Let’s set the scene: it’s 2026, and I’m still cowering every time a Sculk Shrieker goes off in the Deep Dark. Yes, the Warden is just as terrifying now as it was back when the Wild Update dropped in 2022. But if you’re like me — equal parts treasure goblin and disaster magnet — you’ve probably wondered whether raiding an Ancient City is actually worth the panic attacks. Spoiler: it totally is, but some of the loot will make you scratch your head while others will have you doing a joyful jig in the darkness. After one too many near-death experiences, I’ve put together this glorious ranking of Ancient City hauls, starting with the \u201cmeh\u201d and building up to the treasures that genuinely change the game. Grab your wool blocks and a spare pair of leggings (you’ll need them), and let’s dive in.

10. Disc Fragment

Nothing says \u201cyou survived a nightmare\u201d quite like collecting nine fragments of a broken music disc. The disc fragment is exclusive to Ancient Cities, and after crafting the final disc \u201c5,\u201d you get to enjoy what is essentially a soundtrack to your own personal horror movie. I popped it into a jukebox and immediately regretted it — metallic screeches, warped echoes, and a Warden roar that made my cat leave the room. It\u2019s a masterpiece of ambient dread, and honestly, the perfect tribute to the biome that gave us the sculk family. For collectors and masochists alike, this is a must-grab, but don\u2019t expect to dance to it.

9. Bottle O\u2019 Enchanting

In the early game, experience points feel like pocket change you never have. The Bottle O\u2019 Enchanting is that convenient little splash of XP just when you need to mend your diamond leggings after a creeper hug. Sure, you can buy them from a master cleric, but if you\u2019ve ever tried setting up a villager trading hall while dodging Wardens, you understand the appeal of just plucking a few free bottles from a chest. They don\u2019t give a ton of levels, but when your Mending gear is crying, every drop helps. Plus, throwing them at your buddies while they\u2019re sneaking is a level of pettiness I fully endorse.

8. Echo Shard

Echo shards look like they belong in a sci-fi modpack, but in vanilla Minecraft they\u2019re gloriously weird and mostly useless on their own. Combine one with a compass, though, and you\u2019ve got yourself a recovery compass — the gadget that points toward your latest ungraceful demise. I used to think map mods made this redundant, but then I died 40 blocks away from my base and spent an hour retracing steps. The recovery compass is now my emotional support item. If you\u2019re a purist who refuses mini-maps, this little gizmo will save your inventory and your sanity.

7. Music Discs (Otherside, 13, Cat)

Disc Title	Spawn Chance
Otherside by Lena Raine	8.4%
13 by C418	16.1%
Cat by C418	16.1%

You haven\u2019t truly lived until you\u2019ve blasted \u201cOtherside\u201d while building a cozy cottage. \u201cCat\u201d and \u201c13\u201d are practically raining from dungeon chests, but \u201cOtherside\u201d is the elusive diva of the Ancient City. Since its arrival in 1.19, it\u2019s become the hipster\u2019s choice of Minecraft tunes. I finally found one after clearing three cities, and it now plays on a loop in my base as I sip virtual tea and ignore the Warden-induced trauma. The drop rates are on the stingy side, but that just makes finally snagging one feel like a Grammy award.

6. Sculk Blocks

Block	Spawn Chance
Sculk	23.2%
Sculk Catalyst	16.1%
Sculk Sensor	23.2%

Whether you think sculk is creepy or chic, these blocks are a builder\u2019s best friend. Mining them without Silk Touch gives you experience, so cracking open a chest full of sculk feels like a bargain XP farm in a box. The catalyst is the real prize for redstone enthusiasts — it collects experience and spreads the sculk infection, which is equal parts useful and unsettling. I\u2019ve turned my basement into a sculk paradise, and my friends now refuse to visit. Mission accomplished.

5. Enchanted Golden Apple

Let\u2019s be honest: finding a Notch apple feels like winning the lottery. It\u2019s uncraftable, ridiculously powerful, and in Ancient Cities it\u2019s actually more common than in the supposedly easier Woodland Mansion. I found my first one while fleeing a Warden with half a heart and absolutely no dignity. I saved that apple for months, then ate it while falling into lava. The moral? Use your god apples wisely, and always bring a fire resistance potion. Still, it\u2019s the ultimate \u201cI\u2019ve made it\u201d moment in any survival world.

4. Smithing Templates (Armor Trims)

Trim Design	Spawn Chance
Silence Armor Trim	1.2%
Ward Armor Trim	5.0%

Armor trims don\u2019t make you stronger, but they make you look stronger, and in Minecraft, that\u2019s half the battle. The Silence and Ward trims are the Holy Grail for fashionistas — both only appear in Ancient Cities. The Silence trim has a 1.2% drop rate, which means I\u2019ve looted enough cities to fill a graveyard with failures before finding it. The Ward trim is slightly kinder, but still rare enough to make you do a happy little crouch-spam when you see it. With 16 total trims to collect, this is the endgame for completists.

3. Enchanted Diamond Hoe

Remember when diamond hoes were a meme? Now they\u2019re actually useful, especially in the Deep Dark where harvesting sculk efficiently matters. Ancient City chests serve up hoes with 80\u2013100% durability and random level 30\u201350 enchantments. I\u2019ve walked out with a Mending, Efficiency IV diamond hoe that I later upgraded to netherite just to flex. The fact that you can combine several of these and skip the whole enchanting table song-and-dance is a win. Plus, nobody expects the guy with the blinged-out hoe to also have a sharpness V sword. It\u2019s all about the long con.

2. Enchanted Diamond Leggings

Since 1.18 made strip mining about as fun as eating gravel, finding pre-enchanted diamond leggings in Ancient Cities is a massive shortcut. The leggings come with level 30\u201350 enchants, which can include Mending, Protection, or the cursed duo of Binding and Vanishing. I once put on a pair of Vanishing pants by accident and then promptly died to a silverfish. The panic was real. But when you pull Mending and Protection IV on the same pair, you feel like the Overworld\u2019s chosen one. Stockpile these and combine them on an anvil, and suddenly the entire Deep Dark adventure pays for itself.

1. Enchanted Books

Enchantment	Spawn Chance
Mending	5.0%
Swift Sneak (any level)	23.2%
All other enchantments (except Soul Speed)	35.9%

And finally, the granddaddy of Ancient City treasure: enchanted books. Mending books alone are worth every shrieker scream, especially if you don\u2019t want to reset a librarian villager a hundred times. Swift Sneak is exclusively found here, and it\u2019s the enchant that turns slinking past Wardens from a nerve-wracking crawl into a smooth sneaky ballet. I\u2019ve found Swift Sneak III and never looked back. The general book spawn rate is generous, delivering Looting, Protection, Feather Falling, and more. Yes, the levels are usually low or mid, but snag a few duplicates and an anvil, and you\u2019re golden. At this point, I don\u2019t visit Ancient Cities for the loot — I visit because the books are just that addicting.

Ancient Cities remain the perfect cocktail of danger and reward, even four years after the sculk took over. Whether you\u2019re a builder, collector, or just someone who enjoys expensive hoes (who doesn\u2019t?), the Deep Dark has something for every lunatic willing to tiptoe through the shriekers. So gear up, bring a few stacks of wool, and remember: if you hear a Warden, don\u2019t panic — just drop everything and sprint in the opposite direction. I\u2019ll be right behind you, probably picking up that disc fragment you dropped.