Skip to main content

How to find and use echo shards in Minecraft

End city in Minecraft.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Of all the new things that can be added to Minecraft, some of the most exciting are new enemy mobs and biomes. These give us all fresh reasons to enchant our weapons, brew up some potions, and get ready to explore all over again. The Wild Update introduced a new mysterious item called echo shards. Echo shards are a surprise addition to Minecraft since they were not listed among the other features coming to the game. That led to a lot of mystery surrounding this new resource, which many still don't know how to find, let alone use. Getting your hands on it won't be easy, but the reward is a brand new item to craft that could make your life much easier when adventuring. Here's all the tips and tricks you need to know about how to find and use echo shards in Minecraft.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Moderate

Duration

10 minutes

What You Need

  • Minecraft

  • Crafting table

  • Compass

An underground city with chests.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

How to find echo shards

Finding echo shards will be highly dependent on luck. They only appear in one biome, so if luck is with you, you will be able to find that biome fast, but it may end up taking a bit more time if you get a bad roll.

Step 1: Find a Deep Dark biome. This is a brand new biome added in The Wild Update that appears deep underground. They can start spawning at any point from the coordinates Y -52.

Step 2: Once in a Deep Dark biome, you need to find an Ancient City inside this area. It won't be hard to spot one since they are extremely large.

Step 3: Enter the Ancient City and loot the chests. These will be filled with very high-end items, including a chance for some echo shards. They're not guaranteed, though, so again, you're relying on a bit of luck.

Crafting a recovery compass.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

What do echo shards do?

Echo shards, at least at this point, only have one purpose. That is to craft a brand new item called the recovery compass.

Step 1: Collect eight or more echo shards.

Step 2: Combine these echo shards on a crafting table with a regular compass by placing it in the center square and surrounding it with echo shards.

Jesse Lennox
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over four years and has no plans of stopping. He covers all things…
Where to find the cartographer in Dawntrail in Avowed
An environment shot of the Dawnshore Eastern Overlands in Avowed.

After the tutorial teaches you the essential tips and tricks for playing Avowed, you will be set free in the Living Lands. Almost right away you will encounter a man named Sanza who has an important side quest for you to locate a missing cartographer. While you might be eager to complete the main story, side quests are important for unlocking new abilities and exploring the world. Unlike most side quests, however, this one only gives you a vague written description of where the cartographer is instead of a marker on your map to travel to. Even though each zone in Avowed isn't massive, there is still a lot of ground to cover when looking for a single person. Here's where you can find the cartographer in Dawntrail.
Where to find the missing cartographer

The side quest only says that the cartographer should be located near some cliffs on the east side of Dawntrail, which is quite a big place to search. The area you're looking for is called Usher's Hand and is directly east of Paradis. If you go out the eastern exit and head north, you will find it no problem.

Read more
How to break down equipment in Avowed
A character in avowed stands off with an enemy.

Making sure your equipment is as powerful as possible is an obvious but essential tip and trick to remember while playing Avowed. Your skills will play a large part in combat, especially when you rebind them for easy access, but your armor and weapons will be the most important factors in how tough the game is to beat. Upgrading your gear is the best way to keep up with the difficulty, but it isn't long before you hit walls where you need much more materials than you have to get to the next tier. Breaking down extra weapons and armor you find will be the best way to get your hands on more of these precious materials, and you can do it right from the menu. Here's how.

Read more
How to rebind skills in Avowed
A spellcaster holds a book in Avowed.

Making proper use of all your best abilities in Avowed is the easiest of the tips and tricks you can take into the game. When you begin, you will have your healing and mana potions set on your quick select bar, followed by the first skill you unlock and first companion ability. That's great in the early game, but it isn't long before you unlock new skills that you want on that slot more than what is put there for you. You can always access all your abilities through the tactical menu, but that is a bit cumbersome. Instead, here's how you can remap your quick skills to whatever you want.

Read more