All explorer maps in Minecraft and how to get them

Maps are among the oldest Minecraft features and have helped players in their journey across this title's infinitely generating worlds. It has been well over a decade since their addition, and now players can find and craft various different types of maps, including explorer maps. These help fans explore Minecraft's blocky worlds by pointing toward rare and valuable structures.

In this game's early days, only two explorer maps were added to help players locate woodland mansions and ocean monuments, two of the rarest structures. But now, this title houses plenty of structures with valuable loot to discover in the game.

In Minecraft's 1.20.2 update, Mojang has introduced seven new explorer maps, bringing the total number of such items that can be found in-game to nine. In this guide, players can learn how to get every one of these explorer maps in Minecraft.

How to get every explorer map in Minecraft

Explorer maps are exclusive items obtainable by trading with cartographers in Minecraft. However, acquiring them is easier said than done. Thanks to Minecraft 1.20.2 update's trading rebalance, players now have to seek villagers from different biomes to participate in certain trades, which include the one for explorer maps.

Here's a quick table to help gamers understand which cartographer they need to interact with to get specific explorer maps:

Explorer Map	Cartographer required
Ocean Explorer Map	Any Cartographer
Woodland Explorer Map	Any Cartographer
Savanna Village Map	Cartographer from Desert, Jungle, or Plains
Plains Village Map	Cartographer from Desert, Savanna, Snow, or Taiga
Desert Village Map	Cartographer from Jungle or Savanna
Taiga Village Map	Cartographer from Plains, Savanna, or Swamp
Snowy Village Map	Cartographer from Swamp or Taiga
Jungle Explorer Map	Cartographer from Desert, Savanna, or Swamp
Swamp Explorer Map	Cartographer from Jungle, Taiga, or Snow

Note: Some of these are experimental changes and may change in the future.

How to Get Ocean Explorer and Woodland Explorer Maps

Cartographer Villager (Image via Mojang)

Both Ocean and Woodland are the two original explorer maps in Minecraft. Players can obtain them by trading with any type of cartographer. The Ocean Explorer map can be acquired by leveling up a cartographer to Journeyman, whereas the one for Woodland Explorer is unlocked once that NPC reaches Master level.

You can quickly increase a cartographer's level by trading with him repeatedly. These NPCs accept paper and glass panes, both of which are easy to obtain.

How to Get Savanna Village Map

To get the Savanna Village Map, you will have to level up a cartographer from the Desert, Jungle, or Plains biome. It may require multiple attempts to get the relevant trade, as the cartographer may offer other items.

The Savanna Village Map will help players locate a Savanna biome with a settlement, giving them access to Taiga wood and exclusive enchantment trades.

How to Get Plains Village Map

Plains are among the most common biomes, but some players may have a hard time finding one. This title's Plains Village Map is perfect for such gamers, as it leads directly to a settlement located in the aforementioned biome.

It can be obtained by trading with cartographers from the Desert, Savanna, Snow, or Taiga biome.

How to Get Desert Village Map

Deserts are home to pyramids, suspicious sand blocks, and, of course, Desert Villages. With one item, players can find all of them pretty easily: The Desert Village Map. This can be purchased from cartographers from the Jungle or Savanna biomes.

How to Get Taiga Village Map

Taiga Villages have some of the best house designs among all Minecraft Village types. Players can also find adorable mobs to pet in taiga biomes like foxes, wolves, and, occasionally, rabbits. The Taiga Village Map is sold by cartographers from Plains, Savanna, and Swamp biomes.

How to Get Snowy Village Map

Players who haven't been to Snowy Villages have yet to see the complete beauty of Minecraft. There's something about the snow-laden biomes that seems very visually pleasing.

Players can discover snow biomes, along with a village, by getting the Snowy Village Map from Swamp or Taiga cartographers.

How to Get Jungle Explorer Map

The Jungle Explorer Map will lead players straight to a jungle temple. This structure now has a chance of having Unbreaking 1-3, one of the best enchantments in Minecraft.

The Jungle Explorer Map can be purchased from Desert, Savanna, and Swamp cartographers. By discovering jungle biomes, players will also be able to breed jungle villagers and gain access to the Unbreaking enchantment from jungle librarians.

How to Get Swamp Explorer Map

The Swamp Explorer Map points towards a witch hut, taking players to swamp biomes. These realms are not exactly beautiful, but swamp villagers are extremely valuable. Librarians from this biome can sell Mending, which has become quite rare after the trading rebalance.

Players can get the Swamp Explorer Map from Jungle, Taiga, and Snow cartographers.

Edited by Soumyadyuti Ghosh