Desert pyramid

A desert pyramid is a structure found in desert biomes and built mostly of sandstone. The desert temple contains four loot chests hidden under the floor in the center protected by a TNT trap, and a secret buried room to the side where archaeology can be performed. Even though it is officially called desert pyramid, colloquially it is referred to as desert temple.^[1]

Generation[]

Desert pyramids generate in desert biomes. Desert pyramids have a lower generation frequency in Java Edition than in Bedrock Edition.

Structure[]

Desert pyramids are intended to represent an excavation site. The structure is constructed with normal, chiseled and cut sandstone, orange and blue terracotta, sandstone slabs and sandstone stairs.

Desert Temple Interior — The inside view of a desert pyramid central room.

The pattern of orange terracotta on the towers of desert pyramids is an Ankh; the ancient Egyptian symbol for life and the Nile (river) key. There is one main entrance in the front, two more entrances in the back on both the left and right sides near the top of the pyramid, and a one-block wide window at the top. Even if the rest of the pyramid generates mostly buried by sand, the top of the pyramid is almost always above ground. A mostly buried pyramid can still be accessed by the window in the top if necessary, though fall damage is likely. In the center of the pyramid's 21×21 ground floor is a checkerboard pattern of terracotta and sandstone in a wind rose symbol, with a block of blue terracotta in the center.

The four chests with the TNT trap — A preview of the four hidden chests with the TNT trap under the desert pyramid.

Underneath this terracotta is a secret fosse containing four chests, which are rigged by a stone pressure plate directly under the blue terracotta block. The pressure plate is connected to a 3×3 grid of TNT, which means that if a player or mob unintentionally steps on the plate, it sets off the nine TNT blocks, which destroy the chests and their loot. As there is no light in the chest room, mobs sometimes spawn inside it and trigger the TNT trap, destroying the chests and loot before any player can reach it.

As of update 1.20, desert pyramids also generate with a lower room situated in the back (either on the left or right), and buried in sand, some of it being suspicious. This room is 5x5 blocks in length, has another instance of the sandstone wind rose pattern on the ground, and is connected to the main floor with collapsed stairs.

When a desert pyramid generates above a ravine, the foundation extends downward until it reaches the bottom.

Chest Loot[]

In Java Edition, each desert pyramid chest contains items drawn from 3 pools, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size ^[A]			Weight ^[B]			Chance ^[C]	Avg. per chest ^[D]	Avg. # chests to search ^[E]
Item	2–4×	4×	1×	2–4×	4×	1×	Chance ^[C]	Avg. per chest ^[D]	Avg. # chests to search ^[E]
Nothing^[F]	1	—	1	¹⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	⁶⁄₇	88.3%	1.051	1.1
Bone	4–6	1–8	—	²⁵⁄₂₃₂	¹⁰⁄₅₀	—	70.8%	5.216	1.4
Rotten Flesh	3–7	1–8	—	²⁵⁄₂₃₂	¹⁰⁄₅₀	—	70.8%	5.216	1.4
Gunpowder	—	1–8	—	—	¹⁰⁄₅₀	—	59.0%	3.600	1.7
Sand	—	1–8	—	—	¹⁰⁄₅₀	—	59.0%	3.600	1.7
String	—	1–8	—	—	¹⁰⁄₅₀	—	59.0%	3.600	1.7
Spider Eye	1–3	—	—	²⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	28.7%	0.647	3.5
Enchanted Book^[G]	1	—	—	²⁰⁄₂₃₂	—	—	23.5%	0.259	4.3
Saddle	1	—	—	²⁰⁄₂₃₂	—	—	23.5%	0.259	4.3
Golden Apple	1	—	—	²⁰⁄₂₃₂	—	—	23.5%	0.259	4.3
Gold Ingot	2–7	—	—	¹⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	18.0%	0.873	5.5
Iron Ingot	1–5	—	—	¹⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	18.0%	0.582	5.5
Emerald	1–3	—	—	¹⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	18.0%	0.388	5.5
Iron Horse Armor	1	—	—	¹⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	18.0%	0.194	5.5
Dune Armor Trim Smithing Template	—	—	2	—	—	¹⁄₇	14.3%	0.286	7.0
Golden Horse Armor	1	—	—	¹⁰⁄₂₃₂	—	—	12.3%	0.129	8.1
Diamond	1–3	—	—	⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	6.3%	0.129	15.8
Diamond Horse Armor	1	—	—	⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	6.3%	0.065	15.8
Enchanted Golden Apple	1	—	—	²⁄₂₃₂	—	—	2.6%	0.026	39.0

