Guardians Minecraft

Guardians will only spawn near ocean monuments in Minecraft. They require water to spawn.

In the Java edition of Minecraft they follow specific rules. Namely you will likely find guardians inside the ocean monument rather than outside of it. They are more likely to spawn near ocean monuments and as long as the water is not exposed to the sky, they will spawn more frequently. Because of this, you may find plenty of guardians spawning just below ocean monuments.

In the Bedrock edition of Minecraft they also follow unique rules. They will only spawn in 25 pre-determined spots. The x-coordinate of each spawning spot is X+2, X+13, X+29, X+45, and X+55 where X is the western edge of the monument. There are also special z-coordinates where z is the northwest corner of the spawning post block. They will spawn at Z+2, Z+13, Z+29, Z+45, or Z+55.

In both versions, guardians will spawn in between Y=39 (the floor of the ocean monument) and Y=61 (1 block higher than the top of the ocean monument).

Guardians are hostile mobs and act as defenders to the ocean monuments. They can be seen attacking any fish or squid nearby.

They will attack with a laser beam that grows brighter and brighter. Once it reaches its final color the mob it is targeting will take damage. The laser takes two seconds to charge and can be reset by breaking line of sight with the guardian. Guardians also have spikes that can defend themselves. It behaves similarly to the thorns enchantment where you will take damage from attacking guardians who have their spikes raised.

If you want a consistent source of prismarine after conquering an underwater monument, you will need to reserve some prismarine blocks for the guardians to continue spawning. Guardians will drop 0-2 prismarine shards, up to 5 with looting. They can also drop prismarine crystals up to 4 with looting III.

These drops are instrumental to building with prismarine and having a healthy stock of sea lanterns. Consider attacking guardians with a sword rather than a trident, even though it is more dangerous, you can spend less time farming guardians this way.

Guardians can also drop any fish when killed. They can drop cod, salmon, pufferfish, and tropical fish making them a perfect enemy to farm for fisherman villager trades.

Guardians can be dangerous hostile mobs to encounter. They are the protectors of ocean monuments and coupled with the elder guardian’s mining fatigue debuff, it can be difficult handling how to approach an underwater temple. Like most things in this game, being able to successfully conquer a difficult environment is good preparation. Get a good helmet with the best enchantments you can find along with an impaling trident or a looting sword to minimize the time you have to spend underwater.

Does a looting enchanted sword make guardians drop more prismarine?

A looting enchanted sword will increase the amount of drops you get from guardians. You can get up to 5 shards from a guardian with looting III and up to 4 prismarine crystal shards with a looting III sword. Using a looting sword also increases the amount of fish that can drop from each kill.

Do regular guardians inflict mining fatigue?

Only the elder guardians of the underwater monument will inflict mining fatigue. After you have defeated the three that reside in the depths of the underwater temple you can rest assured knowing that you will not have to deal with mining fatigue for the rest of that journey. Regular guardians only have their laser beam attack to obstruct you.

Can you break the tether of a guardian?

If you wander too far away or break line of sight with the guardian through a block, it will reset the timer and even cause the guardian to reset its aggro temporarily. With this in mind it can be a safe bet to carry some blocks with you just to prevent yourself from taking too much damage from guardians.

Congratulations, you now know how to handle the guardians of the ocean monuments in Minecraft. These are dangerous mobs as the depths of oceans can impede your mobility and prevent you from closing the distance. Not to mention, the guardians spikes can punish you for attacking them in the first place. Using good preparation is crucial for tackling an ocean monument, and knowing how these mobs behave can help you tackle this difficult environment.