Ocean Monument Raiding: A Complete Guide

Ocean Monuments are impressive underwater structures that house valuable resources and challenging guardians. Successfully raiding these monuments requires careful preparation and strategy. These sprawling, enigmatic fortresses, built entirely of prismarine blocks, represent one of Minecraft's most rewarding PvE challenges. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to conquer these underwater fortresses.

Preparation

Before attempting to raid an Ocean Monument, you'll need several essential items. Rushing into a monument unprepared is a recipe for disaster, as the combination of drowning, aggressive mobs, and the debilitating Mining Fatigue effect can quickly overwhelm even experienced players. Thorough preparation is key.

• Water Breathing Potions - These are crucial for extended underwater exploration. Standard potions last three minutes, while extended versions last eight minutes. Bring a generous supply, as you'll likely spend a significant amount of time submerged. Consider brewing Lingering or Splash versions if raiding with friends. The Respiration enchantment on a helmet (up to level III) can significantly extend your underwater time, stacking with potions, but potions remain essential for guaranteed breathing.
• Night Vision Potions - Helps with visibility in the dark underwater environment. Even with Aqua Affinity and Respiration, the depths can be murky. Night Vision (standard 3 minutes, extended 8 minutes) makes navigating the monument's corridors and spotting guardians much easier, preventing ambushes. Keep spares, as the effect duration is finite.
• Depth Strider Boots - Makes movement underwater much easier. Without Depth Strider (up to level III), moving underwater feels like swimming through molasses. This enchantment dramatically increases your speed, crucial for dodging guardian lasers and navigating the structure efficiently. Soul Speed boots on soul sand/soil underwater can also provide bursts of speed if you plan specific pathways.
• Aqua Affinity Helmet - Allows for normal mining speed underwater. Without this enchantment, breaking blocks underwater takes five times longer, which is agonizingly slow, especially when trying to breach walls or escape danger. Aqua Affinity completely negates this penalty. Combining this with Efficiency V on your pickaxe makes underwater mining seamless.
• Good Weapons and Armor - Preferably with Protection enchantments. Diamond or Netherite gear is highly recommended. Aim for Protection IV on all armor pieces for maximum damage reduction. A good sword (Sharpness V, Unbreaking III) or trident (Impaling V is devastating against aquatic mobs like guardians, Loyalty III ensures it returns, Riptide III offers incredible mobility during rain but is less useful inside) is vital. A powerful bow (Power V, Infinity or Mending+Unbreaking III) allows engaging guardians from a safer distance, potentially from air pockets or above the water surface. Shields are invaluable for blocking guardian laser beams directly, though timing is key.
• Milk Buckets - To remove Mining Fatigue effect. This is non-negotiable. Elder Guardians inflict a potent Mining Fatigue III effect with a huge radius (50 blocks) that makes breaking any block nearly impossible. Drinking milk instantly removes this status effect, but the Elder Guardian will reapply it if you remain in range. Carry multiple buckets.
• Doors - For creating air pockets. Placing a door underwater creates a two-block high air bubble you can stand in to replenish your oxygen and take refuge. They are cheap, stackable, and reusable. Signs or fence gates can also create air pockets without obstructing movement as much. Sugar Cane can also be pre-planted on dirt blocks underwater to create small air pockets.
• Torches - For marking explored areas and providing minimal light. While Night Vision potions are better for overall visibility, torches can help you track where you've been within the monument's often confusing, similar-looking corridors. They will wash away if water flows over their block, so place them strategically. Jack o'Lanterns provide light and won't wash away.
• Food - High-saturation food like Steak, Cooked Porkchops, or Golden Carrots are best to keep your health regenerating and hunger bar full during combat.
• Pickaxe - An Efficiency V, Unbreaking III diamond or netherite pickaxe is ideal for quickly breaking prismarine (if Mining Fatigue is cleared) or setting up entrances/exits.
• (Optional) Conduit: If you plan on spending a lot of time in or around the monument (e.g., converting it), setting up a Conduit nearby grants Conduit Power, providing infinite water breathing, night vision, and haste within its radius, eliminating the need for potions and Aqua Affinity. Requires a Heart of the Sea and Nautilus Shells.
• (Optional) Ender Pearls: Useful for quick escapes or traversing large rooms rapidly, though their trajectory underwater is different.
• (Optional) Scaffolding: Can be useful for reaching high places within the monument quickly or creating temporary pillars/platforms.

Finding an Ocean Monument

Ocean Monuments generate exclusively in Deep Ocean biomes and their variants (like Deep Cold Ocean, Deep Lukewarm Ocean). These biomes are characterized by their vastness and darker water color compared to regular oceans. They are large, prismarine structures, often visible from the surface or a high vantage point on clear days, especially with increased render distance. Their sheer size makes them stand out.

You can also use Ocean Explorer Maps, which can be obtained from Cartographer villagers. To get these maps, you'll need to trade with a Cartographer villager until they reach the Journeyman level (Level 3). At this level, they have a chance to offer an Ocean Explorer Map trade for Emeralds and a Compass. These maps pinpoint the location of the nearest undiscovered Ocean Monument, making the search much more direct, though potentially leading you on a long journey. Flying over oceans with Elytra is another effective, albeit late-game, method for spotting them quickly. Exploration by boat is the classic method, requiring patience but offering the chance to discover other underwater features like ruins and shipwrecks along the way.

