Minecraft players have an endless world at their disposal but, because of the sheer number of blocks and items that can be crafted, players often forget what can and can't be made or traded for. This is often the case for the Heart of the Sea, a fairly rare item in Minecraft, that becomes important for certain base designs and specific playthroughs.
The Heart of the Sea cannot be crafted unlike most other complex blocks in Minecraft and doesn't spawn like ores or other items in the game. The process is more involved as players have to hunt for a treasure map in order to acquire one. These treasure maps only spawn in two types of locations: shipwrecks and ocean ruins. In order to find one of these two, players need to hunt the ocean floors and coasts for wooden hulks resembling ships or stone buildings. Or they can locate a dolphin for some help.
How to Get Heart of the Sea
Dolphins have the unique ability to guide players to buried treasure, shipwrecks, or ocean ruins depending on which is closest. First, Minecraft players must acquire a raw cod or salmon (which is a drop from killing either one of these fish), and then they must use it to feed a dolphin. The animal should shoot off towards the nearest buried treasure, shipwreck, or ocean ruin and all players have to do is follow it. For the latter two, shipwrecks and ocean ruins, there are chests hidden within them that typically hold these treasure maps.
Treasure maps are similar to regular maps in Minecraft except they have a marker indicating where the player must dig to find a treasure chest. Treasure chests are usually along the coast and if a dolphin guides a player here, they must dig along that area until they uncover the chest. Having a treasure map is more helpful because it specifically points to the location of the chest. But, regardless of how players got there, once found and opened, the chest should hold a variety of random items as well as the Heart of the Sea. It looks just like a blue sphere.
The reason why the Heart of the Sea is so important is because of what can be crafted with it. Combined with 8 nautilus shells, the Heart of the Sea in Minecraft turns into a conduit. A conduit is a beacon-like block that gives off an area-of-effect that combines water-breathing, night vision, and haste.
This block is basically essential for players that want to build a base underwater. Not only does it allow players to breathe and see underwater but it also hurts hostile mobs if they get too close. Important to note here is that the conduit will only work if the player places it in the center of a 3x3x3 volume of water.
Minecraft is available on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.