Ancient Debris is a rare ore found in the Nether, used to obtain Netherite Scraps, which are essential for crafting Netherite Ingots. These ingots upgrade diamond gear into Netherite gear, making Ancient Debris a crucial endgame resource. It has high blast resistance, cannot be destroyed by TNT or lava, and in item form, it floats on lava and is fireproof, 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 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 rare 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.