclusive loot.

Deep DarkWardensculkSwift Sneak

Trial Chambers

Very rare

Underground trial chambers from 1.21. Trial spawners that scale with the number of players, Breezes and Vaults.

1.21Breezevaulttrial spawner

Amethyst Geode

Rare

Spherical cave lined with amethyst. The only source of amethyst shards, which you need to craft a spyglass.

amethystgeodespyglasscalcite

Fossil

Very rare

Rare structure of bones and coal ore underground. In the Deep Dark it contains diamond ore.

bonesfossilDeep Darkdiamonds

Trail Ruins

Rare

Buried structure with suspicious gravel full of pottery sherds and rare items.

archaeologybrushpottery1.20

Woodland Mansion

Very rare

Huge wooden mansion inhabited by Evokers and Vindicators. Very rare.

dark forestEvokerVindicatorTotem of Undying

The Nether

2 structures

Nether Fortress

Rare

Nether brick fortress with Blazes, Wither Skeletons and chests with diamonds.

NetherBlazeWither Skeletonnether wart

Bastion Remnant

Rare

Massive Piglin fortress made of blackstone. The best source of netherite and gold in the Nether.

NetherPiglinnetheritegold

The End

2 structures

End City

Rare

Purple towers on the outer End islands. Shulkers, elytra and diamond gear.

EndelytrashulkerEnd ship

End Ship

Very rare

Flying ship next to an End city. The only source of elytra and the Ender Dragon head.

EndelytraEnd shipdragon head

How to find a structure

The fastest way to find a structure is the /locate structure command, available with cheats enabled. For example, type /locate structure minecraft:village to get the coordinates of the nearest village. Without cheats, the best strategies are:

  • Explorer maps: cartographer villagers in villages sell explorer maps to ocean monuments, woodland mansions and Trial Chambers. Since version 26.3, each of them is a separate item with its own icon and a new name (Ocean Monument Map, Woodland Mansion Map, Buried Trial Chambers Map). You will find more explorer maps, including ones leading to other camps, ancient cities and mineshafts, in the chests of Abandoned Camps.
  • Eye of Ender: thrown into the air, it flies toward the nearest stronghold with an End portal.
  • Treasure maps: found in shipwrecks and ocean ruins, they lead to buried treasure (Buried Treasure Map). Since version 26.3, like explorer maps, these maps can no longer be zoomed out, either on a crafting table or on a cartography table.
  • External tools: Chunkbase Seed Map shows all structures once you enter your world seed.
  • Biome exploration: villages and temples generate in specific biomes, so look for the right terrain.

Tips for explorers

Gear up

Always bring more food than you need, building blocks (cobblestone), torches, a bow with arrows and at least one water bucket. A shield is a cheap lifesaver against skeletons and Pillagers.

Mark your way

In sprawling structures (strongholds, mineshafts, Trial Chambers), place torches consistently on one side of the corridors. That way you can always find your way back.

Write down coordinates

F3 (the debug screen) shows your coordinates. Note the location of every structure you find: spawners, bastions, Trial Chambers. You can come back once you have better gear.

Don't destroy spawners

Monster spawners in dungeons and cave spider spawners in mineshafts are the ideal base for building XP farms. A spawner is worth more than all the loot in a chest, so remember where it is.

Related guides

Biomes in Minecraft

A guide to 62+ biomes. Which structures generate depends on the biome.

Enchantments

A guide to enchantments, including Respiration, Depth Strider, Protection and others useful for exploring.

Potions

Recipes for potions of Water Breathing, Night Vision, Healing and others you need when raiding structures.

Mobs in Minecraft

A mob encyclopedia: the Warden, Breeze, Elder Guardian, Evoker and other structure guardians.