Underwater Raid

How to Raid an Ocean Monument

The ocean monument is the deadliest structure in the overworld: three Elder Guardians blanket you in Mining Fatigue III the second you arrive, the water drowns you while you fight, and the gold is sealed behind dark prismarine. Win by sequencing it right: kill the Elders, clear the debuff, drain the rooms, then loot.

OXYGEN

Respiration III + Conduit = no drain

Mining Fatigue III

0:30 left

Block break -99.97% · from the Elder Guardian

DRAIN PROGRESS

Place sponge → soaks 7-block radius

3 Elder Guardians · 80♥ total · kill all to clear Fatigue

Sequence the fight: Elders first, water second, gold last

Every mistake in a monument comes from doing things out of order. The trap is trying to mine through Mining Fatigue III, which cuts your break speed by 99.97% and makes a single block take forever. That debuff comes only from the Elder Guardians, and it refreshes whenever one can see you, so cleansing it early is pointless.

Treat it as a kill list. Drop a Conduit for breathing and mining speed, then hunt all three Elders (80 HP each) with a Trident and Prot IV armor. Tank the laser, burst them with Impaling V, and only after the last one dies do you cleanse with milk or wait the timer out. Now your pickaxe works.

Then it's an engineering job. Place sponges to dry a 7-block bubble, mine the eight buried gold blocks for 72 ingots, and clear the wet/dry sponge room. Re-dry sponges in a furnace between rooms so one stack carries you through the whole monument.

The monument residents, next to the rest of the game

A monument is guarded by one mob type and it is worth seeing where it sits. The guardian's numbers are unremarkable on paper; what makes the raid hard is the water, the mining fatigue and the fact that everything hits you while you are slow. Health and damage are not the problem.

Mob	Health	Hit damage	Movement speed	Follow range	XP
Guardian	30	6	0.5	16	10
Drowned	20	3	0.23	35	5
Shulker	30	2	0.7	16	5
Witch	26	2	0.25	16	12

Quick answers

How many Elder Guardians are in a monument?

Exactly three. One sits in the top central room and two guard the wings. Each has 80 HP and applies Mining Fatigue III on sight, so you must kill all three to mine the monument at normal speed.

How do I get rid of Mining Fatigue?

You can't cleanse it while an Elder Guardian can see you, since it re-applies every few seconds. Kill all three Elders, then either drink milk or wait out the 5-minute timer. Conduit Power does not remove it but speeds mining enough to help.

What's the best weapon against guardians?

A Trident with Impaling V melts them, dealing roughly 13.5 damage per hit underwater versus the guardian's 30 HP (Elders 80 HP). A Prot IV netherite setup plus Respiration III keeps you alive through the laser and thorn spikes.

How do I deal with the water inside?

Carry a stack of sponges. Each placed sponge soaks water in a 7-block radius, drying out rooms so you can fight and mine on dry land. Dry wet sponges in a furnace and reuse them. A door or sign can also hold back a single flow.

How much gold does a monument give?

Eight gold blocks are hidden inside the central pyramid behind dark prismarine, worth 72 gold ingots if you mine them all. You'll also find sea lanterns, prismarine and wet sponges from the sponge room.

Do I need a Conduit?

Not strictly, but it's a huge help. Conduit Power gives unlimited underwater breathing, night vision and faster mining inside its range, which offsets oxygen pressure and reduces Mining Fatigue's slowdown. Otherwise rely on Respiration III and water breathing potions.

How tough is a guardian really?

Thirty health and a beam that hits for a few points, which is modest by late game standards. The difficulty of a monument is the environment: mining fatigue, no air, and no ground to stand on while you swing.

What should I bring to a monument?

Water breathing and night vision on the same eight minute clock, a way to place blocks, and something to deal with mining fatigue. Weapon choice barely changes the outcome.

Blocks and items in this guide

Dark Prismarine

Golden Apple

Sea Lantern

Gold Block

Gold Ingot

Prismarine

Wet Sponge

Conduit

All 8 of these are named in the guide above, starting with Dark Prismarine. Look them up in the item database.

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