Rarest Items in Minecraft: How to Find Them & Why They Matter

Minecraft allows you to break a million blocks and place them however you want. However, there are a handful of items in the game that are truly rare, so rare that most players will finish entire worlds without ever holding them once.

We are not talking about Nethrite or diamonds that are not impossible to acquire, but rather the items that cannot be crafted, only exist once per world, or require an insane amount of luck, exploration, or risk just to get your hands on them.

This guide will cover the rarest and sought-after items in Minecraft, how to find them, what makes them special, and whether they’re actually useful or just something you display in an item frame to remind yourself you survived getting it.

What Makes an Item “Rare” in Minecraft?

Before we dive into each of the rare items and learn more about them, it's important to understand that these items do not always mean hard to find; they can also be limited, unrenewable, or locked behind chance and risk.

Let’s see a few examples here:

1. One-per-World or Limited Items

Some items exist only once naturally in every Minecraft world.

A perfect example is the Dragon Egg, which drops the first time you defeat the Ender Dragon, and never again. Unless you duplicate it using Redstone tricks or commands, you’ll only ever have that single egg. Other examples include items tied to world generation or one-time structures (like the Elytra found in End Ships).

2. Non-Craftable or Removed Crafting Recipes

Next, we have a few items that can only be found in chests, or their crafting recipes have been removed. For example, we have Enchanted Golden Apple.

Before version 1.9, you could craft one using eight gold blocks and an apple. Now, they’re loot-only, making them incredibly valuable and one of the few “legacy items” that changed the game’s balance forever.

3. Event-Based or Conditional Items

Another category of such items is event based or you can find them only when a particular condition is met.

Take Mob Heads, for example; they only drop when a Charged Creeper (created when lightning strikes near a creeper) kills another mob. That means you need a thunderstorm, a trident with Channeling, and precise timing. It’s not hard mechanically; it’s just rare to make happen naturally.

4. Extremely Low Drop or Loot Rates

These are the items you can technically farm, but will probably spend hours doing so.

A Wither Skeleton Skull has just a 2.5% drop rate, even with Looting III, it’s barely 5.5%. Or take Enchanted Golden Apples again, less than 2-3% chest spawn rate in structures like Bastions or Ancient Cities. Finding even one of these in survival feels like winning a lottery you didn’t even buy a ticket for.

5. Biome Specific Loot

Lastly, there are a few loot items in the game that are completely biome or structure-specific. For example, Music Disc 5 is crafted from fragments you find in Ancient Cities. And Banner Patterns like “Globe” or “Snout” are tied to single loot tables, often with less than a 5% chance.

Dragon Egg- The Only One in Your Entire World

Let’s start with our first rarest item, which only spawns a single one in the entire world: Dragon Egg. However, if you ever lose it by any chance possible, there’s no way to get another one in survival without duplication glitches.

The egg appears for the first and only time on top of the exit portal after you defeat the Ender Dragon. Most players see it, touch it, and watch it teleport away; that’s when they realise it’s not as simple as right-clicking to pick it up.

This is more of a trophy and has no use whatsoever. It only indicates “I killed the Ender Dragon and didn’t fall into the void afterwards.”

There are two ways to collect it:

1. Torch Method

We already know by now that you cannot simply left-click on the egg to mine it, as it will teleport away. So you need to try out a few tricks. Here is the first one:

1. Start by digging a 2-block deep hole under the egg.
2. Now, break the block directly under the egg and place a torch.
3. Break the block supporting the egg. Then, it will fall as an item onto the torch, and you can safely collect it.

2. Piston Method

Another method you can use to grab the egg is by using a piston. Here is what you can do:

1. Place a piston facing the egg.
2. Power the piston using a lever or button.
3. The piston pushes the egg, dropping it as an item instantly.

Both methods are pretty easy to execute. Just don’t punch it, or worse, push it into the void by accident (we’ve all seen it happen).

