Archeology coming to Minecraft 1.20

You read that title correctly, dear reader. Archeology is coming to Minecraft! But that’s not all. We’re going to be revealing the remaining features for Minecraft 1.20, so keep your eyes on Minecraft.net and our social channels. You can start digging, dusting, and testing out all the new features in snapshots, betas, and previews that will be coming to you very soon! Keep in mind that this is just the very first iteration, we will be adding a lot more as we continue to develop this feature. Check out these instructions for installing snapshots, betas, and previews so you’re prepared when they make it to a device near you!

When you’re ready to get started with your new career as a Minecraft Archeologist, or M’archeologist as it’s known colloquially, head out to a nearby desert. That’s where the sand lives. Yes, yes, beaches have sand too. Good for them. But we’re looking for a special type of sand today. Pick a nice plot inside a desert temple and start shoveling. As we continue to work on archeology, more dig site areas will be added. So keep sending us your feedback and checking in on future snapshots, betas, and previews to stay up to date on where to dig! 

While you’re digging, look out for a new block: suspicious sand! As the name suggests, you need to tread carefully here. Or rather, brush carefully. Along with new blocks and a general air of mystery, archeology also brings a new tool: The brush. Break it out, and carefully brush your block of suspicious sand. This allows you to extract whatever is hiding within, which can be anything from pottery shards to random objects! 

If you look closely at the pottery shard, you can see that a partial pattern is painted on it. Once you collect four shards, you can put them together for a pot! There are different patterns that tell unique stories and make for very decorative accents in your builds. 

Speaking of unique stories, the secret library that I found and now officially live in is filled with them. But it also contains an extensive travel section, which is where I found a journal that was as mysterious as it was dusty. It was stuffed between an Overworld atlas and a stack of Nether travel brochures. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t the string of numbers that were listed on each page. Could this be a secret code? Phone numbers to former Minecraft.net writers? Or could it be someone’s super-secret seed log? I am going to test out that last one by entering some of them into my game and see where I spawn! 

While you’re perusing seeds and getting ready to dig like you’ve never dug before, check out the instructions for how to install Bedrock betas and previews and Java snapshots on your preferred platform!