How to Build an Efficient Guardian Farm in Minecraft

Welcome, Minecraft aficionados and novices alike! Today, we're going to delve into an often underappreciated aspect of the Minecraft universe - the humble, yet versatile, dried kelp. This is more than just an undersea plant. In the hands of a knowledgeable player, dried kelp can be a key resource for survival and progress.

Why should you be interested in dried kelp, you might ask? Beyond its nutritional value, dried kelp can also be crafted into dried kelp blocks, a fantastic source of fuel. With nine pieces of dried kelp, you can create a dried kelp block that can smelt 20 items in the furnace. Compare that to coal or charcoal, which can only smelt 8 items! It's a sustainable resource, great for long adventures or large construction projects, making it an essential commodity for any Minecraft player.

Finding the Perfect Location

Now, before we start getting our hands wet, the first step to creating a successful dried kelp farm is choosing the right location. As a rule of thumb, guardians, which play an integral role in our kelp farm design, spawn only in ocean monuments. Therefore, the quest for the perfect location starts with finding one of these underwater structures. Keep in mind that ocean monuments predominantly spawn in Deep Ocean biomes.

But how do you find an ocean monument? They can be rare, and the vast waters of Minecraft can sometimes feel endless. But don't fret! Here are some tried-and-true strategies to make the search easier:

Set Sail: Venturing out on a boat is the simplest way to start your search. The expansive view from the ocean surface can help you spot the distinct architecture of an ocean monument.

Harness the Power of Potions: Night vision potions can give you a clearer underwater view, potentially making it easier to spot a monument from above. The Respiration enchantment can also help you see better underwater.

Online Resources: Various online tools can help predict monument locations based on your world's seed.

Trade with Villagers: Cartographer villagers sell ocean explorer maps which can lead you directly to a monument.

Use the /locate Command: If you're not opposed to using a little Minecraft magic, the /locate command can point you directly towards the nearest monument.

With these tips, your hunt for an ocean monument should be a little less daunting. Once you've found one, it's time to prepare the monument for your future dried kelp farm. The adventure is only just beginning!

Preparing the Monument

Congratulations, intrepid explorer! You've discovered an ocean monument, and you're one step closer to your dried kelp farm. However, it's not time to sit back and relax just yet. There's work to be done in prepping this monument for your farming needs. Let's discuss what needs to be done.

Eliminate the Elders: Your first task will be to deal with the three Elder Guardians. These big fish aren't just guarding the monument for fun; they inflict a potent Mining Fatigue III effect that almost completely prevents you from breaking blocks. To counter this, bring along Water Breathing potions, and be ready to fight. Invisibility potions or a suit of strong armor can also be incredibly beneficial. To make moving underwater easier, consider enchanting your boots with the Depth Strider enchantment.

Removing the Water: For a more effective farming system, it's beneficial to drain the water from the spawning zone. This task can be time-consuming and resource-heavy, but the payoff is worth it. Be prepared for this challenge, as guardians will likely spawn during the process. Protection, in the form of good armor or invisibility potions, is recommended.

Inside the monument, Sponges are your best friend. Placing sponges across the ceiling can clear most rooms. For larger areas, consider dividing them up to prevent flooding during the drainage process.

Outside the monument, there are several strategies you can employ:

Constructing a Wall: You can build a wall around the monument and fill the inside with sand or gravel. It’s a bit resource-intensive, but efficient.

Using Lava: Building a ring, flooding the inside with lava, and then mining out the resulting stone is a clever way to get rid of the water. It's a slower process, but it demands fewer initial resources.

The Flammable Method: Build a wall around the monument, fill the water with flammable materials like leaves or wooden planks, and light it up.

Employing Pistons and Slimeblocks: A machine utilizing pistons and slimeblocks, like the popular "MOSES" machine, can help clear the water.

Remember, the key here is patience and preparation. With these two qualities, you'll turn this ocean monument into the base of your dried kelp farm in no time!

