Gold is one of many ores you can mine underground in Minecraft. But searching for it there is time-consuming and not always worth it. Even in badlands or the Nether, where there’s much more gold ore than usual, you’ll never be able to mine enough by hand. Plus, Piglins in the Nether aren’t thrilled when you steal their golden treasures. That’s why a large-scale gold farm is so important—you’ll need it later in the game. Let’s look at what gold is useful for and how to build an advanced gold farm!
Minecraft gold: what do you need gold for?
Gold ingots or nuggets are needed for many different recipes. It’s one of the most important resources in the game, especially if you want to dive into advanced gameplay. Unlike iron or diamonds, though, it’s very soft, so it’s not ideal for tools. But there are plenty of other applications—and lots of reasons to build a robust gold farm.
Gold can be used for:
- Decorative blocks (raw gold or full gold blocks)
- Material for bartering with Piglins
- Clock to tell the time
- Crafting Netherite ingots
- Crafting powered rails
- Material for a beacon
- Trading with a Cleric villager for emeralds
- Armor trim for your armor
- Nuggets for golden carrots and glistering melons
- Crafting firework stars
Alternative gold sources in Minecraft: structures and Piglins
You can mine gold ore in caves or the Nether, but those aren’t your only options. Gold also appears in almost every generated structure, from desert pyramids to shipwrecks and even in villager chests. In the Nether you’ll also find bastion remnants that contain full gold blocks. Beware of Piglins there, though—they don’t like it when you take their gold.
There’s another source of gold in the Nether: Zombified Piglins. When they die, they drop ingots and nuggets. Sometimes they also drop golden tools, such as a sword or an axe. Our farm takes advantage of this loot to make gold an renewable resource.
Materials: resource list for a large Minecraft gold farm
Building a large gold farm is more involved and requires plenty of materials. Most of them are not too hard to obtain.
You’ll need:
- several stacks of magma blocks (depending on the number of spawn platforms)
- several stacks of glass
- several stacks of slabs
- turtle egg (depending on the number of platforms)
- about 64 trapdoors (also depends on platforms)
- 6 hoppers + 6 carpets
- 2 chests
- 2 × 64 scaffolding
- Optional: 10 obsidian and a flint and steel
We also have a guide to a smaller, less efficient gold farm if this project feels too big (Building a Minecraft Gold Farm: Easy Guide & Tips for Unlimited Gold) . It doesn’t perform as well, but it’s much quicker and easier to build. And you don’t have to go onto the Nether roof—you can build it in a regular Nether biome (preferably the Nether Wastes).
Step-by-step guide: building a large Minecraft gold farm
1. Pick a spot in the Nether Wastes and get onto the Nether roof
For this gold farm you should also head to the Nether Wastes, as that’s where most Zombified Piglins spawn. This farm is built high above the Nether—on the roof. You’ll need to get through the bedrock. An easy method is to throw an ender pearl between the top two bedrock layers. Build the farm at around Y-level 200 or higher to maximize spawns. Use scaffolding to get up there.
To get back down, you’ll need to break bedrock. We covered that in our Nether guide if you want to learn more (Master the Nether: Tips for Advanced Players) . Alternatively, you can simply build a portal on the Nether roof.
2. Spawn platforms with magma blocks and a turtle egg
Start with the magma block platforms for spawns. We recommend Y=215 and above. You can build multiple platforms, but one or two are plenty. Each is 23 × 23 blocks with a 5 × 5 hole in the center. Sneak/crouch, use Frost Walker boots, or drink Fire Resistance to avoid magma block damage.
Place a turtle egg in the center on the same level as the platform. Surround it with trapdoors so Zombified Piglins can’t reach it. The egg lures them in. Add more trapdoors around the inner hole so the Piglins think they can reach the egg. You can build a second layer above in the same pattern.
Place slabs in several rows two blocks above the topmost layer to prevent Ghasts from spawning. Space the rows two blocks apart. Leave the hole above the turtle egg open.
3. Collection area, hoppers, and a safe kill zone
About 15 to 20 blocks below the platforms, build the collection area, so the Piglins take enough fall damage to be one-hit with a sword. Build a 5 × 5 glass platform and surround it with glass to prevent other spawns. Then build a 15-block walkway in one direction. At the end, place 6 hoppers, the chest, and cover the hoppers with carpets so XP orbs don’t get stuck.
Block off the front of the hoppers with slabs in a U-shape—one at half height and another above it, leaving a half-gap. This lets you aggro and hit the Piglins safely while baby Zombified Piglins can’t reach you.
4. Aggro Piglins, loot gold, and farm XP
Your gold farm is now ready. Zombified Piglins should spawn, be lured by the turtle egg, and fall into the hole. To make them attack you, provoke them. Use a projectile like a bow or a snowball to aggro them. After that, they’ll all rush toward you.
Finish them with a sword, ideally enchanted with Sweeping Edge and Looting. Because they aren’t dying from fall damage but by your hits, this farm doubles as an excellent experience farm. If you enchant often, the value is twofold.
Conclusion: Minecraft gold farm for endless gold and XP
A late-game gold farm is a key resource for getting gold efficiently and sustainably. Gold ingots are especially valuable for bartering—both with regular Piglins and with the Cleric in a village. The farm itself is fairly simple to build, but you’ll have to go onto the Nether roof. High above the bedrock you’ll get the best spawn rates.
Or rent your own Minecraft server right now and build a gold farm together with your friends. Everyone on the server benefits—and you’ll always have an endless supply of gold for any situation.
