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Items · Rare drop · 1.21

How to Get a Heavy Core

The heavy core is the rarest piece of the maceand there is exactly one place to find it: the ominous vaults of a trial chamber. No shortcuts, just ominous runs.

The only source

Ominous vaults, full stop. You make a vault ominous by clearing a trial under Bad Omen, then opening it with an ominous trial key. Normal vaults never drop it.

How often it actually drops

Roughly how often each reward turns up across ominous vaults. Relative, not exact, but it shows where the heavy core sits: at the bottom.

Diamonds & emeraldsmost runs
Wind chargescommon
Enchanted diamond gearcommon
Enchanted golden applesometimes
Heavy corerare, the prize

The loop you will repeat

1
Stock up on ominous bottles
Beat a raid captain for Bad Omen, or grab ominous bottles, so you can turn trials ominous on demand.
2
Go ominous
Drink an ominous bottle and step into a trial chamber. The spawners turn ominous.
3
Clear the ominous spawners
Fight the harder waves. Breezes here drop the breeze rods you will also need for the mace.
4
Open every ominous vault
Spend your ominous trial keys on the ominous vaults. The heavy core can be in any of them.
5
No core? Run it again
It is genuinely rare. If no core dropped, set up another ominous trial and repeat. Most players need several vaults.

What it is for

+→
A heavy core plus a breeze rod crafts the macethe heaviest-hitting weapon in the game. That is the core's only purpose.

Quick answers

Is there more than one source for a heavy core?

No. Ominous vaults in a trial chamber are the only place it drops. A normal vault never gives one, so a run that is not ominous cannot produce a heavy core at all.

How do you make a vault ominous?

Clear the trial while under Bad Omen, then open the vault with an ominous trial key. Bad Omen comes from beating a raid captain or from drinking an ominous bottle before you enter.

What else do you need for the mace?

A breeze rod, which the Breezes in the same ominous spawners drop while you are clearing the waves, so one good ominous run can supply both halves of the mace.

Is the heavy core guaranteed from an ominous vault?

No. It is one of the rarer drops, so expect to open several ominous vaults across multiple trials before one appears.

Can I get it from a normal vault?

No. Ominous vaults only. A normal trial key will never give you a heavy core.

What is the heavy core used for?

One thing: crafting the mace, together with a breeze rod. It has no other use.

Where do breeze rods come from?

Breezes, which spawn from trial spawners (more often in ominous trials). Each Breeze can drop breeze rods.

Can I trade or duplicate heavy cores?

No villager trades them and there is no farm-able duplication. You earn them from ominous vaults.

First time down there? Read how to find a trial chamber and how to use trial keys. When you have your core and a rod, build the mace. Full drop tables live on the items database.

Quick answers

Is there more than one source for a heavy core?

No. Ominous vaults in a trial chamber are the only place it drops. A normal vault never gives one, so a run that is not ominous cannot produce a heavy core at all.

How do you make a vault ominous?

Clear the trial while under Bad Omen, then open the vault with an ominous trial key. Bad Omen comes from beating a raid captain or from drinking an ominous bottle before you enter.

How often does the heavy core drop?

Rarely, and it sits at the bottom of the reward table. Diamonds and emeralds turn up on most runs, wind charges and enchanted diamond gear are common, an enchanted golden apple appears sometimes, and the heavy core is the prize you keep going back for.

What else do you need for the mace?

A breeze rod, which the Breezes in the same ominous spawners drop while you are clearing the waves. That means one good ominous run can supply both halves of the mace.

Blocks and items in this guide

Enchanted Golden Apple in MinecraftEnchanted Golden AppleOminous Trial Key in MinecraftOminous Trial KeyOminous Bottle in MinecraftOminous BottleGolden Apple in MinecraftGolden AppleWind Charge in MinecraftWind ChargeBreeze Rod in MinecraftBreeze RodHeavy Core in MinecraftHeavy CoreTrial Key in MinecraftTrial Key

All 8 of these are named in the guide above, starting with Enchanted Golden Apple. Look them up in the item database.

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