How to find and use copper in Minecraft
Copper is one of the newest metals in Minecraft that is used for building structures and crafting spyglasses. Here’s how you can find copper in Minecraft and a list of all its uses.
It is no surprise that metals are an important part of Minecraft. Iron and Gold have their unique tool and armor sets that are essential for mining and taking on enemies. The community expected copper to have similar uses, but only three craftable items depend on it so far.
This is not to say that copper is useless in Minecraft. It can be easily found at Y47 and Y48 levels, beach biomes, and Dripstone caves. Here’s what you should do after amassing it.
- Where to find copper in Minecraft
- How to mine copper in Minecraft
- How to use copper in Minecraft
- Uses of Oxidized copper in Minecraft
Where to find copper in Minecraft
You can find copper in Minecraft at the following locations:
- Copper ore veins that spawn between Y=40 and Y=0. Thereafter, just smelt the copper ore and get ingots.
- Copper ores spawn between Y=104 and Y=-16 with the highest spawn rate at Y=48.
- Drowned mobs have an 11% chance of dropping copper when killed.
- Beach biomes with stony shores.
The knowledge of coordinates can certainly ease your copper search, and here’s a detailed guide on how to turn on coordinates in Minecraft.
How to mine copper in Minecraft
You can mine copper ore in Minecraft with a stone pickaxe or a better quality pickaxe. Mining it with any other tool in the game won’t drop anything. Hence, make sure that you have the right tools before heading to a copper ore vein.
If mined without the Silk Touch enchantment, copper ore drops 2-5 pieces of raw copper. However, you can increase this output to up to 20 with the help of the Fortune enchantment.
How to use copper in Minecraft
Copper has several uses in Minecraft such as making copper Blocks, Spyglasses, and Lightning Rods but before we detail the uses, it’s important to understand its nature. It is valuable as copper Ingots and to make them, you first need to find copper ores and smelt them in a furnace.
Like other metals in Minecraft, copper can be found in various states which include:
- Raw copper
- Copper ore
- Deepslate copper ore
Players can smelt waw copper, copper ore, or deepstate copper ore with any type of fuel to create copper Ingot which is the primary crafting ingredient for all copper items.
In case you don’t have a furnace, just place eight blocks of cobblestone on a crafting table and leave the central slot empty like this:
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As of version 1.19, copper can be used to make the following:
Make a block of copper
Making blocks has always been simple, and a block of copper is no exception. Simply place nine copper Ingots on a crafting table and you’re good to go. These blocks can then be used during building.
Make Lightning Rod from copper
Place three copper Ingots on the central column of the 3×3 crafting table to get a Lightning Rod. As the name suggests, this item helps in swerving lightning strikes in Minecraft. You can place them over your house to protect the nearby structures, farms, animals, and yourself from strikes.
- Read More: How to make a shield in Minecraft
Having said that, these rods do not help in getting away with lightning created by a trident enchanted with Channeling.
Make Spyglass from copper
Spyglass is another craftable item that is made from copper Ingots. In the 3×3 crafting grid, place one amethyst shard in the middle of the top row, and one copper Ingot in the middle of the second and third rows.
- Read More: How to find amethyst in Minecraft
Spyglass is Minecraft’s indirect zoom feature. The item helps in in zooming in on specific locations and have been game-changing for exploration.
Uses of Oxidized copper in Minecraft
Oxidation is a new mechanic that arrived in Minecraft with copper. Like real life, the metal inherently decays and turns to blue-green from the original reddish-brown state. Interestingly, rain and water make this process quicker.
- Read More: How to make paper in Minecraft
Oxidized copper looks unique and opens up several opportunities if you’re into building.
While oxidation occurs naturally, players can stop it with wax. This retains the metal’s current state and does not make it brand-new. Moreover, using a pickaxe on oxidized copper reduces the oxidation level by one.
The four oxidation stages for copper in Minecraft are:
- Stage One – Brown copper
- Stage Two – Exposed Brown copper with green patches
- Stage Three – Weathered Green copper with brown patches
- Stage Four – Oxidized Green copper
These are the only uses of copper in Minecraft currently. However, the player base is eagerly awaiting copper weapons, tools, and armor, and the developers might add them anytime soon.
Minecraft offers a wide range of metals, minerals, items, and enchantments to players. This often leads to confusion regarding what’s best. One such element is Smite, and here’s everything to know about the significance of Smite in Minecraft.
Image Credits: Mojang / u/massive_potatoes / Reddit