If you learned explorer maps before September 2026, half of what you know is now wrong. Minecraft 26.3 does two things to explorer maps at once: it adds a batch of new ones, and it renames every map that already existed. The names in your muscle memory (Jungle Explorer Map, Ocean Explorer Map, Woodland Explorer Map) are gone. Here is the full current list, sourced from Pre-Release 1, with exactly how you get each one.

Rate16 map types total
XP levelJava 26.3
Build timeVaries by map
DifficultyBeginner

Sourced from 26.3 Pre-Release 1 (1 September 2026). A pre-release means the feature set is frozen: Mojang is fixing bugs, not adding or renaming things further, so this list is not going to shift before release. Facts below are drawn from minecraft.wiki's Explorer Map page, the Java Edition 26.3 changelog, and Snapshot 10, where the renames landed.

What actually changed

Two separate things happened during the 26.3 cycle, and it is worth keeping them apart:

  1. New maps were added. 26.3 gives explorer maps to structures that never had one: the Ancient City, Mineshaft, Desert Pyramid, and Warm Ocean Ruins. It also adds eight biome-specific maps that point to other abandoned camps, the new structure this update introduces.
  2. Old maps were renamed. Snapshot 10 renamed five existing explorer maps, purely for clarity. The structures they lead to did not change. Only the item name did.

Pre-Release 1 also fixed a bug. Abandoned camps sitting on a biome edge could generate an explorer map pointing back at the same camp that produced it (bug MC-311431). That is now fixed, so a camp map should always point somewhere else.

The rename: old name, new name

If a guide, a wiki mirror, or your own memory still uses the left column, that is why it reads wrong now:

Old name (pre-26.3) New name (26.3)
Jungle Explorer Map Jungle Pyramid Map
Ocean Explorer Map Ocean Monument Map
Swamp Explorer Map Swamp Hut Map
Trial Explorer Map Buried Trial Chambers Map
Woodland Explorer Map Woodland Mansion Map

Nothing about what these maps do changed. A Jungle Pyramid Map still leads to a jungle temple, a Buried Trial Chambers Map still leads to a Trial Chambers structure. The trades and loot tables that hand them out are unchanged too, just relabeled.

The full current list, and how to get each

This is every explorer map confirmed for 26.3, split by source. The village maps (Desert, Plains, Savanna, Snowy, Taiga) were not renamed and are not part of the Snapshot 10 change; they are included here so the table is complete.

Map Leads to How you get it Cost (if a trade)
Desert Village Map Desert village Cartographer, Apprentice trade 8 emeralds + compass
Plains Village Map Plains village Cartographer, Apprentice trade 8 emeralds + compass
Savanna Village Map Savanna village Cartographer, Apprentice trade 8 emeralds + compass
Snowy Village Map Snowy village Cartographer, Apprentice trade 8 emeralds + compass
Taiga Village Map Taiga village Cartographer, Apprentice trade 8 emeralds + compass
Jungle Pyramid Map (was Jungle Explorer Map) Jungle temple Cartographer, Apprentice trade 8 emeralds + compass
Swamp Hut Map (was Swamp Explorer Map) Swamp hut Cartographer, Apprentice trade 8 emeralds + compass
Ocean Monument Map (was Ocean Explorer Map) Ocean monument Cartographer, Journeyman trade 13 emeralds + compass
Buried Trial Chambers Map (was Trial Explorer Map) Trial Chambers Cartographer, Journeyman trade 12 emeralds + compass
Woodland Mansion Map (was Woodland Explorer Map) Woodland mansion Cartographer, Master trade 14 emeralds + compass
Buried Treasure Map Buried treasure Loot only: shipwreck or ocean ruin chest Not a trade
Abandoned Camp Map (8 biome variants) Another abandoned camp Loot only: common chest inside an abandoned camp Not a trade
Ancient City Map Ancient City Loot only: secret chest inside an abandoned camp Not a trade
Mineshaft Map Mineshaft Loot only: secret chest inside an abandoned camp Not a trade
Desert Pyramid Map Desert pyramid Loot only: secret chest inside an abandoned camp Not a trade
Warm Ocean Ruins Map Warm ocean ruins Loot only: secret chest inside an abandoned camp Not a trade

The new structure maps (Ancient City, Mineshaft, Desert Pyramid, Warm Ocean Ruins) and the new abandoned camp maps are loot-only. Nothing in the wiki's cartographer trade list adds them to the villager's offer pool, so do not expect to buy your way to an Ancient City map at a trading hall. If that changes before release, it did not show up in Pre-Release 1.

