What is the easiest way to find amethyst in Minecraft?

Amethyst is a Minecraft material whose shards can be formed into things like spyglasses, amethyst blocks, and tinted glass blocks. It is deep purple in color and can be found in large geodes.

The quickest way to obtain amethyst in Minecraft is to find a geode. These structures generate regardless of whether players have enabled generated structures or not. Though they're often formed underground, a player can occasionally spot a geode above-ground.

Locating geodes can take time, as there's no ideal method for finding them. They don't make themselves visible in the way that most generated structures do.

There are a few tried-and-tested methods players can use to find them. However, one method stands out from the rest.

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Using the X-ray glitch to find geodes in Minecraft

Many different generated objects can be found underground with the x-ray glitch (Image via Mojang)

Players should be able to find geodes relatively easily by using an old Minecraft trick. All they'll really need for this method to succeed is a pickaxe, a boat, and a potion of night vision if they'd like to improve their vision.

This trick is known as the X-ray glitch. It allows players to slightly push through the edge of a block and see into the rest of an underground area, where geodes and structures like strongholds can be found.

Below, Minecraft players can find a short list of steps that will allow them to spot a geode with the X-ray trick:

Step 1: Begin by creating a small corridor underground using a pickaxe. The corridor should be two blocks high and four blocks deep. Players should create this corridor between Y levels 64 and 30, as geodes don't typically spawn on other levels.

Step 2: Players should place their boat inside the corridor and sit in it.

Step 3: While on the boat, players should make their way to one of the walls to their left or right and push through it. If players can't push through one wall, they should try the opposite wall. This should be done very slowly, as players don't want to push too far into the block and risk damaging themselves.

Step 4: Players will soon push through the edge of one of the wall blocks, making anything generated underground visible. If players have a rough time seeing the generated regions, they can drink a potion of night vision to improve clarity.

Step 5: Players should look for circular-shaped structures covered with dark smooth basalt blocks. They may see the chalky white calcite blocks or even the shining purple amethyst blocks themselves depending on how the geode generates.

That's all there is to it. Once Minecraft players have an idea of where the geode has formed, they simply need to dig and crack through the basalt and calcite layers. Inside, players will be able to harvest the amethyst blocks and fully-grown clusters to obtain blocks and shards.

However, there is one thing players need to keep in mind about the X-ray glitch. Occasionally, when players exit a glitched boat, they will begin to suffocate within a block. To amend this, players should crouch and move out of the block they are suffocating in. If this doesn't work, they'll need to quickly break the blocks around them to clear a path.