Top 5 ways to find Lapis Lazuli in Minecraft

Best ways to find Lapis Lazuli in Minecraft (Image via @Minecraft Twitter)
Best ways to find Lapis Lazuli in Minecraft (Image via @Minecraft Twitter)

Lapis Lazuli was added to Minecraft in 2012 as part of the extensive version 1.2 game update. Players primarily use it to enchant items in an enchantment table, though the mineral is also commonly used to dye things blue.

When mined, Lapis Lazuli ores drop between 4 to 9 pieces of Lapis Lazuli. When the ore is mined with a pickaxe enchanted with Fortune 3, it drops up to 36 individual Lapis Lazuli.

Lapis Lazuli ore is currently one of the rarest natural spawning blocks in the game, although slightly less rare than diamond ores.

Note: This article is based solely on the writer's opinions and may not reflect every method possible.


Best methods to find Lapis Lazuli in Minecraft

#5 - Woodland Mansion

The Illager statue in the Woodland Mansion
The Illager statue in the Woodland Mansion

Players can find Lapis Lazuli within any Woodland Mansion that has an Illager Statue built inside.

The specific room that houses the Illager Statue doesn’t always spawn in every Woodland Mansion, but when it does, gamers can find a block of Lapis Lazuli inside the statue's head.


#4 - Pregenerated structure chests

Lapis Lazuli found in a Minecraft pregenerated structure
Lapis Lazuli found in a Minecraft pregenerated structure

Another way to find Lapis Lazuli is by looting random chests that spawn inside the world, specifically within premade natural structures.

An example of a pregenerated Minecraft structure would be a village, a mineshaft, or a submerged treasure chest. Lapis Lazuli spawns from time to time in chests found within these structures. However, most of the time, only a few precious Lapis are found in each chest.


#3 - Strip mining

Strip Mining for Lapis Lazuli in Minecraft
Strip Mining for Lapis Lazuli in Minecraft

Strip mining is a common strategy that many knowledgeable Minecrafters utilize to harvest rare ores of various types.

The recommended level for Lapis Lazuli mining specifically is at the Y co-ordinate of 15, which is conveniently about the same as for diamonds.

In simple terms, strip mining means that the player will only mine blocks at an exact Y co-ordinate, never deviating upwards or downwards.


#2 - Cave exploring

Exposed Lapis Lazuli ore inside a Minecraft cave
Exposed Lapis Lazuli ore inside a Minecraft cave

The cave exploration method isn’t super reliable, but boy, it can be great when it pays off. The idea behind cave exploration is to continuously search for fresh caves to explore in hopes they will contain some exposed Lapis Lazuli ores.

Due to the sheer surface area size of an open cave, the method can be highly efficient, even more so than strip mining.

However, it should be noted that it’s quite likely players will run into hostile mobs while cave mining, which is something to keep in mind.


#1 - Ravine exploring

A ravine in Minecraft
A ravine in Minecraft

The method of ravine exploration is very similar to that of cave exploring.

Caves and ravines are very similar in general, but the latter is much more exposed and has a significantly larger surface area to offer. This ultimately raises chances for players searching for rare Lapis Lazuli ores inside.

On the other hand, Minecraft ravines are rarer when compared to caves, making the method slightly less feasible.

Also read: Top 5 Minecraft Survival servers to play in 2021