Ancient Cities are the crown jewels of the Deep Dark: sprawling sculk-covered ruins buried near the bottom of the world where you can farm Echo Shards, Silence armor trims and Swift Sneak enchanted books. The catch is that they only generate inside Deep Dark biomes under mountainous terrain, so finding one without a good starting seed can take hours of blind digging. That is where a proven seed helps, letting you drop into a world that already has a documented city waiting.
The seeds below are community-reported for the specific game versions listed next to each one, not personally tested by us. We have kept every seed code, coordinate and feature exactly as its source documented it, and we have not invented any numbers. If you want to explore a world with friends, you can play your favourite seed with friends on a server and take on the Warden together.
Important: Minecraft world generation changes between editions and versions. A seed tested on Java 1.21 can produce a completely different world on Bedrock, and even a minor update can shift or remove structures near spawn. Before you commit a survival world, load the seed on a copy of your world (or in an Ancient City finder) and confirm the city is still where the source said it was.
How to Use a Seed
Entering a seed takes a few seconds at world creation. On the world-creation screen, click Create New World. On Java, open the World tab and paste the seed into the Seed for the World Generator box. On Bedrock, open Advanced settings and paste the code into the Seed field. Paste the code exactly, including any leading minus sign, then create the world.
Already in a world and want to know its seed? Type /seed in chat (cheats must be enabled) and Minecraft prints the current world’s seed so you can copy or share it.
Best Ancient City Seeds at a Glance
| Seed | Edition | Version | What’s at Spawn |
|---|---|---|---|
102 | Java | 1.21 | Ancient City at 128,-34,-240; Forest spawn with a bee nest and nearby Trial Chambers. |
4009 | Java | 1.21 | Ancient City at 112,-35,-176; Flower Forest spawn, Pillager Outpost and a Plains village. |
2422215857861955386 | Java | 1.20 – 1.21.11 | Spawn directly inside an Ancient City overlapping a village at 19,-50,-7 (very dangerous). |
8513480846194603528 | Java | 1.21.5 | Two Ancient Cities; first under a Lush Cave with a mineshaft over it. |
-3337585452228114759 | Java | 1.21.2 | Lush Cave entrance leads down to a heavily sculk-covered Deep Dark and city at 156,-44,175. |
5348402792525471021 | Java | 1.21 | “Lava Lake City” – a lava lake lights the Ancient City at 1,-42,71 from below. |
4960101086291244277 | Java | 1.21 | “Stalactite City” – dripstone covers the city at 56,-43,-280. |
-8417135011391987264 | Bedrock | 1.21 | A cave leads straight from the surface into the city at 128,-44,57. |
-432012965584772891 | Bedrock | 1.21.60 | “Snowy Cities” – nine Ancient Cities under Snowy Plains for mass loot farming. |
3211213744707030873 | Bedrock | 1.21 | “Coastal City” – city at -603,-41,166 in cliffs over a Cold Ocean. |
Java Seed: 102 – Bees, Trial Chambers and a City
Reported on Java 1.21, seed 102 spawns you in a Forest biome complete with bees and a bee nest for early honey. The Ancient City sits at 128, -34, -240, tucked into a Deep Dark biome at -45, -45, -112. If you like variety, there are Trial Chambers at 96, -29, -256, plus a Meadow and a Snowy Taiga to the north. It is a well-rounded starter world that pairs Deep Dark loot with the newer Trial Chamber content.
Java Seed: 4009 – Flower Forest and Village
Also on Java 1.21, seed 4009 starts you in a Flower Forest with bees. The Ancient City is at 112, -35, -176 above a Deep Dark biome at 77, -42, -40. Nearby you will find a Pillager Outpost at 0, 87, 112 and a partly-submerged Plains village at 90, 70, 300 that comes with cats. If you enjoy village bases, our best Minecraft village seeds guide has more starts like this.
Java Seed: 2422215857861955386 – Spawn Inside a City
This is the extreme option. Reported to work across Java 1.20 – 1.21.11, seed 2422215857861955386 spawns you directly inside an Ancient City that overlaps a village at 19, -50, -7. That is thrilling and genuinely dangerous – you are surrounded by sculk catalysts and at real risk of waking the Warden the moment you load in. The surface above holds Meadows, Forest, Taiga, Jagged Peaks and a Cherry Grove, with two Woodland Mansions, a Stronghold and a Pillager Outpost all within roughly 1,000 blocks. Fans of grand builds should also check our best Minecraft mansion seeds and best Minecraft cherry grove seeds.
