Minecraft 1.20 Ancient City Seeds

Out of 1,800 Java 1.20 seeds, 153 hold an ancient city within 400 blocks of spawn. The nearest sits 48 blocks away and the average is about 112. The top seed spawns in wooded badlands, a rare red-sand biome that sets a very different tone from the quiet green start of most city seeds.

1.20 ancient city: 20 of 1,800 tested seeds · Java 1.20 · 2026-10-31

1. 1
   8760060863095594814A69/100

   Spawn in wooded badlands at X 0, Z 0

   • Ancient City 48 blocks X 48, Z 0
   • Stronghold 1536 blocks
   • Village 819 blocks
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2. 2
   3110465941009272704A66/100

   Spawn in jagged peaks at X -192, Z -272

   • Ancient City 51 blocks X -240, Z -288
   • Stronghold 1709 blocks
   • Village 1350 blocks
   Open mapCopy seed
3. 3
   5093293718214634581A79/100

   Spawn in plains at X 0, Z 0

   • Ancient City 80 blocks X 0, Z 80
   • Stronghold 1522 blocks
   • Village 322 blocks
   Open mapCopy seed
4. 4
   1303286798369090817A79/100

   Spawn in forest at X 48, Z -96

   • Ancient City 82 blocks X 64, Z -176
   • Stronghold 1398 blocks
   • Village 694 blocks
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5. 5
   2067561530635801571A72/100

   Spawn in frozen peaks at X 0, Z 0

   • Ancient City 80 blocks X 0, Z 80
   • Stronghold 2120 blocks
   • Village 326 blocks
   Open mapCopy seed
6. 6
   -6728584805629142575A67/100

   Spawn in grove at X 0, Z 0

   • Ancient City 96 blocks X 0, Z 96
   • Stronghold 1640 blocks
   • Village 464 blocks
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7. 7
   6689150519349458665S83/100

   Spawn in plains at X 0, Z 0

   • Ancient City 113 blocks X 16, Z 112
   • Stronghold 2054 blocks
   • Village 358 blocks
   Open mapCopy seed
8. 8
   7481622544131006402A77/100

   Spawn in birch forest at X 0, Z 0

   • Ancient City 107 blocks X 48, Z 96
   • Stronghold 1574 blocks
   • Village 804 blocks
   Open mapCopy seed
9. 9
   -2189101674048853041A77/100

   Spawn in old growth birch forest at X 0, Z 0

   • Ancient City 112 blocks X 0, Z 112
   • Stronghold 1868 blocks
   • Village 425 blocks
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10. 10
    3908625342885777903S86/100

    Spawn in forest at X 16, Z 0

    • Ancient City 125 blocks X 112, Z 80
    • Stronghold 1497 blocks
    • Village 222 blocks
    Open mapCopy seed
11. 11
    5678144838139156320S82/100

    Spawn in plains at X 16, Z 16

    • Ancient City 122 blocks X 64, Z 128
    • Stronghold 2426 blocks
    • Village 192 blocks
    Open mapCopy seed
12. 12
    8592210102314263994A77/100

    Spawn in old growth birch forest at X -48, Z -32

    • Ancient City 125 blocks X 48, Z 48
    • Stronghold 1483 blocks
    • Village 689 blocks
    Open mapCopy seed
13. 13
    -4953277552334967626A67/100

    Spawn in jagged peaks at X 0, Z 0

    • Ancient City 116 blocks X 112, Z 32
    • Stronghold 1519 blocks
    • Village 695 blocks
    Open mapCopy seed
14. 14
    8933369933078790637A79/100

    Spawn in bamboo jungle at X 0, Z 0

    • Ancient City 129 blocks X 112, Z 64
    • Stronghold 1458 blocks
    • Village 980 blocks
    Open mapCopy seed
15. 15
    1260276431546007745B62/100

    Spawn in eroded badlands at X 0, Z 0

    • Ancient City 113 blocks X 16, Z 112
    • Stronghold 1411 blocks
    • Village 1252 blocks
    Open mapCopy seed
16. 16
    9060284292470158504S86/100

    Spawn in taiga at X -32, Z 64

    • Ancient City 137 blocks X 16, Z 192
    • Stronghold 1741 blocks
    • Village 241 blocks
    Open mapCopy seed
17. 17
    2497380357504012224S81/100

    Spawn in forest at X -96, Z -48

    • Ancient City 143 blocks X -160, Z 80
    • Stronghold 1668 blocks
    • Village 753 blocks
    Open mapCopy seed
18. 18
    -9096569547277058670S88/100

    Spawn in savanna at X 16, Z 16

    • Ancient City 151 blocks X 144, Z 96
    • Stronghold 1569 blocks
    • Village 238 blocks
    Open mapCopy seed
19. 19
    5473146114099788953A79/100

    Spawn in dark forest at X 0, Z 0

    • Ancient City 144 blocks X 144, Z 0
    • Stronghold 1540 blocks
    • Village 1541 blocks
    Open mapCopy seed
20. 20
    -8641509160217195800S90/100

    Spawn in taiga at X 0, Z 0

    • Ancient City 158 blocks X 112, Z 112
    • Stronghold 2048 blocks
    • Village 304 blocks
    Open mapCopy seed

Trims and Swift Sneak: 1.20 city rewards

On this version the ancient city chests include two special smithing templates: the silence and ward trims. Ward is found only here, and silence is among the rarest in the game.

Other rewards worth taking:

• The Swift Sneak enchanted book, which speeds up sneaking on leggings.
• Enchanted golden apples and diamond hoes.
• Music disc fragments, which craft into disc 5.

Swift Sneak pairs neatly with the city's rules: if you sneak faster, you move quietly at a more useful pace, and sculk sensors do not react to sneaking. Put the enchantment on your leggings, wear carpet or wool nearby when needed and keep a bucket handy.

Open the big central chests first and then the side ones. You will find that a city cleared quietly gives you a stash of treasure that outlasts a whole survival world.

Gold and mineshafts above the city

Wooded badlands, the top seed's start, is a place of terracotta bands, oak trees on grassy ledges and plenty of exposed ore. Gold generates in larger amounts here, and abandoned mineshafts are common.

Use the surface for support:

• Mine the terracotta cliffs for gold, then smelt it into apples or powered rails.
• Explore a mineshaft for rails, chests and cave spider spawners.
• Carry torches, since mineshafts are dark.

Badlands have few animals, so bring bread, melons or fish. When your supplies are ready, dig from the base toward the city, placing a lit staircase on the way down.

A city only 48 blocks away means a short staircase, but the deep dark is tough. Stay quiet and keep an escape route clear.

Read how the seed hunter picks and rates seeds.

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