Dungeons and Taverns Ancient City Overhaul Data Pack (1.21.11, 1.20.1)

Dungeons and Taverns Ancient City Overhaul Data Pack completely reimagines Minecraft's ancient cities, turning them from repetitive underground ruins into dense, claustrophobic mazes filled with better loot and atmospheric details. Created by NovaWostra and downloaded over 2.6 million times, this data pack replaces the vanilla layout with taller walls, narrower pathways, and compact new structures — making every expedition into the deep dark feel genuinely dangerous and rewarding.

Key Features

• Redesigned city layout — Taller, slimmer main walls and narrower roads create a tight, maze-like atmosphere that makes navigating ancient cities far more intense than vanilla.
• New structures replace old ones — The bland deepslate cobblestone ring structures are gone, replaced by smaller houses, ice box structures, and amethyst box structures scattered throughout the city.
• Atmospheric additions — Road lanterns light the pathways, alarm towers add tension, soul-fire bonfires burn on city pillars, and rumble effects appear in structure parts for added immersion.
• Overhauled loot tables — Ancient cities now reward exploration with iron and gold ingots and nuggets, rare diamonds, tools, and full armor sets — not just hoes and leggings like vanilla.
• Hidden city-center treasure — The central statue now contains three chests, giving players a high-risk, high-reward target to aim for.

Screenshots

How to Install

1. Download the Dungeons and Taverns Ancient City Overhaul Data Pack file for your Minecraft version.
2. Open Minecraft, go to your world selection screen, click your world, then select Edit → Data Packs.
3. Drag the downloaded .zip file into the data packs folder that opens, or click "Open Pack Folder" and paste it there.
4. Activate the data pack by moving it to the "Selected" column, then click Done and start your world.

Requirements

Requirement	Details
Mod Loader	None (Data Pack — works with vanilla Minecraft)
Dependencies	None
Minecraft Versions	1.21.11, 1.21.10, 1.21.9, 1.21.8, 1.21.7, 1.21.6, 1.21.5, 1.21.4, 1.21.3, 1.21.1, 1.21, 1.20.6

Pros & Cons

Download

What's New

• Fixed a bug caused by a missing tag that could affect world generation.
• Last updated on February 13, 2026.
• The data pack continues to receive maintenance updates since its original release in October 2023.

FAQ

Does this data pack work on existing worlds?

Yes, but only newly generated ancient cities will have the overhauled layout. Ancient cities you've already explored will keep their vanilla structure.

Do I need Forge or Fabric to use this data pack?

No. This is a vanilla data pack, so it works without any mod loader. Just drop it into your world's data packs folder and activate it.

What kind of loot can I find in the overhauled ancient cities?

The overhauled loot tables include iron and gold ingots and nuggets, rare diamonds, various tools, and armor sets — a significant upgrade over vanilla's limited hoe and leggings drops.