The Raid Strategy

A systematic approach is crucial for minimizing risk and maximizing efficiency.

1. Initial Approach: Start by creating a base camp near the monument, but ideally out of the initial range of guardian laser attacks if possible (e.g., on a nearby island, or a small platform built above the water). This should include a chest for storing extra supplies (potions, food, backup gear), a Crafting Table, Furnaces, and crucially, a bed to set your respawn point. Approaching the monument itself is often best done by boat. Park your boat nearby and dive down. Consider marking the path back to your base camp. Before entering, scout the exterior to understand the layout and identify potential entry points. The main entrance is usually obvious, but sometimes side entrances or breaching a wall can be strategic.

2. Dealing with Guardians: Guardians are the primary defenders of the monument, spawning both inside and in the water column around it. They shoot laser beams that charge up with a distinct sound before firing, dealing significant damage. Their spiky bodies also inflict damage if you touch them (like Thorns). Use cover (pillars, walls) and quick, erratic movements to avoid their attacks. Break line of sight to stop the laser charging. Fighting them underwater with melee weapons like swords or Impaling tridents is effective but risky. Using a bow from an air pocket or the surface allows for safer engagement. Shields can block the laser beam entirely if timed correctly, but beware of multiple guardians firing at once. They drop Prismarine Shards, Prismarine Crystals, and Raw Cod upon death (sometimes Cooked Cod if killed while on fire, though unlikely underwater). Be prepared to fight many of them throughout the raid.

3. Elder Guardians: There are three Elder Guardians located within specific chambers in each monument: typically one in the top central room and one in each of the two side wings. These larger, paler guardians don't attack directly but inflict Mining Fatigue III via a ghostly apparition effect when you get within 50 blocks. This effect makes breaking blocks excruciatingly slow, hindering both resource collection and escape. Your primary goal upon entering should be to locate and eliminate all three Elder Guardians as quickly as possible. Use milk to temporarily remove the fatigue when you need to break blocks to progress or fight, but prioritize reaching and killing the Elders. They have more health than regular guardians, so use your strongest weapons. Cornering them can make the fight easier. Once all three are defeated, the Mining Fatigue threat is permanently removed for that monument. Note their locations as you find them (e.g., mark on a map or remember wing locations) to track your progress.

4. Resource Collection: The monument contains valuable and unique resources:

   • Prismarine blocks: The primary building block, coming in several variants (Prismarine, Prismarine Bricks, Dark Prismarine). Excellent for aquatic-themed builds. Can be mined effectively once the Elder Guardians are defeated.
   • Sea Lanterns: Bright, attractive light sources found embedded in the walls and ceilings. They drop Prismarine Crystals unless mined with Silk Touch. Crafting requires Prismarine Shards and Crystals dropped by guardians.
   • Gold blocks: A core of 8 Gold Blocks is hidden deep within the monument's central structure, often requiring some mining to access. This is a significant prize.
   • Sponges: One or more "sponge rooms" may generate within the monument. These contain Wet Sponges attached to the ceiling. Mining them (instantly breakable by hand) yields Wet Sponges. Smelting a Wet Sponge in a furnace turns it into a Dry Sponge, which can absorb large amounts of water blocks in an area before becoming wet again, invaluable for clearing water for builds or farms. Finding these rooms can sometimes be tricky, check ceilings in various chambers.

5. Clearing the Monument: Once the Elder Guardians are dead, the main threat shifts to regular Guardians and navigation. Work systematically through the monument, clearing remaining Guardians from each room and corridor. Use torches or Jack o'Lanterns to mark explored areas and prevent getting lost in the maze-like structure. Create air pockets using doors or signs as needed while exploring deeper sections. Collect Prismarine, Sea Lanterns, and locate the gold core and any sponge rooms. Be methodical; some monuments have hidden rooms or confusing layouts. Breaking into sections via walls (after Elders are dead) can sometimes be faster than navigating the intended paths.

Post-Raid Considerations

After successfully clearing the monument and defeating its guardians, the structure itself becomes a valuable asset.

• Convert it into an underwater base: The monument's sheer size and unique architecture make it an excellent foundation for an elaborate underwater base. You can drain sections using sponges or sand/gravel walls, replace prismarine with glass for stunning ocean views, and build farms, storage, and living quarters within its protected walls. The possibilities are vast, from a functional hub to a decorative masterpiece.
• Create a guardian farm: Ocean Monuments are the only place where guardians spawn. By understanding their spawning mechanics (requiring flowing water within the monument's bounding box), players can design highly efficient farms. These farms provide an automated source of Prismarine Shards, Prismarine Crystals, Raw Cod, and significant amounts of XP. Building one often involves draining large sections of the monument or the surrounding water column, a major project in itself, but the payoff is substantial.
• Use the cleared space for other underwater builds: Even if you don't convert the entire monument, the cleared, protected area provides a safe location for other large-scale underwater projects. This could include decorative coral gardens, underwater villager trading halls encased in glass, large automated storage systems, or simply using the prismarine blocks harvested for builds elsewhere in your world.

Remember to always be prepared with extra potions, food, and backup equipment, as the underwater environment, even post-raid, can present unexpected challenges like drowning or getting lost. Raiding an Ocean Monument is a significant undertaking, but the unique rewards and the accomplishment of conquering one of Minecraft's major structures make it a worthwhile adventure.