In Java Edition 1.20.2, each desert pyramid chest contains items drawn from 3 pools, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size ^[A]			Weight ^[B]			Chance ^[C]	Avg. per chest ^[D]	Avg. # chests to search ^[E]
Item	2–4×	4×	1×	2–4×	4×	1×	Chance ^[C]	Avg. per chest ^[D]	Avg. # chests to search ^[E]
Bone	4–6	1–8	—	²⁵⁄₂₃₂	¹⁰⁄₅₀	—	70.8%	5.216	1.4
Rotten Flesh	3–7	1–8	—	²⁵⁄₂₃₂	¹⁰⁄₅₀	—	70.8%	5.216	1.4
Nothing^[F]	1	—	1	¹⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	⁴⁄₇	64.9%	0.765	1.5
Gunpowder	—	1–8	—	—	¹⁰⁄₅₀	—	59.0%	3.600	1.7
Sand	—	1–8	—	—	¹⁰⁄₅₀	—	59.0%	3.600	1.7
String	—	1–8	—	—	¹⁰⁄₅₀	—	59.0%	3.600	1.7
Spider Eye	1–3	—	—	²⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	28.7%	0.647	3.5
Enchanted Book^[H]	—	—	1	—	—	²⁄₇	28.6%	0.286	3.5
Enchanted Book^[G]	1	—	—	²⁰⁄₂₃₂	—	—	23.5%	0.259	4.3
Saddle	1	—	—	²⁰⁄₂₃₂	—	—	23.5%	0.259	4.3
Golden Apple	1	—	—	²⁰⁄₂₃₂	—	—	23.5%	0.259	4.3
Gold Ingot	2–7	—	—	¹⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	18.0%	0.873	5.5
Iron Ingot	1–5	—	—	¹⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	18.0%	0.582	5.5
Emerald	1–3	—	—	¹⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	18.0%	0.388	5.5
Iron Horse Armor	1	—	—	¹⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	18.0%	0.194	5.5
Dune Armor Trim Smithing Template	—	—	2	—	—	¹⁄₇	14.3%	0.286	7.0
Golden Horse Armor	1	—	—	¹⁰⁄₂₃₂	—	—	12.3%	0.129	8.1
Diamond	1–3	—	—	⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	6.3%	0.129	15.8
Diamond Horse Armor	1	—	—	⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	6.3%	0.065	15.8
Enchanted Golden Apple	1	—	—	²⁄₂₃₂	—	—	2.6%	0.026	39.0

