Early on inMinecraft, new players may wonder what experience is for. Although players level up much like an RPG, this doesn’t provide them with any kind of skill points or stat increases. After obtaining two of the most difficult-to-get resources in the game (diamond and obsidian), players cancraft an enchanting table, and it is here that levels become important.
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To get the best enchantments, players will need to be above level 30, and every time they enchant something, they lose one to three levels. It’s easy to tell how this could get expensive quickly, but some players have created anXP farm that works with 1.18, the latest update.
Updated on August 06, 2025, by Anastasia Maillot:A new version of Minecraft often means that many redstone-based farms and contraptions stop working. Players who relied on a kelp XP farm may have noticed that their farms from 1.17 are now useless. Luckily, the designs between these two game versions won’t be too drastically different in terms of required resources. Here’s how to build a workingkelp XP farm for Minecraft 1.18and start enchanting all that diamond and Netherite gear.
Why Build A Kelp XP Farm In Minecraft?
XP farms have been a constant thing inMinecraft, but what shape they take has changed dramatically over the years. With each new major update, the best XP farm seems to stop working and then is quickly replaced with another created by fans. These have looked like giant towers that spawn monsters and drop them to their deaths all the way down to minuscule farms. The most recent XP farm inMinecraftuses kelp, however.
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Kelp XP farms are relatively easy and cheap to make. They don’t require a lot of blocks like mob farms, and players don’t need to get lucky and find a spawner in the wild. They’re very accessible, even to the beginner player, which makes them a worthwhile building project.
How To Build A Kelp XP Farm
The design for this farm has changed slightly with the release of 1.18Minecraft. Players with a previous, older world from 1.17 may want to update their world and also work on updating their farms, which might no longer work in the new version of the game. In order to make this compact kelp XP farm, players will need the following items:
Most of these resources are very accessible, but more expensive items like redstone will require the player to venture deep into the caves to find some. Make sure to checkthe ore distribution guide to see where redstone can be found inMinecraft1.18.Kelp can be found in most oceans, regardless of temperature.
After gathering all of the materials, players canstart the construction of thisMinecraftXP farm. It doesn’t take up too much space compared to some other models and has some very nice benefits that go along with it.
The video abovefrom JC Playzshows in great detail the step-by-step process of making this farm. After completing it, players will have three important things. The intended purpose is as an XP farm, and letting it run for a bit while the player does other things is a great way to hit level 30 very quickly.
How Does The Kelp XP Farm Work?
When kelp passes through thetwo smokers at the bottom of the farm, a bit of XP is stored inside. Players should wait for as long as possible for the XP to accumulate before grabbing kelp from the smokers.verify to also fuel the farm regularly using the dried kelp in the bottom chest. When first starting, players will likely haveto use coal or charcoaland then switch to dried kelp once they have ample stock of it.
Aside from that, it also serves as a source of dried kelp, which players can use to restore hunger in a pinch. This kelp XP farm is also efficient in terms of how much space it uses, the amount of XP it generates, and for the fact that it literally fuels itself. With this built, players should have no problem enchanting a plethora of weapons, tools, armor, or books. In fact, it’s highly likelyMinecraftplayers will run out of lapis lazulibefore they run out of levels.
Minecraftis available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
