Ocean Monuments are large underwater buildings made from prismarine. Guardians patrol outside and inside. Every monument also has three elder guardians: one in the top section and one in each side wing.
Elder guardians give players Mining Fatigue III. This effect makes blocks very slow to break. It is hard to mine through the monument while the three elders are alive, so enter through the front and defeat them first.
The monument contains eight gold blocks. Some monuments also have sponge rooms with many wet sponges. You can collect prismarine and sea lanterns after the main fight.
How to Find an Ocean Monument
Ocean Monuments generate in deep ocean biomes. You may see one while traveling by boat, but the water can make it hard to spot.
A cartographer villager can sell an Ocean Explorer Map. The map leads to a monument. Bring a boat and extra storage because the monument contains many blocks you may want to take home.
What to Bring
Prepare before entering the water. The fight takes longer when you cannot breathe, see, or move well.
- Water Breathing potions: let you stay underwater without losing air.
- Night Vision potions: make the dark rooms and hallways easier to see.
- Respiration helmet: gives you more time if a Water Breathing potion ends.
- Depth Strider boots: help you move faster through water.
- Milk buckets: remove Mining Fatigue, but they also remove your helpful potion effects.
- Food, armor, and weapons: keep you alive during the three elder guardian fights.
Make a Safe Camp Near the Monument
Build a small camp on land or on a platform away from the monument. Add a bed, chest, and furnaces. Store spare armor, food, milk, and potions there.
Do not place the first camp on the monument roof. Guardians can attack you in the open, and elder guardians can give Mining Fatigue through blocks.
Enter Through the Front
Use the main entrance instead of trying to break through the outer wall. Mining Fatigue makes the prismarine blocks very slow to mine.
Mark the entrance and each turn with blocks, signs, or torches. Ocean Monument rooms can look similar. Clear markers help you find the exit when a potion is about to end.
How to Avoid Guardian Lasers
A guardian laser needs a few seconds to charge. Move behind a wall or around a corner before it fires. The attack stops when the guardian can no longer see you.
Do not swim toward several guardians in a large open room. Move back into a hallway and fight them one at a time. Guardians also have spikes. Hitting them with a melee weapon while the spikes are out can hurt you.
Where to Find the Three Elder Guardians
Two elder guardians are in the side wings. The third is in the upper part of the monument. They do not respawn after you defeat them.
Clear one side wing and defeat its elder. Return to the center, clear the other wing, and then go to the top section. This order makes the route easier to follow.
Use walls and doorways to block each elder guardian's laser. Heal outside the room when needed. Keep one Water Breathing potion for the final fight and the trip back to the surface.
When to Drink Milk
Milk removes Mining Fatigue right away. It also removes Water Breathing, Night Vision, Strength, and every other active effect.
Do not drink milk in the middle of a hallway unless another Water Breathing potion is ready. An elder guardian can give you Mining Fatigue again while it is alive. Defeat all three elders, move to a safe room, drink milk, and then use another potion.
Find the Gold and Sponges
The eight gold blocks are inside the monument behind dark prismarine. Wait until Mining Fatigue is gone before trying to reach them.
Not every monument has a sponge room. If one generates, look for wet sponges attached to the ceiling. Elder guardians can also drop a wet sponge and may drop the Tide armor trim template. Check the floor after each fight.
How to Dry Wet Sponges
A wet sponge cannot absorb more water. Put it in a furnace with fuel to make it dry again.
Take several furnaces to your camp if you plan to drain the monument. Split a room into small sections with temporary walls. Use the sponges in one section, dry them, and repeat.
What to Do After the Fight
Regular guardians continue to spawn after the elder guardians are gone. You can collect prismarine and sea lanterns, drain part of the building for a base, or build a guardian farm.
Guardian farms work differently on Java and Bedrock. Use a design made for your edition. If you only want a base, drain and light one room first. Expand after that room is safe.
Quick Checklist
- Before the trip: get Water Breathing, Night Vision, milk, food, armor, weapons, and extra storage.
- At the monument: make a safe camp and enter through the front.
- During the fight: use walls to stop lasers and defeat the two wing elders before the top elder.
- After the fight: drink milk in a safe room, use another Water Breathing potion, and collect the gold and sponges.
- For a base or farm: keep regular guardians in mind and use instructions made for your edition.