Enchanted Golden Apple (Notch Apple)

Next up, we have the Enchanted Golden Apple or Notch Apple. It’s one of the few items that has gone from craftable to exclusive loot only. That single change made it one of the hardest items to obtain legitimately today.

There was a time when you could craft this item using eight gold blocks and one apple. However, Minecraft chose to discontinue this and made it one of the rare items you can obtain in the game. Since then, the only way to get one is through natural loot chests, which means every apple you find is a product of pure luck.

Some of the places you can actually find these are Ancient City, Desert Temple, Bastion Remnant, Woodland Mansion, Mineshaft / Dungeon, and Runied Portal. Some places have a higher chance of generating the Notch Apple, while there is only a 3% you can find these in some places.

Why Enchanted Apple?

The question is, why is this item so popular? The Enchanted Apple isn’t just rare, but also it’s absurdly strong for survival and Hardcore players. Eating one gives effects you simply can’t replicate with any other single item.

That means if you eat one during a boss fight, raid, or lava fall, you’re almost unkillable for a short while. It’s especially game-saving in Hardcore worlds, Wither fights, or when diving into Ancient Cities, where a Warden might spawn.

Music Disc

Music discs are again pretty uncommon in Minecraft, but among them, there are some of the rarest finds, too, namely, Music Disc 5, Pigstep, and Otherside. Unlike tools or armor, you can’t craft music discs. You either find them in structures or, in most cases, have to create very specific conditions to make them drop.

Let’s learn more about these rare finds:

Music Disc 5

Music Disc 5 is only found in Ancient Cities, and even then, you don’t find the disc directly. Instead, you must collect Disc Fragments (Fragment 5). You need 9 fragments to craft a single disc.

The only way to find this particular disc is in Ancient Cities. It has a spawn rate of around 29% per chest, but finding 9 in one trip is unlikely. You’ll need to loot multiple rooms or even multiple cities.

The reason many consider this to be rare is that Ancient Cities generate in the Deep Dark biomes, and there is always a danger that you might awaken the Warden while exploring it.

Similarly, we have our personal favorite discs that are a bit challenging but fun to collect as well:

While the above music discs can be found in different structures and chests, there are other discs that need a specific set of steps to obtain them.

1. Start by finding a creeper and make sure to weaken it to low health.
2. Then, lure a skeleton. Make it shoot and kill the creeper.
3. If the skeleton lands the killing shot, the creeper will drop a random disc (except Pigstep or 5).
4. You can also automate this using a Creeper + Skeleton farm if you want all discs.

Overall, music discs are a great collectible item in the game, and they add more depth to it. If you are fond of exploring and collecting the rarest items, this might be an interesting adventure.

Mob Heads: Rare Drops with Very Specific Conditions

Let’s talk about mob heads. These are rare and also some of the most interesting items in the game. Not only are they hard to obtain, but they also require some very specific conditions.

In survival mode, you only have two reliable ways to get most of these heads:

• Kill a mob using a Charged Creeper explosion, or
• Kill Wither Skeletons for skulls in Nether Fortresses

Let’s learn about each of these mechanics.

1. Charged Creeper Explosions

You can obtain mutiple mob heads with this method. A Charged Creeper is created when lightning strikes a normal Creeper. If a Charged Creeper explodes and kills certain mobs, they drop their head.

To make a charged creeper, here is what you can do:

1. Trap a creeper in a safe enclosure.
2. Wait for a thunderstorm or use a weather command (if allowed).
3. Throw the trident at the creeper.
4. It becomes a Charged Creeper, now lure another mob (zombie, skeleton, piglin, etc.) next to it.
5. Ignite or let it explode. This way, the mob dies, and its head drops, which you can collect.

Using the above method, you can then get a list of all the mob heads:

• Skeleton Head
• Zombie Head
• Creeper Head (the only way to get)
• Piglin Head (Java 1.20+)
• Player Head (in multiplayer, if the player dies from a Charged Creeper)

2. Wither Skeleton Skulls

Apart from the above list of mob heads, there is another method that is used to get the Wither Skeleton head.

