How to Get Prismarine in Minecraft
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How to Get Prismarine in Minecraft
Prismarine Tips
Prismarine is one of the most visually distinctive blocks in Minecraft — its slowly shifting texture makes it almost hypnotic in large quantities. The Ocean Monument is the only natural source, making it slightly exotic compared to most building materials, but a single monument contains enough Prismarine to build an enormous structure. The combination of draining the monument with sponges and mining it efficiently with Efficiency + Silk Touch is the definitive bulk collection method — you can strip an entire monument in a single session and have more Prismarine than you will ever need.
FAQ
⚡ Quick Answer
How to Get Prismarine
Prismarine is found exclusively in Ocean Monuments — the entire structure is built from it. Mine the walls and floors with a pickaxe to collect Prismarine, Prismarine Bricks, and Dark Prismarine. You can also craft Prismarine using 4 Prismarine Shards in a 2×2 pattern, with shards dropped by Guardians and Elder Guardians.
1
Find an Ocean Monument. Ocean Monuments generate in Deep Ocean biomes — the large underwater structures made of teal-coloured stone visible on the seafloor. Use /locate structure ocean_monument in Java Edition to find the nearest one instantly. Without commands, sail over deep ocean biomes and look for the structure below the surface — it is large enough to be visible from the water’s edge.
2
Prepare for the monument. Bring Water Breathing potions (at least 3 minutes each), Night Vision potions, and strong armor. The three Elder Guardians inside inflict Mining Fatigue III — bring milk buckets to cure it, or kill the Elder Guardians first. Use a pickaxe with Efficiency to mine blocks quickly.
3
Mine the monument walls and floors. The entire Ocean Monument is built from Prismarine, Prismarine Bricks, Dark Prismarine, and Sea Lanterns. Mine any block to collect it — use Silk Touch to collect Sea Lanterns as blocks (without Silk Touch they drop Prismarine Crystals instead). A single monument contains thousands of Prismarine blocks.
4
Craft Prismarine from Prismarine Shards. If you want Prismarine without mining the monument itself, kill Guardians — they spawn in and around the monument and drop Prismarine Shards. Craft Prismarine by placing 4 Prismarine Shards in a 2×2 pattern at a crafting table. For Prismarine Bricks, arrange 9 Prismarine Shards in a full 3×3 grid.
5
Drain the monument for bulk collection. Use sponges from the monument’s sponge rooms to drain the interior — place sponges systematically from top to bottom, dry them in the Nether, and repeat. Once dry, you can mine thousands of Prismarine blocks at full speed without swimming, making bulk collection dramatically faster.
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Three types of Prismarine: regular Prismarine (cyan, shifting texture), Prismarine Bricks (green, brick pattern), and Dark Prismarine (dark teal, dense). All are found in Ocean Monuments and have the same crafting uses — Dark Prismarine requires 8 Prismarine Shards and 1 Ink Sac in a crafting table.
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Sea Lanterns need Silk Touch: Silk Touch on your pickaxe is essential if you want to collect Sea Lanterns intact — they are one of the most useful light sources in the game for underwater and ocean-themed builds. Without Silk Touch they drop only Prismarine Crystals, which are only useful for crafting more Sea Lanterns.
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Build a Guardian farm for infinite shards: a Guardian farm around an Ocean Monument produces Prismarine Shards and Crystals passively — you can convert shards into crafted Prismarine indefinitely. A basic Guardian farm takes some engineering but produces more shards per hour than you could ever mine manually.
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Prismarine in the Stonecutter: use a Stonecutter to convert Prismarine into stairs, slabs, and walls at a 1:1 ratio — much more efficient than using a crafting table. Essential for large builds using Prismarine as a decorative material.
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Prismarine is great for ocean builds: Prismarine’s shifting cyan colour and aquatic aesthetic make it ideal for underwater bases, docks, and ocean-themed builds. Pair it with Sea Lanterns and glass for a stunning underwater structure that looks completely at home in the deep ocean.
Can you craft Prismarine in Minecraft?
Yes — place 4 Prismarine Shards in a 2×2 pattern in a crafting table to make 1 Prismarine block. For Prismarine Bricks, fill a 3×3 grid with 9 Prismarine Shards. Dark Prismarine requires 8 Prismarine Shards and 1 Ink Sac in a 3×3 grid. Prismarine Shards drop from Guardians and Elder Guardians.
Where do Guardians spawn in Minecraft?
Guardians spawn in and around Ocean Monuments in Deep Ocean biomes. They spawn continuously as long as the monument exists — they do not have a spawner cage and respawn naturally. Killing them drops Prismarine Shards, Prismarine Crystals, and occasionally raw fish.
Do you need Silk Touch to mine Prismarine?
For regular Prismarine, Prismarine Bricks, and Dark Prismarine blocks — no, you can mine them with any pickaxe and they drop themselves. For Sea Lanterns you do need Silk Touch — without it they drop 2–3 Prismarine Crystals instead of the lantern block itself.
What is the difference between Prismarine, Prismarine Bricks, and Dark Prismarine?
All three are decorative stone blocks found in Ocean Monuments with the same hardness and blast resistance. Prismarine has a shifting cyan texture, Prismarine Bricks have a green brick pattern, and Dark Prismarine is darker teal with a dense texture. They can all be used in the Stonecutter for stairs, slabs, and walls.