Abandoned camps: the map, and the eight biomes

The abandoned camp is the new surface structure this update adds, and it comes with its own explorer map that points to other abandoned camps rather than to itself. It generates in eight forest and jungle biome variants: Bamboo Jungle, Cherry Grove, Birch Forest, Dappled Forest, Flower Forest, Pale Garden, Swamp, and Windswept Forest.

You find the map in the camp's common chest, one of the standard loot containers inside the structure, not a rare secret one. Once you have a camp map, follow it to the next camp, and check its secret chest for one of the higher-value structure maps below. For the full breakdown of what an abandoned camp looks like and what else is worth looting from it, see the abandoned camp guide.

The four brand-new structure maps

These four structures never had an explorer map before 26.3. All four come from the same source: the secret chest inside an abandoned camp, which sits alongside the more common loot in the camp's regular chests.

Map What it points to
Ancient City Map The Ancient City, the deep-dark structure below Y=0
Mineshaft Map A generated mineshaft
Desert Pyramid Map A desert pyramid (temple)
Warm Ocean Ruins Map Warm ocean ruins

An Ancient City map is the standout here. Ancient Cities were previously found by exploring deep slate blindly or using third-party tools; this is the first in-game, vanilla way to get pointed straight at one.

Cartographer trades, unchanged targets

The cartographer villager still sells explorer maps exactly the way it did before 26.3, just under the new names. If you already have a villager trading hall running, nothing about the setup changes:

  • Apprentice tier unlocks the biome village maps plus the Jungle Pyramid Map and Swamp Hut Map, all at 8 emeralds and a compass.
  • Journeyman tier unlocks the Ocean Monument Map (13 emeralds) and the Buried Trial Chambers Map (12 emeralds).
  • Master tier unlocks the Woodland Mansion Map, at 14 emeralds.

Which specific village map (Desert, Plains, Savanna, Snowy, or Taiga) a given cartographer offers depends on the biome it spawned in, the same as before 26.3. For the general mechanics of leveling a villager through these tiers and cutting the price, see the villager trades reference, which covers discounting through zombie curing and Hero of the Village in detail.

Quick reference: which maps come from trading, which from loot

Source Maps
Cartographer villager All five biome village maps, Jungle Pyramid, Swamp Hut, Ocean Monument, Buried Trial Chambers, Woodland Mansion
Structure loot only Buried Treasure, Abandoned Camp (8 variants), Ancient City, Mineshaft, Desert Pyramid, Warm Ocean Ruins

If a map is not on the left, do not go looking for it at a trading hall. Loot the structure it comes from instead, and for the newest five, that structure is an abandoned camp.

FAQ

What is the new name for the Jungle Explorer Map in Minecraft 26.3?

Jungle Pyramid Map. It still leads to the same jungle temple and still comes from the cartographer's Apprentice tier for 8 emeralds and a compass. Only the name changed, in Snapshot 10.

What happened to the Woodland Explorer Map?

It was renamed to the Woodland Mansion Map in Snapshot 10. It is unchanged otherwise: Master-tier cartographer trade, 14 emeralds and a compass, still leads to a woodland mansion.

How do you get an Ancient City map in Minecraft 26.3?

Loot the secret chest inside an abandoned camp. It is not a cartographer trade; no villager sells it as of Pre-Release 1.

How do you find an abandoned camp's explorer map?

Check the camp's common chest, a standard loot container in the structure. It points to another abandoned camp in one of the same eight biomes the structure generates in.

Did the trial chambers map name change too?

Yes. It went from Trial Explorer Map to Buried Trial Chambers Map. It is still a Journeyman-tier cartographer trade for 12 emeralds and a compass.

Can you still buy the new 26.3 maps from a cartographer villager?

No, not based on what shipped through Pre-Release 1. The Ancient City, Mineshaft, Desert Pyramid, Warm Ocean Ruins, and abandoned camp maps are all loot-only, found inside abandoned camps.

Sources & further reading: