Minecraft 1.18: Where to Find Diamonds (2024)

Minecraft’s 1.18 update makes some major changes to mining, forcing players to revise their established ore-collecting strategies. Indeed, the way that ore is distributed has been completely revamped with this update, and fans will need to target some new locations if they hope to find the resources that they need. One of the minerals that Minecraft players will be particularly interested in tracking down are diamonds, and this guide details the best level to find them on.

Updated December 16th, 2021 by Russ Boswell: Players that are hopping into Minecraft 1.18, Caves and Cliffs Part 2, will surely want to get their hands on diamonds as quickly as possible to help them survive some of the new enemy-infested biomes. However, thanks to the new depth that has been introduced into the game, players are likely confused on the best y level for diamonds in Minecraft 1.18. To give players a better look at where to find diamonds in 1.18, as well as some information on what to do with those diamonds, the following list has been updated and includes even more information.

Minecraft 1.18: Best Diamond Level

To put things simply, players that are hunting for diamonds in Minecraft 1.18 should target Y-level -58. For the uninitiated, a fan’s current Y-level can be checked by pressing F3 or typing “/tp ~ ~ ~” into the chat window, and indeed quite a lot of digging is required to reach -58. It is recommended that players that are doing this type of digging create two-block-wide holes, as that will reduce their chances of taking a fatal fall.

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To note, Y-level -58 is certainly not the only place where diamonds spawn in Minecraft’s Caves and Cliffs update, as players can encounter the mineral anywhere between Y-levels 16 and -64. The spawn rate of diamonds does increase quite considerably at deeper levels, though, and players should thus not waste their time looking for the resource closer to the surface. Players should also avoid searching for diamonds between Y-levels -59 and -64, as the bedrock that appears on those levels interferes with the diamond spawn rate.

It is also worth mentioning that the 1.8 update decreases the chances that an ore will appear in a block that is exposed to the air. This means that Minecraft players should not expect to see a lot of diamonds while they are exploring the caves that appear in the lower Y-levels. Indeed, fans will need to take a more proactive approach to finding these valuable minerals, with stripmining being the most effective strategy.

While there are a couple of different approaches to stripmining that fans can employ, the simplest is to dig two-block-tall passages in straight lines. This method makes it very easy to get out of a mine when the miner wants to take a break, and it only requires some food and a reasonable pickaxe in Minecraft. Fans can also bring some torches with them if they would like to light the passages that they form while hunting for diamonds, though they are not mandatory.

What Should Players Do With Diamonds When They Find Them?

Finding diamonds for the first time in Minecraft can be pretty exciting, but many players don't realize how rare these resources really are in the grand scheme of things. Veterans and those that are super accustomed to finding the precious minerals will have an easier time amassing hoards of them but those that are just starting out may want to consider using their diamonds on specific upgrades until they get used to how to hunt for them.

Diamonds aren't really used in a lot of endgame items or contraptions but they are required for players that wish to go to the Nether (without having to make a portal by other means) as a Diamond Pickaxe is required for mining Obsidian. The best thing that players can do with their hard-earned diamonds are craft tools, weapons, and armors to help them survive better in harsh environments, as well as gather ores (and other special materials) faster.

The first thing that players may want to consider making with some diamonds is a sword. It only takes two diamonds and a stick to put together and is vastly superior to other items that players can make to take on their enemies. Although it's possible to make armor from diamond, it will take approximately 24 diamonds to craft a full set. It's much smarter for players to snag a sword to defend themselves and a pickaxe to mine better materials than it is to immediately make armor.

After players learn how to effectively stripmine, or they come across some heftier veins of diamond, they can move on to crafting their armor bit by bit. When players do decide to craft armor, it's best to start with the chest piece as it takes the most materials and offers the biggest armor upgrade.

Minecraft is available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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