I once followed a map until the sun set on a plain and found nothing but sheep. You know that sudden, hollow pause when the compass spins and the promise falls flat. That moment is why I learned every trick here so you don’t waste a single night chasing an icon.
I’ve seen players circle the same plains until nightfall. All Explorer Maps in Minecraft and Where to Find Them
I’ll keep this sharp: Explorer Maps point to specific structures or biome-related sites so you can stop wandering and start raiding. You can buy many from Cartographer villagers, but a handful are hidden in chests—especially inside the new Abandoned Camps added by Mojang for the 26.3 update. I’ll walk you through every map, who sells it, and the exact trade or chest to hunt.
| Explorer Map | Points To | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean Monument Explorer Map | Ocean Monument | Any Cartographer |
| Woodland Mansion Explorer Map | Woodland Mansion | Any Cartographer |
| Trial Chambers Explorer Map | Trial Chamber | Any Cartographer |
| Jungle Pyramid Explorer Map | Jungle Temple | Desert, Savanna, or Swamp Cartographer |
| Swamp Hut Explorer Map | Witch Hut | Jungle, Snowy, or Taiga Cartographer |
| Plains Village Map | Plains Village | Desert, Savanna, Snowy, or Taiga Cartographer |
| Savanna Village Map | Savanna Village | Desert, Jungle, or Plains Cartographer |
| Desert Village Map | Desert Village | Jungle or Savanna Cartographer |
| Snowy Village Map | Snowy Village | Swamp or Taiga Cartographer |
| Taiga Village Map | Taiga Village | Plains, Savanna, or Swamp Cartographer |
| Buried Treasure Map | Buried Treasure | Shipwrecks and Ocean Ruins |
| Ancient City Map | Ancient City | Abandoned Camps |
| Mineshaft Map | Mineshaft | Abandoned Camps |
| Desert Pyramid Map | Desert Pyramid | Abandoned Camps |
| Warm Ocean Ruins Map | Warm Ocean Ruins | Abandoned Camps |
| Abandoned Campsite Map | Another Abandoned Camp | Abandoned Camps |
Most trades live inside Village stalls near your base. How to Get Each Explorer Map
Short version: Cartographers sell many maps once they hit the right profession level; Abandoned Camps drop the rest. I’ll list each map, the villager level or chest it comes from, and any small tip that saves time in Java or Bedrock.
Ocean Monument Explorer Map
The Ocean Monument map is sold by any Cartographer once they reach Journeyman. The trade costs 13 Emeralds plus 1 Compass. If you’re hunting sponges or Elder Guardians, this map is the shortest path.
Woodland Mansion Explorer Map
Woodland Mansion maps drop at Master-level Cartographers for 14 Emeralds and a Compass, or appear rarely in Abandoned Camps secret chests. I use this map when I want Totems of Undying or rare loot—it’s a high-reward raid.
Trial Chambers Explorer Map
Introduced with the Trial Chambers, this map is a Journeyman Cartographer trade: 12 Emeralds + 1 Compass. It points straight to the underground structure, saving you from blind tunneling.
Jungle Pyramid Explorer Map
Jungle Temple maps are sold by Apprentice Cartographers born in Desert, Savanna, or Swamp biomes. If you want Wild Armor Trim or chests sealed in vines, hunt a Desert- or Savanna-born Cartographer and trade for their Apprentice map.
Swamp Hut Explorer Map
Apprentice Cartographers native to Jungle, Taiga, or Snowy biomes sell Swamp Hut maps. Use one to find witches, cats to tame, or potion ingredients without wasting hours of swamp travel.
Village Maps: Plains / Savanna / Desert / Snowy / Taiga
Village maps are sold by Apprentice Cartographers tied to specific home biomes. For example, Plains Village maps come from Cartographers from Savanna, Desert, Taiga or Snowy biomes. Use these when you want a reliable trading hub or a place to settle.
Buried Treasure Map
Buried Treasure maps spawn in Shipwreck and Ocean Ruin chests—not via villagers. They show a red X on the map; use them for early-game iron, gold, and sometimes Heart of the Sea finds.
Ancient City Map
Ancient City maps are one of the five new Explorer Maps added with the Abandoned Camps. You can only find them in the secret chests inside Abandoned Camps, with a drop rate of about 14.3%. These point to Deep Dark Ancient Cities—high risk but high reward for sculk, echo shards, and griefed loot.
Mineshaft / Desert Pyramid / Warm Ocean Ruins Maps
The Mineshaft, Desert Pyramid, and Warm Ocean Ruins maps are found only inside Abandoned Camps secret chests and each carries the same ~14.3% drop rate. If you want early TNT, rails, or archaeology finds, these maps save hours of digging.
Abandoned Campsite maps appear in regular Abandoned Camps chests and point to other camps across biomes: Bamboo Jungle, Cherry Grove, Birch Forest, Dappled Forest, Pale Garden, Swamp, and Windswept Forests. Abandoned Camps are worth clearing on sight: they are treasure nodes and, for me, a consistent early-game income source.
How many Explorer Maps are there in Minecraft?
There are 16 Explorer Map types now. The 26.3 update added Ancient City, Mineshaft, Desert Pyramid, Warm Ocean Ruins, and the Abandoned Campsite maps to the existing set.
Where can I find the newly added Explorer Maps in Minecraft?
All five newly added maps are found by looting chests and secret chests in Abandoned Camps spawned across biomes. If you use finders like AMIDST or Chunkbase to preview seeds, you’ll spot camps and plan fast runs—Mojang’s changes made Abandoned Camps a focused source for those maps.
Can the Explorer Maps be zoomed out?
No. Explorer Maps and Buried Treasure Maps cannot be expanded with a Cartography Table or crafting; they remain single-scale items so you must follow the map’s center or use coordinates to triangulate.
I treat Explorer Maps as a heat-seeking missile for structures: drop the map, follow the marker, and you reach the loot. Abandoned Camps are treasure chests of clues—once you learn their spawn patterns, your map collection fills fast.
If you want to grind trades, level Cartographers with the usual farmer/lectern cycle; if you prefer fieldwork, hunt Abandoned Camps in Java or Bedrock and open every secret chest. Which map will you chase first—and what will you risk to get it?