Gold is an incredibly valuable resource in Minecraft, allowing you to craft numerous items, barter with Piglins, and so much more. As is true in real life, however, gold can be difficult to come by — getting your hands on this sparkly metal is often easier said than done.

It's not all bad news, though — there are actually numerous ways to acquire gold, so long as you know where to look. From caves deep underground to treasure troves hidden in imposing fortresses, gold is stashed away everywhere in Minecraft, and here are the best ways to find it.

10 Killing Zombified Piglins

Minecraft Zombified Piglin Zombie Pigman Gold Farm Nether

Zombified Piglins, formerly known as Zombie Pigmen, drop golden nuggets when killed, which can be crafted into a gold ingot if you have nine of them. Furthermore, Zombified Piglins do have a rare chance of dropping a whole ingot when killed by hand.

While it's not the most efficient way to gather gold, it might come in handy in a pinch, so it's worth knowing. To really squeeze every drop of gold out of your killing, it's also good to note that Zombified Piglins can drop golden swords as well...

Minecraft Smelting Gold Sword Nuggets

When smelted in a furnace, golden items such as swords, axes, and chestplates produce golden nuggets. Again, it's not the most efficient method out there, but if you have some spare golden swords lying around, you might as well smelt them since it's not like they're any good for fighting.

It's also worth noting that golden items can be obtained in a lot of places — in addition to the aforementioned Zombified Piglin drops, they can show up in Ruined Nether Portal chests, be dropped by Piglin Brutes, and are found in countless other locations, so you might end up with more than you think.

8 Mining Gilded Blackstone

Minecraft Gilded Blackstone Gold Nuggets

Another one worth knowing in a pickle is that gilded blackstone can be mined to drop gold nuggets. It only generates in Bastion Remnants, so it's not as good as regular mining, but since gold can be used to distract attacking Piglins, it could be a good way to make an escape.

Gilded blackstone makes a great decoration block, though, so it's perhaps better saved for that if you don't need gold urgently. Whatever you use it for, its rarity means that getting some is a special find, and you're lucky to get your hands on this unique block.

7 Mining Nether Gold Ore

Minecraft Nether Gold Ore Nuggets

This is a more viable way to get decent quanitites of gold, especially if you're spending prolonged periods of time in the Nether. As is likely becoming apparent by now, the Nether has strong links to gold, and actual ore can be found in veins around the dimension.

When mined, Nether gold ore drops 2-6 gold nuggets by default, but this can be as high as 24 with a Fortune III pickaxe, so it's a great way to get your hands on high quantities of nuggets. If you see some Nether gold ore next time you're exploring the Nether, stop and mine it — you might be surprised at how much you get.

6 Looting Chests In Structures

Minecraft Desert Temple Chest Loot Gold

Gold can show up in chests in a ton of Minecraft's generated structures: Dungeons, Mineshafts, Bastion Remnants, Buried Treasure, Shipwrecks, End Cities, Nether Fortresses, Desert and Jungle Temples, Ruined Portals, Strongholds, Woodland Mansions and Villages all have varying chances to spawn gold in their chests.

This makes simple exploring a pretty viable way to acquire reasonable amounts of gold — stumble across enough structures and you'll likely come away with a respectable number of ingots. Be careful, though — many structures are packed with deadly inhabitants looking to protect their treasures.

5 Conquering Ocean Monuments

Minecraft Ocean Monument Treasure Room Gold

Ocean Monuments present a late-game challenge to players — to beat one, you'll need to fend off deadly Guardians while slaying the three Elder Guardians, all while avoiding the peril of drowning. Success brings many rewards, however.

In addition to rare prismarine and sponge found around the Monument, you'll be able to plunder the treasure room — a large chamber at the back of the Monument — and leave with eight gold blocks, making Monument raiding a pretty good way to get gold in bulk.

4 Just Going Mining

Minecraft Gold Ore Cave Mining

Perhaps an overlooked way of acquiring gold, simple mining can be a great way to net the shiny ingots, along with numerous other valuables. Gold ore generates in blobs of 1-13, from Y-levels -63 to 30 (0-32 pre-1.18), so it can be found relatively quickly once you're deep enough.

There are numerous ways to mine, so find one that works for you and embark on your very own underground adventure. You'll likely find more than just gold — diamonds, lapis lazuli, redstone, and emeralds are just some of the treasures you might encounter.

3 Raiding Bastion Remnants

Minecraft Bastion Remnant Treasure Loot Gold Blocks

Gold is everywhere in the Nether, but nowhere is it more common than Bastion Remnants. These imposing structures generate with numerous gold blocks as part of their design, making up statues, treasure troves, and even just parts of walls all around the building.

Though the risks are high due to the dangerous Piglins, the rewards are spectacular — raiding just a couple of Bastions could net you multiple stacks of gold blocks. Considering one gold block is worth nine gold ingots, the spectacular payoff is obviously worthwhile.

2 Mining In A Badlands Biome

Minecraft Badlands Mesa Biome Abandoned Mineshaft Cave Gold Ore

The badlands biome, formerly known as the mesa, has a few special properties. Abandoned Mineshafts can generated at surface level, allowing you easy access into caves to go mining. Once you do start exploring underground, you'll notice the badlands' other main benefit — gold is everywhere.

Gold can generate at any Y-level in badlands biomes, and ore veins spawn ten times more frequently. It's difficult to look around a cave in a badlands biome without seeing gold ore. The badlands are an exceptionally rare biome, but they're worth the trip for the riches they hold.

1 Farming Zombified Piglins

Minecraft Zombified Piglin Zombie Pigman Gold XP Farm

Coming back to Zombified Piglins, there's a far more efficient way to extract gold from them. Building a farm high above the Nether roof is no mean feat, but once it's set up, you'll have more gold than you could ever possibly want.

The only limit on the rate you generate gold is the rate at which the Zombified Piglins can spawn, so it's safe to say you'll be swimming in sparkly nuggets before long. The farm is also fantastic for XP, so it makes a rewarding project to add to any world. Once you have one, you'll wonder how you ever played without it.

Next: Minecraft: The Best Randomly Generated Structures And How To Find Them