Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, community sites named in the text and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Explosive, Pitfall, Water and Lava Traps
minecraft.wiki lists, among other groups, explosive traps (landmines, trick houses, exploding furnaces), pitfall traps (hidden holes and false floors), water traps (fake elevators, whirlpools) and lava traps (lava pits, lava doors, lava fillers). Each family uses the same trigger parts in different ways.
What are common explosive traps?
- Landmine: pressure plate over TNT. minecraft.wiki says the basic version is inefficient and often non-lethal; instant designs do better.
- Trick house: TNT behind buttons and spots a visitor is likely to use.
- Warehouse trap: a big room with TNT under the floor that punishes thieves.
- Lectern bait: a 'secret book' that sets off TNT on a chosen page.
- Exploding furnace: a comparator behind a furnace lights TNT when someone smelts.
- C4 trap: a stack of TNT lit by a fire charge from a dispenser.
What are pitfall traps?
- False floor: a hidden safe path through a pit field for allowed players.
- Fake chunk error: a 16 x 16 hole lined up with real chunks that looks like a loading glitch.
- Piston pit and false door pit: the floor drops when triggered.
- Painting trap: a painting hides the drop.
Fall damage is the cheapest killer; pointed dripstone at the bottom adds damage.
What are water and lava traps?
- Fake water elevator: looks like transport, is a trap.
- Whirlpool: magma blocks pull targets down, though minecraft.wiki notes you can breathe in a bubble column, so it does not drown players.
- Lava pit, lava door, lava filler: lava drops or pours onto the target; careful players often spot lava doors.
The PvP guide also describes an 'inescapable arrow trap': a bubble column pit filled with Harming II arrows.
How do raiders spot traps?
minecraft.wiki's multiplayer survival guide warns raiders to look for random valuable blocks, pressure plates (even in front of iron doors), containers wired to redstone, tripwires and switches, and to break a piece of carpet floor (not the one you stand on) because carpets often hide pits or lava. See disarming traps.
Where do I learn the parts?
PvP traps overview and redstone basics. Base defence: base security.
Frequently asked questions
Is a pressure plate landmine a good trap?
minecraft.wiki says the basic landmine is inefficient and often not lethal; instant versions work better.
How do you find hidden traps?
Look for odd valuable blocks, pressure plates, wired containers and tripwires, and test carpet floors from a safe spot.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.