Table of Contents
Who this is for: Minecraft players looking to master treasure hunting and find valuable loot including the essential Heart of the Sea.
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Getting Your Hands on Treasure Maps
Treasure maps in Minecraft aren’t just lying around waiting to be picked up. You’ll need to do some exploring first. The most reliable way to find them is by searching shipwrecks and ocean ruins scattered across the seas. When you spot a shipwreck, look for chests in the map room or supply room – these often contain buried treasure maps along with other valuable loot.
Cartographer villagers also sell ocean explorer maps and woodland mansion maps, but these point to structures rather than buried treasure. For the classic “X marks the spot” experience, stick to shipwreck hunting.
Reading Your Treasure Map
Once you’ve got a map, right-click to open it and you’ll see a brown parchment with terrain features. The white dot represents your current position, while the red X shows where treasure is buried. The map displays a zoomed-in view of the area, so you might need to travel quite a distance to reach the marked location.
Pay attention to the terrain patterns on the map – coastlines, islands, and land masses will help you navigate. The map updates as you move, making the white dot shift to show your real-time position.
Following the Map to Treasure
Start by orienting yourself with the map’s terrain features. If you’re far from the treasure location, the white dot might not even appear on the map initially. Travel in the general direction until you see yourself represented as the white dot.
Once you’re on the map, navigate toward the red X. The closer you get, the more precise your positioning becomes. When you’re directly over the treasure location, you’ll be standing right on top of the X marker.
Digging Up the Buried Treasure
Here’s where many players get frustrated – the treasure isn’t always exactly where the X appears to be. Start digging in a 3×3 area around where you think the X is located. Buried treasure chests are typically found 3-6 blocks underground, usually in sand or gravel near beaches.
Don’t give up if you don’t find it immediately. Sometimes the chest can be offset by a few blocks from the visual X marker. Expand your search area gradually, and listen for the distinct sound of your tool hitting a chest.
What’s Inside Treasure Chests
Buried treasure chests always contain a Heart of the Sea, which is essential for crafting conduits. You’ll also find valuable items like diamonds, emeralds, gold ingots, iron ingots, and sometimes enchanted gear. The loot makes the treasure hunting expedition worthwhile, especially since Hearts of the Sea can’t be obtained any other way.
Ready to start your own treasure hunting adventure? Explore our collection of Minecraft-inspired games that capture the same spirit of discovery and exploration.
TL;DR
Find treasure maps in shipwrecks, follow the red X marker while tracking your white dot position, then dig 3-6 blocks deep in a 3×3 area around the X to uncover buried treasure chests.
