How rare are nautilus shells in Minecraft 1.19 update?

With ten years of updates, patches, and other content under its belt, it comes as no surprise that Minecraft has a ton of different items to offer. However, each one has its own rarity, which loosely determines how valuable it is within the in-game world. One such "rare" item is the nautilus shell.

Nautilus shells are one of two things needed to craft a conduit, which serves as the only crafting recipe in which these shells are used. Players need eight nautilus shells and one heart of the sea to make the conduit.

Besides that, Minecraft players can use nautilus shells for decorative purposes. For example, they can place them in item frames and hang them on the wall; nautilus shells have a unique appearance that can contribute to any house design in a positive manner.

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Nautilus shells: How hard is it to get the item in Minecraft?

A big reason why this item is considered uncommon is because it's not easy to come by. As readers learn about the ways to obtain the Nautilus Shell, they will understand how rare it is in the game.

Here are three ways the Nautilus Shells can be acquired:

1) Mob drops

There is only one mob in the game that can drop a nautilus shell: Drowned. This mob is a variant of the zombie mob that is mostly found underwater. They, unlike their land-based counterparts, can breathe and attack the player while underwater.

They make gurgling noises and can often wield tridents, although that is a rare occurrence. In the Java edition of the game, drowned only have a 3% chance of spawning with a nautilus shell in their hand. In Bedrock Edition, however, this percentage increases to 8%. In both cases, if the shell is in the hand of the mob, they will drop it upon dying every time.

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2) Trading

Nautilus shells cannot be acquired through the means of traditional trading involving villagers inside villages. However, the wandering trader has a chance to sell the rare item for five emeralds each.

Just like villagers, wandering traders in Minecraft are passive mobs that can randomly spawn near a player and will be accompanied by their two faithful alpacas, which are neutral mobs. If the player deals damage to the alpacas or wandering traders, the former starts spitting on them, dealing a small amount of damage.

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3) Fishing

Fishing in Minecraft is another way to look for a nautilus shell. The primary reason behind this is that there are no conditions associated with the acquisition of the item through fishing. All that players need to do is start the activity. They should note, however, that the item only has a 0.8% chance of showing up.

Using enchantments like Luck of the Sea can also help in a player’s endeavor to acquire a nautilus shell, but the chances of that will still be below two percent.

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Why Nautilus shells are so rare

The answer to the question regarding the rarity Nautilus shells is associated with Conduits, which are extremely powerful and effective when fully crafted and assembled.

Conduits in Minecraft emit a status effect known as Conduit Power, which provides bonuses like Water Breathing, Night Vision, and Haste to players within its range. Due to how advantageous and powerful these blocks can be, Nautilus shells are hard to obtain. This ensures it's never too easy for players to make conduits.