There is only a 2.5% chance that a head will be dropped when you kill a Whether. To increase the odds to 5.5%, you can try using Looting III enchantments. Also, you desperately need these skulls (three) to spawn the Wither boss.

There is also a chance to get a Dragon head found at the front of End Ships in End Cities. You can only obtain it after you have defeated the Ender Dragon and you visit the End Cities. Make sure you are careful while taking it out of the ship, as there is a chance you can fall into the void and die.

Totem of Undying

Totem of Undying is the only item that can save you from death, especially in the Hardcore Mode, where it starts to feel like you can die at any moment.

You cannot craft this item, nor can you find it in any chest or loot. The only way to get it is to fight one of the most dangerous illager mobs in the game: the Evoker.

Let’s see how you can get a Totem of Undying.

1. Woodland Mansions

These are extremely rare structures that generate thousands of blocks away from spawn, usually inside Dark Forest biomes. The easiest way to locate one is by trading with a Cartographer Villager until they offer a Woodland Explorer Map, which leads you directly to it.

Inside the mansion, you will find many hostile mobs, including Evokers. Killing them will drop Totems, but make sure you are careful since these Evokers can summon Vexes, flying mobs that deal a lot of damage and ignore armor.

2. Getting Totems from Raids

Another method you can use is to start a Pillager Raid. To do this, you first need to kill a Pillager Captain (identified by the banner on its head), usually found at Pillager Outposts, after which you get an Omnious Bottle.

If you walk inside the village after drinking from the bottle, the bad omen effect starts and will automatically trigger a raid. Waves of illagers attack the village: Pillagers, Vindicators, Ravagers, Witches, and finally Evokers, which begin spawning from wave 5 onwards.

Every Evoker you kill during a raid drops a Totem of Undying. Since raids are repeatable and Evokers spawn in every raid, this is the best way to get Totems consistently.

What Does the Totem Actually Do?

When you hold a Totem of Undying in your off-hand or main hand, and you take lethal damage, the Totem activates and cancels death completely, instantly heals you to 1 heart, and removes all status effects.

It also gives you: Regeneration II (5 seconds), Absorption II (temporary extra hearts), and Fire Resistance (40 seconds, Java Edition). This item kind of saves you from every kind of death except falling into the void.

Silence Armor Trim (the rarest armor trim in the game)

The Silence Armor Trim is the rarest in the game, and if you get it, consider yourself lucky. Unlike other trims that can be found in multiple structures like bastions, desert temples, or strongholds, the Silence trim only generates in one place, Ancient Cities, and even there, it's incredibly uncommon.

The spawn chance is incredibly low, roughly 1.2% per chest, making it rarer than enchanted golden apples in most structures. To add more to this, Ancient Cities are filled with sensors that awaken the Warden, which can be a bit difficult to tackle if you are not familiar with how to deal with them.

What makes this trim special isn’t just its rarity; it also looks unique. It adds a dark, almost engraved pattern to your armor with a style that fits the Ancient City and Warden aesthetic. It doesn’t give extra protection or abilities, purely visual, but for collectors and long-term survival players, it’s one of the biggest flexes in the game.

Elytra: It Gives You Wings

Elytra completely changes how you play, or better say, fly in the game. This is the only item in the game that lets you fly in survival mode without any cheats or creative mode, and that alone makes it one of the most valuable late-game treasures you can get.

But it isn’t easy to get.

You can only find Elytra in End Ships, which are floating structures that sometimes generate next to End Cities in the End. However, not every End Ship will have this, so it's pretty rare.

Here is how you can get the Elytra:

1. Defeat the Ender Dragon

• This unlocks the End Gateway Portal (a small floating bedrock frame with a purple center).
• Throw an Ender Pearl or use a water bucket trick to enter it.

