You’re digging. Your shovel breaks, you’re drowning in gravel, and honestly, you’re about to give up on this buried treasure map because the "X" is never where it says it is. Then, it happens. You click a chest and there it is—a glowing, pulsing blue orb. The Heart of the Sea. It looks cool, sure, but Minecraft doesn’t exactly give you a manual. If you’re like most players, you chuck it into a chest next to your spare diorite and forget it exists for three months. That’s a mistake.
The Heart of the Sea is basically the holy grail of ocean survival. It is one of the few items in the game that you cannot craft, cannot trade for, and cannot find just by wandering around. You have to work for it. But once you realize what it does—specifically how it powers the Conduit—the entire way you play the game changes. No more surfacing for air every thirty seconds. No more getting bullied by Drowned in the dark.
Where the Heart of the Sea Actually Hides
You won’t find this thing in a Shipwreck. You definitely won’t find it in an Ocean Monument, though that’s a common misconception. The only way to get a Heart of the Sea is through Buried Treasure chests.
Finding them is a pain. You have to find a Shipwreck or a Ruin first, grab a Map, and then follow that tiny white dot. Here’s the kicker: the "X" on the map is huge. It covers a 9x9 area. Most people dig a massive hole and find nothing because they’re off by one block. Pro tip? If you’re on Java Edition, look at your "Chunk" coordinates (F3). The treasure is almost always at coordinate 9, 9 within the chunk the X is centered on. On Bedrock? Good luck. Just keep digging. Every single Buried Treasure chest is guaranteed to have one Heart of the Sea. One. It doesn’t stack in the chest, and you’ll never find two in the same spot.
The Conduit: Turning the Heart into Power
By itself, the Heart of the Sea is a paperweight. It’s pretty, but it does nothing. To make it useful, you have to craft a Conduit. This is where things get expensive. You need eight Nautilus Shells to surround the heart on a crafting table.
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Nautilus Shells are annoying to get. You can fish for them, but the drop rate is abysmal. You can buy them from Wandering Traders for five emeralds, which is honestly the easiest way if you have a villager trading hall set up. Or, you can hunt Drowned. If you see a Drowned holding a shell, kill it. It’s a 100% drop rate if they are holding it. If they aren't? Don't bother.
Once you have the Conduit, you can't just place it on the seafloor. It needs a cage. A frame.
Building the Frame
You need Prismarine. Not just any blocks, but specifically Prismarine, Prismarine Bricks, Dark Prismarine, or Sea Lanterns. You have to build a 5x5 square frame around the Conduit. The Conduit stays in the center, floating in water.
- Minimum Frame: 16 blocks. This activates the "Conduit Power" effect.
- Maximum Frame: 42 blocks. This is three intersecting 5x5 rings.
When you hit that 42-block max, the Conduit "opens." The blue sphere in the center of the frame cracks open to reveal the Heart of the Sea, and it starts attacking nearby hostile mobs. It’s basically an underwater turret that also lets you breathe.
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Why You Actually Need This
Let’s talk about the "Conduit Power" status effect. This isn't just a gimmick. It gives you three massive buffs:
- Water Breathing: Self-explanatory. Your air bubbles stop shaking. They just stay full.
- Night Vision: The ocean floor usually looks like ink. With a Conduit, it looks like high noon. You can see every crack, every ore vein, and every creeper waiting to ruin your day.
- Haste: You mine faster underwater. Anyone who has tried to clear an Ocean Monument knows that mining fatigue and underwater drag make the process miserable. The Conduit fixes half of that.
The range is decent, too. A fully powered frame reaches 96 blocks in every direction. If you’re building an underwater base, one Conduit can cover the entire footprint. You can live like an actual Atlantean without ever needing to touch the surface.
Common Mistakes and Myths
I’ve seen a lot of players try to set these up in a dry room. It doesn't work. The Conduit itself—and every block of the frame—must be touching water. If there’s even a single air pocket inside that 5x5 structure, the Heart of the Sea won't activate.
Another weird thing? People think you need a Heart of the Sea to find more treasure. Nope. They don't have a "tracking" feature. They are just a component. Also, don't bother trying to "farm" them. Since they only spawn in treasure chests, and those chests don't respawn, your world has a finite number of them unless you travel thousands of blocks to unexplored chunks.
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Technical Nuances for 2026 Gameplay
In the latest updates, the interaction between Conduits and the newer aquatic mobs has become more vital. With the introduction of more complex ocean trench biomes, the night vision aspect of the Heart of the Sea isn't just a luxury—it's survival. Glowing Squids might light up a small area, but the Conduit illuminates the entire biome.
Also, consider the "turret" mechanic. It deals 4 points (2 hearts) of damage every 2 seconds to mobs within 8 blocks. It’s not a lot, but it keeps Guardians and Drowned from hovering right outside your windows. It’s a security system.
Actionable Next Steps for Your World
If you’ve got a Heart of the Sea sitting in a chest, stop waiting. Here is how you should handle it today:
- Locate a Wandering Trader: Don't waste hours fishing for Nautilus Shells. Trap a trader or just check back every few days to buy your 8 shells.
- Raid a Temple: You need Prismarine for the frame. If you aren't strong enough to take down an Ocean Monument, use TNT or invisibility potions to mine the outer walls. You only need 16 blocks to get started.
- The "Dry" Build Trick: If you want to build a base inside an air-filled dome, place the Conduit in a small 3x3 water-filled tank in the center. As long as the Conduit and its frame are submerged, you get the "Conduit Power" effect even when you are standing in the dry areas of your base nearby.
- Chain Them: Since the range is 96 blocks, you can create "power lines" across the ocean floor by placing a new Conduit every 180 blocks. This creates a safe highway for fast travel without ever needing a boat.
The Heart of the Sea is the difference between struggling against the mechanics of Minecraft’s oceans and actually owning them. Go find that "X" on the map. It’s worth the dig.