Minecraft

Genre: Open-World-Survival

Studio: Mojang

Publisher: Mojang

Genre: Open-World-Survival

Studio: Mojang

Publisher: Mojang

‘Green Gold’: The Minecraft Emerald

If you look at gems in real life, diamonds and emeralds are comparable in terms of cost and beauty. However, when it comes to Minecraft, emerald ore and its products are actually more valuable than diamonds in some aspects. In this guide, we will tell you everything you need to know about emeralds and make sure that you can trade with any NPC willing to accept the only currency worth owning: the brilliant MC emerald.

Overview Minecraft Emerald:

in-game currency
mining with an iron pickaxe or better
obtainable by trading, looting, mining

Introduction to the Minecraft Emerald

The Minecraft emerald or simply MC emerald, is a precious gem in the game. Not only is it a symbol of wealth, but it also plays a crucial role in trading. While you can do some things with a Minecraft emerald when it comes to crafting, its importance in trading definitely takes the spotlight. For starters, let’s look at the ways you can get your hands on more than one MC emerald.

How to Obtain a Minecraft Emerald

As with any material found in the cubic world of Minecraft, emerald comes in different shapes and sizes. Each of these can be acquired in different ways, and some are more difficult to find than others. For this segment, we will look at these methods separately, with the easiest method, namely the best way to find emeralds, coming first.

Looting for Minecraft Emerald

A Minecraft emerald can occasionally be found in chests within certain structures. These are the following:

desert pyramids
desert wells
end cities
igloos
jungle pyramids
ocean monuments
shipwrecks
trail ruins
trial chambers

Additionally, villagers keep Minecraft emerald in their chests, though stealing them will reduce your popularity in the village. You can also use treasure maps to find hidden chests which can contain MC emerald.

Keep an eye out while exploring these places for a chance to find emeralds. Also, foxes can carry an MC emerald in their mouth and will drop it upon death. However, foxes are quick, hard to catch and can carry many things in their mouth besides a Minecraft emerald. So, while exploring jungle pyramids and underwater temples is dangerous and difficult, finding more than one Minecraft emerald in the same chest is probably the fastest method for amassing them.

Trading: Getting Emeralds from Minecraft

Another excellent method to acquire a Minecraft emerald (or several) is through trading with villagers. The best way to trade for emeralds involves finding villagers with professions and offering them the items they require. For instance, farmers will accept crops like wheat, carrots, and potatoes in exchange for emeralds.

While this method may not be the best way to find Minecraft emeralds, it is both less combat-focussed and relies wholly on trading. Iit is also rather time-consuming. Keep in mind that you either need to find a village that already has villagers with professions you can trade with or have to provide the correct items that make them pursue the right profession. And that is before you can even gather the correct food, tools or dye that they want. All in all, we would still recommend having as many professional villagers in your village as possible, though trading for a Minecraft emerald or two with them should not be your long-term strategy. Throwing yourself into the fray and hunting emeralds for yourself gives you an even bigger boost in XP and can easily kickstart your Minecraft emerald trade.

Mining for Minecraft Emerald Ore

The least efficient, though most straightforward method to acquire a Minecraft emerald is through mining. Minecraft emerald ore is found exclusively in the mountain biomes. Using this method, the best way to find emeralds is by mining between levels 4 and 32. Our guide about Minecraft ore distribution shows you even more details. Remember, Minecraft emerald ore is the rarest mineral block in the game, so patience is key. Statistically speaking, you are more likely to find diamonds, one of the most notoriously rare minerals in the game before finding the green shimmer of an MC emerald.

Uses of the Minecraft Emerald

Now that you know how to find a Minecraft emerald, we should discuss what exactly you can use it for. As we hinted at above, emeralds are mostly used in trading but there are other use cases for them. To be upfront though, these are very limited.

The Minecraft Emerald Trade

Just as villagers give you an Minecraft emerald (or more of them) for items, they are willing to trade them in for others. In this way, emeralds function as currency among the villagers. While this may seem pointless at first as most villagers do not offer anything exceptional at low levels, they can have extremely useful items once their XP is high enough. Therefore, using easily gathered items at first and saving the Minecraft emerald for later is the best way to trade for emeralds.

Tip:

To keep as many options as possible close, you should focus your professional villagers in one village. To ensure they are safe, keep some security measures around, such as iron golems, tamed wolves and automated redstone defenses.

Minecraft Emerald Crafting

While Minecraft emerald crafting options are limited, they are valuable. Emeralds are used to craft Minecraft emerald blocks, which are worth 9 emeralds each:

9x emerald = 1x emerald block

While they serve no functional purpose, Minecraft emerald blocks are far easier to store, make your chest sorting simpler and can easily be broken into their emeralds again. The Minecraft emerald also plays a role when it comes to armor trims. When combining them with an armor piece, you can use emeralds to change the trim’s color to green. If you prefer something like gold, our gold article shows you how to get it easily.

Tips & Tricks for the Minecraft Emerald

As with many other items, there are some special things to remember when dealing with the minecraft emerald. Those tips and tricks might safe you some time or even lead to finding more pieces of Minecraft emerald.

optimize mining: When mining for Minecraft emerald ore, always carry an iron pickaxe or a better one with you. Emerald ore mined with a lesser tool will drop nothing.
enhance trading: Improve your trading experience by converting a zombie villager back to a normal villager. This process earns you discounts on trades, making it easier to accumulate emeralds. You can get even more discounts with the “hero of the village” effect. This effect is granted to you upon defeating a raid party.
explore villages: Villages are hotspots for easy Minecraft emerald finds. Look for trades that suit your resource availability and exploit them for maximum emerald gain. Keep trading to get better gear.
use the fortune enchantment: If you have a pickaxe with the fortune enchantment, use it to mine Minecraft emerald ore. It increases the drop rate of emeralds, optimizing your mining efforts. There is a reason why we declared it one of the best enchantments in the game!
keep an eye on the time: Villagers restock their trades twice a day. If you’re focused on trading, plan your visits around their restocking schedule for continuous trading.

It might seem a bit much just for a Minecraft emerald or two. However, since it is basically the currency used in the game, it may come in handy to have some in stock.

Conclusion: Minecraft Emerald

In conclusion, the Minecraft emerald is a versatile and valuable commodity in the game. Whether obtained through mining, trading or looting, it serves numerous purposes that enhance your Minecraft experience. Remember the tips and strategies given above to maximize your emerald acquisition and usage! The best place to use the tips we provided you with is a Minecraft server from G-Portal. Don’t be shy to hop on and find some emeralds for yourself. Have fun!

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