Ancient Debris

Ancient Debris is a Nether ore and the source of Netherite Scraps, the ingredient that goes into Netherite Ingots. These ingots upgrade diamond gear into Netherite gear, making Ancient Debris a key endgame resource. It has high blast resistance, cannot be destroyed by TNT or lava, and as a dropped item it is fireproof and floats on lava, making it extremely resilient.

Ancient Debris only drops itself when mined with a diamond or netherite pickaxe. It naturally generates in the Nether between Y-levels 8 and 119, most often between 8 and 24, with Y=15 or 16 being the most efficient mining levels. Multiple small clusters can spawn per chunk depending on your Minecraft edition (Java or Bedrock), but it is never exposed to air and must be uncovered by digging through netherrack, basalt, or blackstone.

When smelted in a furnace or blast furnace, each Ancient Debris yields 1 Netherite Scrap and grants 2 XP. Ancient Debris can also appear as loot in Bastion Remnants, particularly in treasure chests.

Due to its unusual properties, Ancient Debris is sometimes used in Redstone machines, especially tunnel bores, as it's movable by pistons but resistant to explosions. This makes it one of the few blocks suitable for certain advanced contraptions.