2. Travel to the Outer End Islands

• These islands are thousands of blocks away from the main End island.
• You'll find End Cities, but you’re only looking for ones with a ship floating beside them.

3. Locate the End Ship and Board It Safely

• The ship is usually floating high above the ground with nothing below but the void.
• Bridging or using Ender Pearls is risky; one misstep and you fall into the void permanently.

Inside the ship, in the back room (near the brewing stand with potions of healing), you’ll find the Elytra sitting inside an Item Frame on a pedestal. Once you take it, that’s your first pair.

How to Use and Repair the Elytra

Now that you have equipped it, the question is how you can use it.

• Equip it in the chestplate slot.
• Then, jump from a height and press jump again mid-air to start gliding.
• Use Firework Rockets (without star effects) to boost yourself and fly infinitely.
• Elytra has durability; it breaks after around 7 minutes of flight if unenchanted.

If broken, you can repair it by combining it with another Elytra in an anvil, or you can use the Mending enchantment + XP to repair it automatically.

Furthermore, you can also get multiple elytras in a single trip. But each one still requires you to find another End Ship. Most players collect extra Elytras for backup or to store in shulker boxes.

Deepslate Emerald Ore

You’ve probably found emerald ore before while mining in mountain biomes, but Deepslate Emerald Ore is in a completely different category of rarity. It isn’t just uncommon, it’s officially the rarest naturally-generating ore block in Minecraft.

Why is this Ore Rare?

Two major conditions need to be met for this ore to generate.

• You must be under a mountain biome. It only spawns in windswept hills, jagged peaks, stony peaks, and similar mountain biomes.
• You must be below Y=0, where deepslate replaces stone.

This entire area has a very small space if we consider the above two conditions, making the Emerald Ore rarest among all.

Although there isn’t much benefit to this ore; however, many people who are collectors keep it in item frames, treasure rooms, or rare block collections.

Heart of the Sea: The Key to Underwater Survival

Another super-rare item you can find in the game is the Heart of the Sea. You can't craft it, you can’t get it from villagers or mobs, and it has only one purpose in the entire game, but that purpose is incredibly powerful. It's the main ingredient needed to craft a Conduit, which is basically a Beacon for underwater players.

There is only one way to get this particular item: by finding and opening Buried Treasure chests.

• You can find these inside: Shipwrecks (in the Map Chest) and Underwater Ruins (small and large ruins).
• Follow the map to get to the treasure.
• Look for the chest. They generally generate on the coastline or beaches, buried in sand or gravel, between Y=50 and Y=70, often just a few blocks deep.
• Once you find the chest, open it. If you're lucky, you’ll see a Heart of the Sea inside.

What Is the Heart of the Sea Used For?

There is only a single use for the Heart of the Sea: crafting a Conduit.

To craft the Conduit, you need: 1 Heart of the Sea + 8 Nautilus Shells (surrounding it in a crafting table).

Once crafted, a Conduit:

• Gives you Conduit Power when activated underwater.
• This means infinite water breathing, underwater night vision, and faster mining.
• It also damages hostile underwater mobs like Drowned.

To activate a Conduit, you must build a Prismarine or Sea Lantern frame around it—at least 16 blocks, max 42 blocks for full power.

Conclusion

The funny thing about these rare items is, they’re not powerful because of what they do. They’re powerful because of what you had to do to get them.

If you ask any player about their first diamond, they may not remember it. But they do know everything they had to do to get that Dragon Egg and defeat the Ender Dragon. Similarly, if you found a Deepslate Emerald Ore means you probably spent hours mining under a mountain for a block that doesn't even help you, just because you wanted it.

Getting an Elytra means you trusted yourself enough to run across floating islands in the End with the void under your feet. And a Totem of Undying? You fought with the Evoker a million times while it sent Vexes at you, and you still won.

This is why these rare items are worth it, not because they are rare, but because you earned them.