Sometimes searching for lava pools in Minecraft can be quite a tedious task. Lava pools often come in clutch during Minecraft speed runs when players need to build a nether portal but don’t have any obsidian or a diamond pickaxe to obtain it.
In the nether, the entire bottom of the realm consists of one giant lava pool. But in the overworld, lava pools are small and scarce. Here are some tips to help players locate a lava pool efficiently.
Tips on finding a lava pool in Minecraft
What to look for
Lava pools are almost always surrounded by stone blocks no matter what biome they are found in. Sometimes there are diorite blocks as well. If a player manages to spot either, there may be a lava pool nearby.
Searching for a lava pool is much easier when the sun is down in-game because of the bright light level that lava emits. Lava pools can be spotted from significant distances away, thanks to their glow.
Desert biomes
Fittingly, lava pools are most common in hot, dry desert biomes. Lava pools generate far more frequently in desert biomes. Deserts usually have flat terrain that makes looking for lava pools a bit easier. Skimming through a desert biome might is the best bet for gamers in search of a pool of lava.
Plains biomes
Lava pools can generate in nearly every biome in Minecraft, save for perhaps frozen ocean or ice spikes. Despite this, players will have better luck searching for lava pools in plains biomes, if a desert is not an option.
Not only do lava pools tend to generate in plains biomes more so than others (though not nearly as frequently as desert biomes), the plains also provide plenty of open space for searching, making it easier to spot lava pools from a distance.
Search underground
While lava pools can be found at surface level, the majority of them tend to spawn underground. They are most commonly found anywhere below Y level 11, so players may want to dig all the way down.
Lava pools can generate underground on other Y levels above 11 too, so there’s always a chance a player could run into one. While this may a little tedious, it could potentially be the quickest as well.
Listen closely
Lava emits a bubbling sound that players can hear even when the pool itself is not visible. Especially while underground, listening closely might help players realize that they’re closer to a lava pool than they might think.
Another way to help find lava pools before spotting them is to turn subtitles on. This can be done through settings and will be under the “Music & Sound” tab.
Subtitles will appear at the bottom right corner of the screen and alert the player of all sounds occurring around them. This includes lava pops, which will indicate that lava is nearby. Subtitles will even point the direction in which the sound is coming from, making it easy to determine which way to go.