In Bedrock Edition, each desert pyramid chest contains items drawn from 3 pools, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size ^[A]			Weight ^[B]			Chance ^[C]	Avg. per chest ^[D]	Avg. # chests to search ^[E]
Item	2–4×	4×	1×	2–4×	4×	1×	Chance ^[C]	Avg. per chest ^[D]	Avg. # chests to search ^[E]
Nothing^[F]	1	—	1	¹⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	⁶⁄₇	88.3%	1.051	1.1
Bone	4–6	1–8	—	²⁵⁄₂₃₂	¹⁰⁄₅₀	—	70.8%	5.216	1.4
Rotten Flesh	3–7	1–8	—	²⁵⁄₂₃₂	¹⁰⁄₅₀	—	70.8%	5.216	1.4
Gunpowder	—	1–8	—	—	¹⁰⁄₅₀	—	59.0%	3.600	1.7
Sand	—	1–8	—	—	¹⁰⁄₅₀	—	59.0%	3.600	1.7
String	—	1–8	—	—	¹⁰⁄₅₀	—	59.0%	3.600	1.7
Spider Eye	1–3	—	—	²⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	28.7%	0.647	3.5
Enchanted Book^[G]	1	—	—	²⁰⁄₂₃₂	—	—	23.5%	0.259	4.3
Saddle	1	—	—	²⁰⁄₂₃₂	—	—	23.5%	0.259	4.3
Golden Apple	1	—	—	²⁰⁄₂₃₂	—	—	23.5%	0.259	4.3
Gold Ingot	2–7	—	—	¹⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	18.0%	0.873	5.5
Iron Ingot	1–5	—	—	¹⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	18.0%	0.582	5.5
Emerald	1–3	—	—	¹⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	18.0%	0.388	5.5
Iron Horse Armor	1	—	—	¹⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	18.0%	0.194	5.5
Dune Armor Trim Smithing Template	—	—	2	—	—	¹⁄₇	14.3%	0.286	7.0
Golden Horse Armor	1	—	—	¹⁰⁄₂₃₂	—	—	12.3%	0.129	8.1
Diamond	1–3	—	—	⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	6.3%	0.129	15.8
Diamond Horse Armor	1	—	—	⁵⁄₂₃₂	—	—	6.3%	0.065	15.8
Enchanted Golden Apple	1	—	—	²⁄₂₃₂	—	—	2.6%	0.026	39.0

↑ ^a ^b ^c The size of stacks (or for unstackable items, number) of this item on any given roll.
↑ ^a ^b ^c The weight of this item relative to other items in the pool.
↑ ^a ^b ^c The odds of finding any of this item in a single chest.
↑ ^a ^b ^c The number of items expected per chest, averaged over a large number of chests.
↑ ^a ^b ^c The average number of chests the player should expect to search to find any of this item.
↑ ^a ^b ^c 'Nothing' does not refer to the chance of an empty chest. Instead, it refers to the chance that the random loot generator does not add any loot on a single roll.
↑ ^a ^b ^c All enchantments are equally probable, including treasure enchantments (except Soul Speed, and Swift Sneak), and any level of the enchantment is equally probable.
↑ Enchanted with a random level of Unbreaking.

The loot chances above are per chest. As each chest has a 2.6% chance to contain an enchanted golden apple for example, with four chests, each pyramid has about a 10% chance overall of having at least one.

Archaeological Loot[]

In Java Edition, each desert temple's suspicious sand contains 1 item stacks, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size ^[A]	Weight ^[B]	Chance ^[C]	Avg. per chest ^[D]	Avg. # chests to search ^[E]
Archer Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Emerald	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Gunpowder	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Miner Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Prize Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Skull Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
TNT	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Diamond	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0

In Bedrock Edition, each desert temple's suspicious sand contains 1 item stacks, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size ^[A]	Weight ^[B]	Chance ^[C]	Avg. per chest ^[D]	Avg. # chests to search ^[E]
Archer Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Emerald	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Gunpowder	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Miner Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Prize Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Skull Pottery Sherd	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
TNT	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0
Diamond	1	¹⁄₈	12.5%	0.125	8.0

↑ ^a ^b The size of stacks (or for unstackable items, number) of this item on any given roll.
↑ ^a ^b The weight of this item relative to other items in the pool.
↑ ^a ^b The odds of finding any of this item in a single chest.
↑ ^a ^b The number of items expected per chest, averaged over a large number of chests.
↑ ^a ^b The average number of chests the player should expect to search to find any of this item.

