How to create fast XP farms in Minecraft 1.18 (December 2021)

Minecraft released the second half of the massive Caves & Cliffs update a few days ago. The game has changed a ton since then, with new terrain limits, world generation and a few new biomes.

It's a huge update, but most of the gameplay has remained the same. That includes how important XP is for Minecraft players.

XP is vital to the game as it is the only way to enchant items. XP farms are a great way to quickly make a lot of XP. Here are a couple of ways to make that happen after the 1.18 update.

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XP farms: How to make them in Minecraft 1.18

One of the best items for an automatic XP farm is a monster spawner. These can be found in dungeons underground and will continuously spawn monsters. This will continue until the spawner is either broken or there is a light source placed nearby.

An easy way to make an automatic XP farm with one is to mine out the floor, (leaving the spawner) and place hoppers and chests underneath them. There also needs to be a way to automatically kill the mobs, like dispensers with arrows or lava.

Spawners are a great way to farm items and XP (Image via Minecraft)

Lava is a bit more difficult, but with enough space for the items, it's a great way to make an automatic XP farm. Minecraft players do need to remain close enough to make them spawn and collect the XP, though.

There is another popular method, though it was nerfed a bit with the update. It includes creating a completely dark room with water flowing to one side. This is a classic method for XP farms. Once again, players will need to be close by to collect the XP.

An AFK method to making an XP farm includes dried kelp blocks and kelp. Eventually, with enough of both items (and chests, hoppers and furnaces), players can have dried kelp blocks being used as fuel. In fact, they can be used to dry the other kelp which will aid in sustaining the process.

This creates a cycle where players are creating the fuel to continue creating the fuel. Every time they take the newly dried kelp out, tons of XP comes with it.