Minecraft Dungeons: How to Find Emeralds and What to Do With Them

Emeralds are a prime resource for trading in Minecraft which means they're just as important in Minecraft Dungeons, the dungeon-crawling spin-off that just released this week. They're not too hard to find nor is it difficult to put them to good use, but you'll need a lot of them if you want to get the best gear possible and increase your chances of getting more diverse loot to add to your collection. It's not immediately apparent when playing Minecraft Dungeons where you get these Emeralds or what you should be doing with them though, but our quick how-to guide on them should get the Emeralds flowing in your game in no time.

If you recall that Minecraft Emeralds are used to trade with Villagers for their wares, you'll already have an idea of what to do with the resource in Minecraft Dungeons. You'll eventually be able to swap them with people for different items, but it takes a lot to make a transaction work. You'll thankfully get many Emeralds from each level though, so you'll have time between missions to go shopping.

To make sure you're maximizing your Emeralds gains and aren't wasting them, continue on to figure out how to get them and what to do with them.

What Are Emeralds?

Emeralds are one of two "currencies" in Minecraft Dungeons, the other being Enchantment Points. They're the green gems that scatter all over the place in levels when you perform certain actions. Unlike those points which are earned with every character level, you'll have to find Emeralds yourself. They appear often enough during normal progression though, so even if you're not searching through every nook and cranny, you'll find enough to meet the minimum requirements for using them.

Where to Find Emeralds

When playing through Minecraft Dungeons' levels, you'll occasionally come across vases and similar objects which can be smashed once you're next to them. Break all of those that you can find and there's a good chance you'll come away with considerably more Emeralds than you started the level with.

Emeralds will occasionally drop from enemies throughout your levels as well. These Emeralds will drop from things as imposing as mini-bosses to enemies as routine as Creepers, so it's unclear what the exact system at play is. If you're making sure you're clearing as many mobs as possible, however, you should be safely on your way to amassing a lot of Emeralds.

Salvaging gear you don't want is also an excellent way to get Emeralds, but you won't get as much as you'd expect the item to be worth through this process. It's the only way to get rid of items you don't want though, so you may as well just break them down once you've decided against using them.

There are also some enchantments that'll earn you more Emeralds. Consider using our Rogue build to maximize your loot if you're hunting for treasure.

Check Your Camp Between Missions

A prime place to find Emeralds that many players will overlook is your own camp. Between missions, poke around your camp to see if you can find any chests laying about. Opening those will grant you 50 Emeralds every time with more of them to be found between levels, so don't skip out on them.

For players who are playing with others, know that these Emerald chests work just like the supply chests you find during each mission. They can be opened once by each player, so make sure everyone gets a shot at them before moving onto the next mission.

How to Use Emeralds

You'll start earning Emeralds before you can actually use them, but that just sets you up for success later. Once you beat the early Creeper Woods mission, you'll see what they're used for.

Beating that mission will unlock a Blacksmith in your camp. Trade with that character and you'll be able to give them a sum of Emeralds in exchange for a piece of random gear appropriate for your level. You can find tons of things through this with stats based on where you are in the game, so if you're looking for a particular piece of loot you missed in a level, this is the place to get it.

When you complete the Pumpkin Pastures level, you'll have a Wandering Trader set up shop in your camp. This vendor will trade a random Artifact for Emeralds. It costs more, but there's a good chance you'll get something more suitable for a character than a random weapon or armor.

The costs for both of these traders go up as players' levels increase, so be sure to keep hunting for Emeralds if you want to fund your purchases.

Minecraft Dungeons may add more ways to use Emeralds in the future, but for now, just look to find as many as possible and then trade them with the vendors to see what you can get.