Setting Up the Farm

With the monument now prepared and ready to serve as your dried kelp farm, it's time to get into the nitty-gritty details of setting up the farm. The process involves designing and implementing a system that spawns, transports, and eliminates the guardians, and collects their drops.

Designing the Spawning Area:

Guardians spawn in water, and so your spawning area must be a pool of water. A simple design would be a pool of water a few blocks deep, with a layer of signs placed underneath. These signs prevent the water from flowing down, but allow the guardians to pass through, causing them to fall out of the water.

To increase the efficiency of your farm, consider using downward-flowing water in your design. This pushes the guardians out of the spawning zone more quickly, but requires a wall or block for the water to flow against.

To increase the spawning rate, ensure your spawning area is roofed. The presence of a sky view above a water block selected for spawning drastically reduces the chance of a guardian spawn.

Transport and Killing Mechanisms:

A simple design could be to allow a large open space beneath the spawning pool where the guardians would fall and take damage. This might be sufficient for a small-scale farm, but for larger, more efficient farms, the use of water currents or canals to move guardians to a central killing area can be beneficial.

Manual killing is possible, but the guardians' natural thorns damage can make this method risky. Instead, consider using a drop trap where guardians fall a sufficient distance to ensure instant death, or a combination of lava and fall damage. Keep in mind that a fall of at least 34 blocks is required to completely deplete a guardian's health.

Item Collection and Waiting Area:

Lastly, you need to consider how to collect the drops from the guardians and where you'll wait during the farming process. A simple hopper or minecart with a hopper system can efficiently collect all the drops. For the waiting area, consider a location where you're safe from guardians but within spawning range - usually within 128 blocks of the farm.

Once you've set up the farm, it's all about patience. Let the farm do the work for you, collecting the valuable prismarine, fish, and most importantly, the ingredients for our target: dried kelp blocks. Happy farming!

Optimizing the Farming Process

You've set up your dried kelp farm, and it's functioning well. But, like most things in Minecraft, there's always room for improvement! Here are some tips to squeeze the most out of your farming process and achieve peak efficiency.

Light Up Your Surroundings:

The spawning mechanics of Minecraft are built around a 'mob cap,' which is the maximum number of creatures that can spawn within a certain radius of your player. If caves or islands within a 128-block radius of your farm are dark and filled with hostile mobs, this can severely limit the number of guardians your farm produces. To prevent this, light up all nearby caves and potential spawn areas. Slabbing or flooding these areas is another option.

Aim High:

Another way to avoid the mob cap issue is by changing your AFK spot. The 128-block radius is spherical, so by moving your AFK spot to a higher position (between Y=160 and Y=170), you can ensure that only the monument is within the spawning radius. This means every mob that spawns will be a guardian, maximizing the efficiency of your farm.

Maximize Water Flow:

As mentioned before, guardians can spawn in flowing water. More active designs that include downward-flowing water can push the guardians out of the spawning area more quickly. Experiment with different designs that maximize the use of this mechanic.

Leverage Redstone:

Redstone machinery can help speed up the farming process. For instance, a system that uses pistons to periodically push the guardians out of the spawning pools can significantly increase the rate at which the guardians fall from the farm.

Consolidate the Killing Zone:

Consolidating the area where the guardians fall and die can make your item collection system much simpler and more efficient. By channeling the guardians into a single area, you can ensure no drops are missed by your collection system.

Remember, every Minecraft environment is unique, and different circumstances may require different optimizations. Always be ready to adjust and improve your farm. After all, that's half the fun! Happy optimizing, and enjoy your plentiful dried kelp harvest!

Conclusion

Creating a dried kelp farm in Minecraft is a fascinating and rewarding process. From finding the perfect ocean monument to setting up the farm and optimizing the farming process, each step provides its own unique challenges and experiences. This guide has walked you through the key aspects of creating an efficient farm, but remember, the beauty of Minecraft lies in its endless possibilities and variations.

Whether you stick to this guide or mix things up with your own ideas, the most important part is to have fun. Don't shy away from experimenting and trying out new things. After all, Minecraft is not just about the end goal but the journey you undertake to reach there.