Overview
For most of Minecraft's history a desert well was scenery with a drinking problem — a small sandstone ring around a water source, generating rarely, containing nothing. Since 1.20 it is a genuine archaeology site and the only reason anyone plans a route past one. Suspicious sand generates beneath and around the well shaft, and brushing it yields the Arms Up and Brewer pottery sherds, which do not appear in any other structure in useful quantity, along with emeralds, sticks and bricks. If you are completing a Decorated Pot collection those two sherds are why you are out in the desert. The well itself is still practically useful for anyone caught in a desert without a bucket: the centre block is a water source, which means infinite water for farmland, a place to break a fall and an escape from a burning creeper. Bring a brush, dig the sand out slowly rather than shovelling it, and check the blocks directly under the water column as well as the ring around the outside, since the suspicious sand is not all on the surface. The husks wandering nearby are the only hazard, and they do not burn in daylight.
The Arms Up and Brewer pottery sherds, which are effectively exclusive to this structure, plus emeralds, sticks and bricks from the same suspicious sand. The water source in the middle is a free infinite supply in a biome that has none.
A small sandstone well with a water source at its centre, historically a purely decorative curiosity. Since 1.20 it earns a visit: suspicious sand generates under and around the well shaft, and brushing it yields pottery sherds — specifically the Arms Up and Brewer sherds, which appear nowhere else in any quantity — along with emeralds, sticks and bricks. Beyond that it is free sandstone and a water source in a biome that has none.
It is rare in the Overworld, restricted to Desert, and it generates on the surface.
How to get it
Desert wells generate on the surface in desert biomes only and are rare — you can cross several deserts without meeting one. They are small, about 4 blocks across, so scan the horizon for a sandstone shape rather than expecting to trip over it.
Tips
- Brush the sand under the water column as well as the ring outside; not all the suspicious sand is where you first look.
- Carry a bucket: the well's water source refills a farm or a cauldron and is the only water for hundreds of blocks.
- Two sherd designs come almost exclusively from here, so a well is worth a detour if you are collecting decorated pot patterns.
- Husks patrol deserts in daylight without burning, so clear the area before you stand still brushing for several minutes.
Version notes
Present since 1.0.0 as pure decoration. The 1.20 archaeology drop added the suspicious sand, the two sherds and the emeralds, which is the only substantive change it has ever had.
Properties
It generates in the Overworld, which is the only dimension with a day-night cycle and weather, and the one every distance in the game is measured against. In a world with cheats on, /locate structure minecraft:desert_well gives the coordinates of the nearest one. Without cheats, an explorer map from a cartographer villager is the reliable route for the structures that have one; everything else is exploration.
- Biomes it generates in
- 1
- Notable loot items
- 6
Where it generates
Desert Well generates in one biome: Desert. Outside those it will not generate at all, however far you travel.
Notable loot
Its loot includes Arms Up Pottery Sherd, Brewer Pottery Sherd, Emerald, Stick, Brick, and Sandstone. These are the notable entries rather than the full loot table — the common filler (bread, coal, iron nuggets) is omitted, and in some structures the best of it comes from a vault or a spawner rather than a chest.
What to watch out for
2 things to prepare for before you go in:
- Husks in the surrounding desert
- Nothing structural
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
Which pottery sherds come from desert wells?
Arms Up and Brewer. Both are effectively exclusive to the suspicious sand around a desert well, which is the structure's main reason to exist since 1.20.
Was a desert well ever useful before 1.20?
Barely. It was decorative, with a water source and a little sandstone. Archaeology gave it a loot table for the first time.
How rare are desert wells?
Rare enough that crossing an entire desert without meeting one is normal. They are small and low, so they are also easy to walk past.
How do I find Desert Well?
Desert Well generates in the Overworld, only in Desert, and is rare. /locate structure minecraft:desert_well finds the nearest one instantly with cheats on.
What loot is in Desert Well?
The notable entries are Arms Up Pottery Sherd, Brewer Pottery Sherd, Emerald, Stick, Brick, and Sandstone.
When was Desert Well added?
Desert Well was added in Java Edition 1.0.0.
Related pages
Structures that share Desert Well's loot, its mobs or its biomes — not simply the next few in the list.
