How to Survive a Minecraft Desert Temple

Last Updated: November 28, 2020

The Desert Temple is an uncommon sight in the game of Minecraft, but it's certainly a welcome one: these pyramid-like structures can contain rare and valuable loot. However, they also contain a dangerous TNT trap that can be activated by stepping on a pressure plate. Even if this idea makes you nervous, this article will teach you how to go through a Desert Temple and survive.

Steps

1
Find a Desert Temple. Minecraft randomly generates worlds, so there's no foolproof way to find a temple. However, you can start by finding a desert biome; these are characterized by cacti, sand, sandstone, and small, dead bushes.
- If you want to skip this part, try looking online for Desert Temple seeds. There are plenty of seeds that will spawn you right next to or very close to one of these structures—some may even include multiple temples!
- If you want, find a seed with lots of desert temples. Then recreate that map/seed and go into creative mode. Write down the coordinates of important things in the real world, then go back to your survival world in Minecraft. Now you know where to find important buildings and treasure!
2
Enter the temple. Be careful; there could be various monsters inside, taking refuge from the sunlight. Add some torches, just to be safe, and check around so that nothing will sneak up on you.
- It's good to have a strong sword or bow on you when you enter.
Advertisement
3
Use a pickaxe to break through the pattern in the center of the temple. Don't stand on top as you mine! Clear all blocks so you have a clear view of what you're about to do.
4
Be careful as you proceed. At the bottom of the room under the temple, there is a pressure plate; landing on it will activate 9 TNT, which will almost certainly kill you if you have bad armor.^{[1]
X
Research source} There are a couple of ways to safely get to the bottom:
- Spiral stairs: place blocks along the sides of the room, each lower than the next, until you reach the bottom. Avoid stepping on the pressure plate once you get there.
- Mining down: choose a block adjacent to the opening of the chasm and mine down until you reach the floor.
5
Destroy the pressure plate. Use a pickaxe so it will go quickly and you can collect it afterward. Who knows? It could come in handy!
6
Collect the loot. You can also collect the chests and TNT if you want, and any block in the temple that strikes your fancy.
7
Climb back up. If you used the spiral staircase, it will also serve as your way up. If you dug down, you might want to build a pillar up.
8
Finished! Enjoy your awesome loot.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I turn it into a house/base/home?

Kaiden Salyers

Community Answer

Yes, as long as you don't blow up the temple.
Question

Why do Desert Temples sometimes have loot that is junk?

Community Answer

It is completely random, just like a random world seed. The same goes for jungle temples and other places where you may find loot.
Question

What do I do if there are no chests?

Vortrexion

Top Answerer

Desert temples do, on rare occasion, spawn with no chests. In that case, you can gather the TNT, but that is the only useful block available.

Warnings

The loot in Desert Temples aren't always going to be good, as it's randomly generated, and they can sometimes spawn with no chests; so don't get too mad if you don't get anything good. Hey, at least you have the terracotta and the TNT, which is better than nothing.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0