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How to find and use echo shards in Minecraft

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Of all the new things that can be added to Minecraft, some of the most exciting are new enemy mobs and biomes. Enemies give players not only a new threat to contend with, as they typically have their own unique abilities, but also new drops. Biomes, meanwhile, are packed with new content, from blocks to mobs themselves. The Wild Update released with a few new biomes and mobs, plus a new mysterious item called echo shards.

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Difficulty

Moderate

Duration

10 minutes

What You Need

  • Minecraft

  • Crafting table

  • Compass

Echo shards are a surprise addition to Minecraft since they were not listed among the other features coming to the game. That led to a lot of mystery surrounding this new resource, which many still don't know how to find, let alone use. Getting your hands on it won't be easy, but the reward is a brand new item to craft that could make your life much easier when adventuring in these new and dangerous biomes. Here's everything you need to know about how to find and use echo shards in Minecraft.

An underground city with chests.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

How to find echo shards

Finding echo shards will be highly dependent on luck. They only appear in one biome, so if luck is with you, you will be able to find that biome fast, but it may end up taking a bit more time if you get a bad roll.

Step 1: Find a Deep Dark biome. This is a brand new biome added in The Wild Update that appears deep underground. They can start spawning at any point from the coordinates Y -52.

Step 2: Once in a Deep Dark biome, you need to find an Ancient City inside this area. It won't be hard to spot one since they are extremely large.

Step 3: Enter the Ancient City and loot the chests. These will be filled with very high-end items, including a chance for some echo shards. They're not guaranteed, though, so again, you're relying on a bit of luck.

Crafting a recovery compass.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

What do echo shards do?

Echo shards, at least at this point, only have one purpose. That is to craft a brand new item called the recovery compass.

Step 1: Collect eight or more echo shards.

Step 2: Combine these echo shards on a crafting table with a regular compass by placing it in the center square and surrounding it with echo shards.

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