You’re deep in a cavern, torchlight flickering against the mossy cobblestone of a dungeon chest. You click. Among the wheat and iron horse armor sits a small, black-and-teal circle. Music Disc - Cat. It’s a moment of pure relief. Honestly, collecting all music discs in Minecraft is the true endgame for a lot of us. Forget the Ender Dragon; try finding a copy of "Otherside" when the RNG gods are angry at you.
Minecraft's audio landscape changed forever when C418 first dropped those iconic lo-fi tracks. But now? The disc collection is a massive, sprawling mess of rare loot tables, creeper-killing mechanics, and unsettling lore. It’s not just about "Chirp" anymore. It’s about hunting down relics in ancient cities and trial chambers.
The Creeper Trap: How You’ll Get Most of Your Discs
Basically, if you want the "classic" set, you have to play matchmaker between a Skeleton and a Creeper. This is the primary way players get their hands on the original 12 discs. It’s chaotic. You have to weaken a Creeper—usually two hits with a stone sword does the trick—and then position yourself so a Skeleton’s stray arrow delivers the killing blow.
If the Skeleton gets the kill, the Creeper drops a random disc. Not just any disc, though. You can pull 13, Cat, Blocks, Chirp, Far, Mall, Mellohi, Stal, Strad, Ward, 11, and Wait this way.
Some people build elaborate "disc farms" using boats or pistons to trap the mobs. It’s smarter. Personally, I just find a flat plain at night and run around like a lunatic until a Skeleton accidentally snipes his green friend. It’s faster, if a bit more dangerous.
The C418 Classics You Already Know
Everyone has a favorite. "Stal" is that weirdly catchy jazz piece with the recorder solo that Jshlatt famously hated. "Mellohi" sounds like a melancholic waltz you’d hear in a haunted ballroom. Then there’s "11."
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Disc 11 is the stuff of nightmares. It’s not even music; it’s the sound of someone running, coughing, and frantically scraping at stone. For years, the community theorized it was the sounds of a player being hunted by Endermen or Herobrine. It’s short, broken, and ends abruptly. If you find this in a chest, maybe just leave it there. Some things are better left unplayed.
The "New" Era: Lena Raine and the Rare Drops
Once Mojang started moving away from C418, the disc game got way more interesting. They started tying specific tracks to specific biomes and structures. You can't just farm Creepers for these. You have to explore.
Pigstep changed everything.
Found only in Bastion Remnants within the Nether, "Pigstep" by Lena Raine is a certified banger. It’s got a dirty, hip-hop inspired beat that feels completely different from anything else in the game. The drop rate is low—around 5.6% in generic chests. You’ll probably have to raid three or four Bastions before you see that red-colored disc. It’s worth the lava burns.
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Then came Otherside. This one is tucked away in Stronghold altar chests or, rarely, in Ancient City chests. It starts as a bright, upbeat tune before shifting into something a bit more nostalgic and slightly eerie. It feels like a bridge between the old Minecraft and the new.
The Horror of the Ancient City
If you think Disc 11 was creepy, wait until you try to piece together Disc 5. You don't just "find" this one. You have to find Disc Fragments inside the chests of an Ancient City. You need nine fragments to craft the actual disc.
The track itself is terrifying. It features the sounds of a portal opening, heavy breathing, and the muffled roar of the Warden. It’s basically a sonic diary of a civilization’s last moments. Collecting this is a rite of passage. You’re crouching through the deep dark, heart racing, hoping a sculk shrieker doesn't go off, all for a few shards of plastic.
The Trial Chambers and Beyond
As of the more recent updates, we’ve got even more variety. Aaron Cherof joined the roster with tracks like Precipice, which you can find in the Vaults of Trial Chambers. These aren't like normal chests. You need a Trial Key to open them, and the loot is instanced for each player.
Then there’s Creator and Creator (Music Box). These are also found in Trial Chambers. The "Creator" disc is particularly cool because it’s melodic and grand, fitting for the massive copper structures it’s found in.
- Precipice: Found in standard Vaults (about a 3% chance).
- Creator: Found in Ominous Vaults (the harder ones you open while under the Bad Omen effect).
- Otherside: Check your Strongholds and Ancient Cities.
- Relic: This one is unique. You have to use a brush on Suspicious Gravel in Trail Ruins. It’s a 1/12 chance, roughly.
Why Do People Even Collect These?
It's about the flex. Having a jukebox in your base with a full chest of discs says you’ve been everywhere. You’ve survived the Nether, you’ve outsmarted skeletons, and you’ve brushed dirt off ancient ruins.
Plus, the technical side is fascinating. Each disc has a specific "Redstone power" level when played in a Jukebox with a comparator. If you’re a Redstone nerd, these discs aren't just music; they’re variables. Playing "Pigstep" outputs a different signal strength than playing "13." You can literally build a door that only opens if you play the right song. It's like a musical password.
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Completing Your Collection: A Practical Checklist
If you're serious about getting every single one, stop wandering aimlessly. Use a strategy.
First, set up a simple hole-in-the-ground trap for the Skeleton/Creeper kills. Spend one night doing that and you’ll have the first 12 discs easily. Just make sure you have plenty of shields.
Next, head to the Nether. Find a Bastion. Don't just look for "Pigstep"—keep an eye out for "Snout" banners and gold blocks while you're there.
The hardest part is the Trail Ruins and Ancient Cities. For the Relic disc, bring lots of brushes and patience. Trail Ruins are mostly buried, so you’ll be doing a lot of digging before you even see the suspicious gravel.
For Disc 5, don't even try to fight the Warden. Just bring wool. Lots of wool. Cover the ground in wool to dampen your footsteps and loot those chests like a ghost.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check your loot: Go through your storage. Many players toss discs into random chests without realizing they found a rare 1/20 drop like "Otherside."
- Craft a Jukebox: You need one diamond and eight wood planks. It's the only way to verify what you've got.
- Start a "Creeper Pit": Dig a 3x3 hole, two blocks deep. Lure a Creeper in, then stand on the other side so a Skeleton shoots it. It’s the most efficient way to get the "classic" library in under thirty minutes.
- Visit a Trial Chamber: If you're on the latest version, grab some milk (to clear Bad Omen if things get too hairy) and find a Trial Chamber to hunt for "Precipice."
The hunt for all music discs in Minecraft is a long grind, but hearing "Pigstep" kick in while you're safely back in your base makes the near-death experiences with Skeletons totally worth it.