How to get clay easily in Minecraft 1.19 update

A block of clay in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)
A block of clay in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

Clay has existed in Minecraft since Java Edition's alpha days, but updates can tweak the location and generation of the block. Players can now find clay in multiple areas and can even create it with mud blocks as of The Wild Update.

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While clay can be obtained in various ways in Minecraft, players may be wondering which method is the fastest. This may depend somewhat on the player's location, but most will agree that there is a definitive way to find clay blocks quickly.

As long as players are near sizable bodies of water, clay shouldn't be too difficult to find at all. This is due to the way terrain generates in-game. Clay blocks can be found in most locations with enough water.


Minecraft: How to find clay in watery biomes

A cluster of clay blocks in an ocean biome (Image via Mojang)
A cluster of clay blocks in an ocean biome (Image via Mojang)

If Minecraft players want to find clay blocks quickly, they'll want to search for large bodies of water. This includes lakes and rivers, as well as more robust water-oriented biomes such as beaches, lush caves, and swamps.

As long as there's a few blocks' worth of water in one of these biomes, clay has the potential to generate. However, due to lush caves being tricky to find, players may want to stick to searching for clay in oceans and rivers.


How to Spot Clay in a Watery Biome

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Follow along with these easy steps to find clay in a watery biome:

  1. Once players have found their water-oriented biome, they'll want to dive into the body of water and search. Clay can generate on the bottom of these biomes' bodies of water but is occasionally generated into walls made of sand or dirt as well on occasion.
  2. Keep an eye out for the grey coloration of the clay blocks. In standard terrain generation for Minecraft, clay blocks are formed in crystal-shaped "disks" that should stand out quite well in contrast to sand, gravel, and dirt. However, players may need to get close to the clay blocks to be sure they're not stone blocks, as the two block types have a very similar coloration.
  3. If players are having a tough time with visibility underwater at lower depths, it may not be a bad idea to bring along a potion of night vision. This potion not only helps players see in dark caves but can also assist them in scanning the bottom of the ocean or a lake.
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In addition, if Minecraft players aren't quite close to a watery biome, they may still be able to acquire clay blocks through a different method. Specifically, by placing bud blocks on top of a pointed dripstone block, one can essentially "dry out" the mud block and convert it into clay.

This can be particularly helpful if players search for a swamp biome and manage to find plenty of mud, but no clay to speak of. As a matter of fact, it's even possible to use pointed dripstone to create a clay block farm that will continue to generate clay as long as Minecraft players have mud blocks available.