Minecraft Nautilus Guide: Locations, Taming, Riding & Armour

With the new “Mounts of Mayhem” update, the game received not only a new weapon but also a new mob that suits it perfectly. The Nautilus inhabits Minecraft’s underwater biomes and is a wonderful addition to the lively world beneath the waves! This shelled creature can do far more than it first appears. It’s not only beautiful, it can also be tamed and even ridden. But beware: not all Nautilus are normal—some are zombified. We’ll look at all that and more in this guide so you can make the most of this new creature.

Locations and spawn rates: Nautilus in Minecraft’s oceans

The Nautilus is inspired by a living fossil, with a spiral shell and a snail-like interior. It lives underwater and moves using its tentacles. In Minecraft, the Nautilus prefers colder waters. It has a 50% chance to spawn in frozen, cold and deep oceans. It can also appear in all other ocean types, albeit at a lower rate. You’ll often encounter them in groups of one to three, and they sometimes even spawn with baby Nautilus.

Nautilus are peaceful aquatic creatures and roam around. You can swim alongside them and observe their behaviour. They’re great for adding ambience to deep seas, and are also welcome in a home aquarium or pond. Do not bring them onto land, as they will suffocate quickly! On death, a Nautilus drops nautilus shells, giving you a way to farm them renewably.

By default, Nautilus are not hostile, but they can attack. They sometimes go after pufferfish and strike at schools. They can also attack players and other mobs if provoked. Depending on the difficulty, they deal one to two hearts of damage.

Taming, healing and breeding a Nautilus in Minecraft

As a neutral mob, the Nautilus can be bred and even tamed. To increase your population, use any kind of fish and feed it to two Nautilus. As with other animals in Minecraft, this produces a baby. You can also heal a Nautilus with fish if it has taken damage. Cooked fish heals more.

You can only tame a Nautilus with pufferfish, either as an item or in a bucket. As with cats or wolves, it may take several attempts before the hearts appear. Once tamed, the aquatic creature obeys you and can even be ridden. You can also lead a Nautilus with a lead, just like any other animal.

Nautilus as a mount: controls, saddle and underwater movement

Once you’ve tamed a Nautilus with a pufferfish, you can sit on its shell. If you have a saddle with you, press E and place it in the Nautilus’s inventory, or give it directly to the creature. This lets you control the shelled mount and move more easily underwater.

Infinite breath and Dash: underwater exploration with the Nautilus

The Nautilus grants you the Breath of the Nautilus effect, which stops your oxygen bar from depleting. You can therefore stay underwater indefinitely as long as you are riding the Nautilus. That makes it perfect for underwater caves, ocean ruins and ocean monuments.

Another feature is the Dash. Your experience bar is replaced—similar to on a horse or camel—by a jump bar. Hold jump and the Nautilus performs a forward dash to move faster. This is not only handy for exploration but also useful in combat.

Underwater combat: spear, Dash combo and Nautilus armour

As a mount, the Nautilus isn’t just for exploration—it’s also built for combat. In its inventory you’ll see a slot for a saddle and one for armour. The Nautilus itself has 7.5 hearts, and with the right armour you can protect it from attacks. You can find these armours from copper to diamond in various ocean structures. Later, you can upgrade them to Netherite. You cannot craft them.

The ride gets even better with the new spear. Its charged attack grows stronger the faster you’re moving. You can combine this with the Dash to take out Drowned or Guardians quickly.

Zombie Nautilus in Minecraft: spawns, riders and taming

Not all Nautilus look normal—some are zombified. You can recognise them by the moss on their shell or the coral. They spawn far less often and are frequently ridden by a Drowned with a trident. Whether naturally or via a structure: 50% of Drowned with a trident can ride a Zombie Nautilus. That makes them more mobile and able to ambush you.

Once you’ve defeated the rider, zombified Nautilus behave much like normal creatures. You can tame and ride them, but you cannot breed them. On death, they do not drop nautilus shells, but rotten flesh instead. In return, they are slightly faster than the normal variants.

It’s worth keeping an eye out for a Zombie Nautilus. Those with coral are very rare, making them perfect for your collection. As long as you take out the rider separately, the Nautilus is yours.

Conclusion: underwater exploration and combat with the Nautilus

In Mounts of Mayhem, the Nautilus is a new creature you can ride. Because it gives you unlimited oxygen, you can explore underwater with ease. At the same time, the Nautilus is great in combat, for example against Drowned or Guardians. With the right armour for your Nautilus and a spear, you’ll be well prepared. You might even find one of the rare Zombie Nautilus and free it from its rider.

Set out to find the new Nautilus by renting one of our Minecraft servers: https://www.4netplayers.com/en-gb/gameserver-hosting/minecraft/. It’s especially fun with friends—you can stage underwater battles and see who among you is the better Nautilus rider.