History[]

Java Edition
1.3.1		12w21a			Added desert pyramids. A desert pyramid does not generate fully if generated partially on lakes.
1.4.6		12w50a			Enchanted books now may generate in desert pyramid chests.
1.6.1		13w18a			Added horse armor to the chest's loot
1.8		14w03a			Desert pyramids now generate with hardened clay instead of wool.
1.9		15w44a			The chest loot is changed.
					Added gunpowder, sand, string, spider eyes and normal and enchanted golden apples.
					Average yields of diamonds, gold ingots and iron ingots were very decreased.
					Average yields of horse armor, enchanted books, rotten flesh, saddles and emeralds are a little increased.
1.13		18w06a			Desert temples are renamed to desert pyramids.
1.13		18w06a			Changed spawning locations of desert pyramids (this allowed `/locate` to differentiate between locating pyramid types).
1.18		experimental snapshot 3			Desert pyramids now always spawn on the surface rather than at a fixed Y-level.
		experimental snapshot 3			Previously, their sandstone and terracota floor was at Y-level 65.
		experimental snapshot 4			Desert pyramids now tend to generate partially buried.
		experimental snapshot 4			Desert pyramids are no longer able to generate above water sources.
1.20 (experimental)		23w04a			The dune armor trim may be found in the desert pyramid chest now.
		23w05a			Increased the chance of dune armor trims from from 11.1% to 14.3%.
		23w05a			The dune armor trims now always generate two templates in a desert pyramid chest when found.
		23w07a			The desert temple now includes a new room filled with sand and suspicious sand.
					Some sand and suspicious sand will appear exposed and can be found at the same height as the blue terracotta.
					The suspicious sand may contain archer, prize, and skull pottery shard; gunpowder, TNT, diamond, and emerald.
1.20		23w12a			The loot of the suspicious sand in desert pyramid has been changed.
					Miner pottery shards now spawn in desert well with the probability of 1/8.
					The probability of all items spawn in desert pyramid is now 1/8.
		23w14a			A suspicious sand is now visible on the top layer of the newly added room in desert temple.
Upcoming Java Edition
Villager Trade Rebalance (Experimental)		1.20.2 Pre-release 1			Unbreaking enchanted books now have a higher chance of generating in desert pyramid chest loot.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.13.0		build 1			Added desert pyramids. They could also be found in the desert hills biomes.
v0.15.0		build 1			Enchanted books and horse armor now generate in desert pyramid chests.
Bedrock Edition
1.20.0 (experimental)		beta 1.19.70.23			Now includes a new room filled with sand and suspicious sand.
1.20.0 (experimental)		beta 1.19.70.23			Some sand will appear exposed and can be found at the same height as the blue terracotta.
Legacy Console Edition
TU14	CU1	1.05	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added desert pyramids.
TU31	CU19	1.22	Patch 3	1.0.1	Desert pyramids now generate with hardened clay (now called terracotta) instead of wool.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0					Added desert pyramids.

Issues[]

Issues relating to "Desert pyramid" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Gallery[]

The archaeology room.
The main room of a desert pyramid from older versions, where dyed wool could be found.
A chamber inside in one of the two towers.
The chamber from the top floor.
A desert pyramid containing terracotta.
The treasure room inside the hidden lower chamber of the pyramid.
The nine TNT rigged under the stone pressure plate.
A pyramid generated in a desert village. A desert well and a buried, ruined portal are also visible.
A desert pyramid generated under the sand.
A desert pyramid partly generated under the sand with a desert village generating near it.
What desert pyramids look like on maps.
A reconstructed pyramid with the shaft extending below it.
The previous pyramid viewed from a different angle.
A pyramid generated on a thin desert caused by a badlands biome being generated next to a plains biome resulting in the pyramid being in 3 biomes.
A desert pyramid generated inside a mountain.
A village, a swamp hut and a desert pyramid close to each other.
Desert pyramid generated close to the village on the edge of desert biome.
Desert pyramid generated in village.
A desert pyramid completely buried under a hill.
A deeply buried desert pyramid outside of a village. In the distance, a pillager tower and another pyramid spawned.
Desert pyramid, mineshaft and stronghold generated together.
Desert pyramid reaching into 3 biomes (river, desert and plains).
A pyramid half buried in the sand.
Zuri approaching the structure.