How to use pottery shards in Minecraft

With archeology coming onto the scene in 1.20, plenty of players are wondering how to use pottery shards in Minecraft. If you’re one of them, we’ve got you covered.

Coming in alongside a myriad of new features on display in the snapshot beta for the Trails and Tales update, pottery is a cornerstone of the new Minecraft archeology mechanic. In this guide, we’ll cover how to find pottery shards, how to use them, and more.

Minecraft pottery shards explained

It’s pretty straightforward to use pottery shards in Minecraft. Once you’ve collected the four shards you’d like to use, simply take them over to a crafting table. Combine your four shards in whatever order you’d like, with one top centre, one centre right, one bottom centre, and one centre left on the crafting squares. We’ve illustrated this below.

Doing so will then create a unique pot that displays your four chosen designs on it. With twenty shards available, there are plenty of designs and combinations for you to try out.

You’ll also be able to create blank pots using the same crafting configuration with bricks instead of pottery shards.

What do pottery shards do?

Pottery shards are a new decorative item in Minecraft. You’ll be able to use pottery shards to create a variety of special designs for decorative pots. These pots can be stacked on top of each other like regular building blocks, and their orientation changes depending on which way you’re facing when you place them.

While these pots might not serve much functionality in 1.20, they’ll be a great way to decorate bases and builds, as well as showcase your explorations and adventures throughout your Minecraft world. It’s a decorative feature which should pair nicely with your new armour once you make use of the Minecraft armor trim system also coming this update.

How to find pottery shards in Minecraft

You’ll be able to find pottery shards in Minecraft by using the new Minecraft brush tool on suspicious sand or suspicious gravel blocks. These two new block variations have a rougher texture than their regular counterparts. You’ll be able to find them in and around a variety of structures. Each of these structures hold different and unique pottery shards.

Desert Temples / Desert Pyramids

Alongside all their usual treasures, the largest desert-exclusive structures will now also be able to grant:

• Archer Pottery Shard
• Miner Pottery Shard
• Prize Pottery Shard, sometimes called the Diamond pottery shard
• Skull Pottery Shard
• Desert Wells

Desert Wells

Finally having a use, one of Minecraft’s oldest structures can now hold the following:

• Arms Up Pottery Shard
• Brewer Pottery Shard

Cold Ocean Ruins

Though harder to get to than many structures on land, these ruins can now have:

• Blade Pottery Shard
• Explorer Pottery Shard
• Mourner Pottery Shard
• Plenty Pottery Shard

Warm Ocean Ruins

An easier reach than their cold counterparts, here you can find:

• Angler Pottery Shard
• Shelter Pottery Shard
• Snort Pottery Shard

Trail Ruins

The newest structure, coming with the 1.20 update, will be able to hold:

• Burn Pottery Shard
• Danger Pottery Shard
• Friend Pottery Shard
• Heart Pottery Shard
• Heartbreak Pottery Shard
• Howl Pottery Shard
• Sheaf Pottery Shard

By using the brush tool, you’ll be able to excavate these blocks, and doing so will have a chance to drop a pottery shard. The shard you’ll get is random, and there are twenty unique designs to collect in total.

That’s how to use pottery shards in Minecraft, as well as where to find them and what they do. While knowing how to make these pots might not be as functional as something like knowing how to make a beacon in Minecraft, they’re nonetheless a charming addition to the game. If you need to catch up on the other features coming in 1.20, be sure to take a look at everything you’ll need to know about the Minecraft sniffer or the Minecraft camel, both of whom will be making their debuts alongside pottery when the new update drops.

What do pottery shards do in Minecraft?

Pottery shards are a new decorative item. With twenty patterns in total, players can combine any four pottery shards in a crafting table to create uniquely designed decorative pots.