Copper has become one of the most important resources in Minecraft. You can obtain the ore in several ways and craft a whole range of different blocks. Use it for decorative blocks in different oxidation stages, craft a Lightning Rod and a Spyglass, and apply waxed variants that won’t oxidize. That makes copper a key resource you may want to gather in bulk. But how exactly do you do that? Today we’ll look at where you can get copper and why Drowned play a crucial role.
Minecraft copper: Properties, blocks, and oxidation
What was once a relatively new ore has become one of the most versatile materials in the entire game. Copper spans many areas of gameplay and can be used by almost every player for different purposes. We recommend familiarizing yourself with it sooner rather than later.
Learn more about every copper block in our dedicated article (The Ultimate Guide to Copper in Minecraft: Discoveries, Building Ideas, and Oxidation) . Also remember that all copper blocks and decorations oxidize, so there are four different colors!
Farming copper in Minecraft: Ores, Trial Chambers, and Drowned
Copper is an ore that you mine in mountains or caves. It generates between Y level -16 and 112, most commonly around Y levels 47 to 48. From Y 40 down to 0, you can also occasionally find copper ore veins that contain hundreds of copper ore blocks and stand out thanks to granite and raw copper blocks mixed in. You should especially search dripstone caves, where copper appears more frequently.
Another source of copper blocks are Trial Chambers. They contain lots of copper and tuff that you can simply mine and repurpose. The copper blocks you find there are all waxed, so they won’t oxidize.
If you don’t want to go caving or hunt for Trial Chambers, there’s a third source of copper: Drowned can drop copper ingots, but only if you land the killing blow. Alongside rotten flesh, the occasional trident, and nautilus shells, copper ingots are one of the rarer drops from Drowned. With a large Drowned farm, you can collect plenty of copper ingots without ever going underground.
Materials and gear for a Minecraft Drowned farm
A Drowned-and-copper farm is quite large and requires lots of building materials. It’s worth gathering these first, then focusing on the build. We’ll also show you a trick to save on materials. Otherwise, the build isn’t particularly hard as long as you understand Drowned spawn mechanics. More on that in the tutorial.
You’ll need:
- 2 to 3 stacks of Scaffolding made from bamboo for construction
- a double chest of building materials, preferably cobblestone, OR alternatively several lava buckets and access to a lava source, such as a Nether portal area, for 80 lava loads
- 2x water buckets to create an infinite water source
- 7 stacks of dirt as a temporary aid
- 7 stacks of slabs
- 7 stacks of signs
- 4 hoppers plus 2 chests
- a sword with Sweeping Edge and Looting
Drowned farm for copper in Minecraft: Step-by-step guide
1. Choose a location: River biome and height for Drowned spawns
Drowned require specific conditions to spawn:
- Build in a wide river biome with at least 20x20 blocks of space.
- Construct the farm well above the river, ideally at Y level 160.
- Ensure the farm is entirely underwater; see Step 3 for details.
2. Build the collection pit and hopper system
As with any mob farm, start with a collection station for mobs and their drops. Use scaffolding to climb to Y level 160 and build the farm there. This reduces other spawns in the area and increases the chance for Drowned to spawn.
Create a small platform, place four hoppers, and connect them to a chest. Expand as needed for more drops. Build a 2x2 wide, 18-block-tall shaft above the hoppers. At the top, feed the shaft with two side arms, each 8 blocks long and 2 blocks wide. One level above that, add two large platforms to the left and right, also 8 blocks long. Use water streams to funnel the Drowned into the drop shaft.
3. Water tank and Drowned spawning mechanics
Now build the water tank where Drowned can spawn. First, make a 4-block-high wall around the collection shaft. Fill the top layer completely with signs. These prevent the water above from flowing down while still letting Drowned fall through.
Above that, build another wall roughly 50 blocks high. This takes a lot of materials. Alternatively, you can pour lava from above and then turn it into cobblestone with water. Both methods have pros and cons. The key is to end up with a large tank filled with water.
Filling the tank is straightforward. Run a ring of dirt around the top edge, leaving one block of space from the wall. Then fill the entire ring with water sources. Remove the dirt afterward so the rest of the tank fills with water.
4. Final touches: Spawn optimization and safe kills
Your Drowned farm is now functional. We recommend slabbing the top so no other mobs spawn and the area stays dark. Drowned should spawn in the tank, sink down, pass through the signs into the collection pit, and drop into the shaft. At the bottom, finish them off with an enchanted sword to get all drops, from rotten flesh and the trident to plenty of copper.
Pro tip: With Looting III and Sweeping Edge, you’ll kill multiple Drowned at once and increase drop chances. Make sure the final hit is yours so copper ingots actually drop.
Conclusion: Infinite copper with a Drowned farm
If you want enough copper for all your builds, a large Drowned farm above a river is the way to go. While it takes some effort to construct, it will sustainably supply you with copper. No more caving or Trial Chamber runs. At the same time, the farm will also net you lots of experience.
To build your own Drowned farm, you can rent a Minecraft server from us. On a server, a farm like this is invaluable: build it with friends and use it together to gather plenty of copper ingots.
