How to Find an Ocean Monument in Minecraft: Easy Guide

Ocean monuments hide some of the best loot in Minecraft: gold blocks, sponges, prismarine, and the guardians that drop it all. The problem is finding one. Monuments only generate in deep ocean biomes, they are rare, and they sit far below the surface where you cannot see them from a boat. This guide shows you how to find an ocean monument in minecraft using maps, dolphins, and a few smart tricks, so you can stop sailing in circles and start looting.

How to Find an Ocean Monument in Minecraft: The Fastest Methods

There are three reliable ways to find a monument: an Ocean Explorer Map from a cartographer villager, following a dolphin after feeding it raw cod, or exploring deep oceans yourself with water breathing and night vision. The map is the most reliable, the dolphin is the cheapest, and exploring on your own works when you have good gear. Pick the method that fits your world, and use the tips below to reach the monument safely once you know where it is.

Method 1: Buy an Ocean Explorer Map

The surest way to find a monument is an Ocean Explorer Map, sold by cartographer villagers. Buying the map is the simplest answer to how to find an ocean monument in minecraft, and it never fails. Level up a cartographer to Journeyman by trading paper, glass panes and compasses, and it will offer an Ocean Explorer Map for emeralds and a compass. Buy the map, hold it in your hand, and follow the white dot that marks your position until it reaches the monument icon. The map points to the nearest unexplored monument, so it always leads somewhere real.

This method costs emeralds and takes time to set up a cartographer, but it never fails. If you already have a villager trading hall, this is the method to use. Bring a boat and a few water breathing potions for the trip, since monuments can be thousands of blocks from your base.

Method 2: Follow a Dolphin

Dolphins are the free way to find a monument. Find a dolphin in any ocean, feed it raw cod or raw salmon, and it will swim toward the nearest ocean ruin, shipwreck, or buried treasure, and sometimes toward an ocean monument. Dolphins only point to the nearest structure, so they do not always lead to a monument, but in a deep ocean biome the odds are good.

Feed the dolphin, then swim after it and watch where it goes. Dolphins swim fast, so use a boat on the surface and watch the dolphin below, or follow it underwater with a water breathing potion. If it leads you to a ruin or a shipwreck instead, feed another dolphin and try again. This method costs almost nothing, which makes it a good first try before you spend emeralds on a map.

Method 3: Explore Deep Oceans Yourself

If you like exploring, you can find a monument by sailing through deep ocean biomes. Monuments only generate in deep oceans, so skip shallow water and head for the darkest blue water on your map. From the surface, look down through the water on a clear day, or use a potion of night vision to see further. A monument is a huge prismarine structure, and its sea lanterns glow, so it stands out once you are close.

A boat is the fastest way to cover water, and a dolphin riding beside your boat gives you a speed boost. Carry a water breathing potion and a night vision potion, and dive down whenever you see a dark shape below. If you have cheats enabled, the /locate structure monument command gives you the exact coordinates, which is the fastest option of all in a creative or testing world.

What to Bring Before You Go

• Water breathing potions, at least a few 8 minute potions
• Night vision potions to see the monument and its guardians clearly
• Milk buckets to clear Mining Fatigue from elder guardians
• A conduit, or a Respiration III helmet and Depth Strider boots
• A good sword or trident, plus a bow for guardians at range
• Doors or trapdoors to make air pockets underwater
• Food, a boat, and a bed if the trip is long

Guardians shoot lasers that hurt, and elder guardians inflict Mining Fatigue III, which makes mining almost impossible. Milk clears the effect instantly, so keep a bucket in your hotbar. A conduit gives you water breathing and night vision in a small radius, which makes the whole fight much easier, so place one near the monument if you have the parts.

Inside the Monument: What to Expect

Every monument has three elder guardians, and they do not respawn once killed. One guards the top room, one guards the left wing, and one guards the right wing. The treasure room behind one elder guardian holds eight gold blocks, and the monument has sponge rooms filled with wet sponges, which are rare and useful.

Clear the elder guardians first, then work through the rooms. The monument is a maze of prismarine corridors, so mark your path with torches or break a trail as you go. Guardians spawn throughout the monument, so keep moving and do not stop in open water where several can target you at once. Take the gold and the sponges, and note the layout: a monument you have cleared is the perfect site for a guardian farm later.

Troubleshooting: Still Cannot Find One?

If you are still stuck on how to find an ocean monument in minecraft after trying all three methods, check that you are actually in a deep ocean. Shallow oceans and rivers never have monuments. If your world was created before ocean monuments were added, the oceans near spawn may have none, so travel further out. And if a dolphin keeps leading you to ruins and shipwrecks, switch to the cartographer map, which points only to monuments.

On a multiplayer server, other players may have already cleared the nearest monuments, so ask in chat or check the server map before sailing thousands of blocks. On BD ZONE, monuments near spawn get found fast, so be ready for a long trip or team up with friends and share the map.

Java vs Bedrock Notes

The methods in this guide work on both editions, but small details differ. Cartographer trades, dolphin behavior, and the /locate command syntax are not identical between Java and Bedrock, so if a step behaves differently on your edition, check an edition specific guide for the exact details. The ideas here hold on both editions, and they are a safe starting point for either one.

FAQ

How rare are ocean monuments?

Monuments are rare. They only generate in deep ocean biomes, and a large world may have only a few. Use a cartographer map or a dolphin rather than sailing blindly, since random exploring can take hours.

Can I find an ocean monument without a map?

Yes. The fastest free way to learn how to find an ocean monument in minecraft without spending emeralds is to feed a dolphin raw cod and follow where it swims, or explore deep oceans yourself with water breathing and night vision potions. The map is the most reliable method, but it is not the only one.

How do I beat the elder guardians?

Bring milk buckets to clear Mining Fatigue, water breathing potions, and a good sword or trident. Kill the three elder guardians first, since they do not respawn, then clear the rooms at your own pace.

What loot is inside an ocean monument?

Eight gold blocks in the treasure room, wet sponges in the sponge rooms, prismarine blocks throughout, and prismarine shards and crystals from the guardians themselves. A cleared monument is also the best place to build a guardian farm.

Go Find Your Monument

Now you know how to find an ocean monument in minecraft, from cartographer maps and dolphins to exploring deep oceans yourself. Pick a method, pack your potions and milk, and head out. Once you find one, clear the elder guardians, grab the gold and sponges, and consider turning it into a guardian farm. If you play on BD ZONE, join us on PLAY.BDZONEMC.COM and share your monument coordinates on Discord at https://discord.gg/QzhjgYZNGs, so other Survival players can visit too.