Java Seed: 8513480846194603528 – Two Cities
Documented on Java 1.21.5, seed 8513480846194603528 gives you two Ancient Cities. The first, at -329, -45, 96, sits beneath a Lush Cave biome with a mineshaft hanging over the city – a striking overlap. The second city is at -175, -42, 505, so you can farm one, retreat, then hit the other for double the Echo Shards and armor trims.
Java Scenic Cities: Lava, Dripstone and Lush Caves
A few Java 1.21 seeds are worth loading purely for how the city looks. Seed -3337585452228114759 (Java 1.21.2) has a Lush Cave entrance dropping into a Deep Dark biome heavily blanketed in sculk, with the city at 156, -44, 175. Seed 5348402792525471021 is nicknamed “Lava Lake City” – a large lava lake beneath the city at 1, -42, 71 lights the ruins up from the ground floor. And seed 4960101086291244277, “Stalactite City,” puts the Ancient City at 56, -43, -280 where dripstone stalactites and stalagmites cover the ceilings and floors.
Bedrock Ancient City Seeds
Bedrock players have their own confirmed picks. Seed -8417135011391987264 (Bedrock 1.21) is “Direct to City” – a cave leads straight from the surface down into the Ancient City at 128, -44, 57, making access unusually easy for a first Deep Dark run. Seed -432012965584772891 (Bedrock 1.21.60), “Snowy Cities,” hides nine Ancient Cities under Snowy Plains near spawn, with city X-coordinates ranging roughly from 89 to 489 – a huge farm-the-loot seed for Silence trims and Echo Shards. For scenery, seed 3211213744707030873 (Bedrock 1.21), “Coastal City,” places the city at -603, -41, 166 in cliffs overlooking a Cold Ocean, with a mineshaft and lava falls nearby. More Bedrock-specific starts live in our best Minecraft Bedrock seeds guide.
Java vs Bedrock Seeds
The single most important thing to understand about seeds is that Java and Bedrock use different world-generation algorithms. The same seed code produces different worlds on each edition – a Java Ancient City seed will not put the city in the same place (or often anywhere near spawn) on Bedrock, and vice versa. Always use a seed on the edition it was reported for, which is why every entry above is tagged Java or Bedrock.
There is a version caveat too. These coordinates are only reliable on the versions listed. World-gen changes between major versions (and sometimes minor ones) can shift or remove structures near spawn, so results on 26.2 or newer snapshots may differ from the 1.20 – 1.21.x versions these seeds were tested on. Ancient City floors always generate around Y=-51/-52 inside Deep Dark biomes beneath mountainous regions, so if a listed city has moved, an online Ancient City finder loaded for the correct edition will show you the nearest one before you commit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will these seeds work on Minecraft 26.2?
They may, but no confirmed Ancient City seeds have been documented specifically for 26.2 yet – the most recent reliably documented sources are Java 1.21.5 / 1.21.2 and Bedrock 1.21.60. Treat every coordinate as approximate on 26.2 until you re-verify it in a finder tool or on a copy of your world.
How deep is an Ancient City?
Ancient City floors generate around Y=-51 to -52 inside Deep Dark biomes, which sit under mountainous terrain. Bring plenty of blocks, food and torches, and consider wool to muffle your footsteps near sculk sensors and shriekers.
Can I use a Java seed on Bedrock?
You can type the code in, but it will not generate the same world. The two editions use different generation algorithms, so a Java Ancient City seed will not place the city in the same spot on Bedrock. Use each seed on the edition it was reported for.
How do I find the seed of a world I’m already playing?
Enable cheats and type /seed in chat. Minecraft prints the current world’s seed so you can copy or share it with friends.
What else can I do with a good seed?
Once you have looted the city, put those Echo Shards and enchanted books to use – see our Minecraft enchantments list and Minecraft commands list. For more worlds to explore, browse our best Minecraft seeds, the dedicated Ancient City seeds hub, mushroom island seeds and speedrun seeds.
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