Crystallized Amber is a glowing orange block from the Deeper and Darker mod that you’ll find set into the stone columns of the Overcast Columns, a biome of the Otherside. Some blocks of it are empty, while others have something sealed inside, either an item like a Diamond or a Gloomsherd, or a living Sculk Leech.
You’re able to see what’s inside before you break it, as the item or the Leech floats in the middle of the block. That makes it worth checking each one as you pass, since the right tool will either free the item, or let you carry the whole block away with its contents still inside.
Obtaining
Most Crystallized Amber is in the Overcast Columns, where about half of the complete Gloomslate pillars have a band of it running through their middle third. A few of the blocks in each band hold something, and the rest are plain amber that only glows faintly and has nothing inside.
You’ll also find a little in the Ancient Temple, set into one of the rooms below ground, and the chest at the very top of the temple sometimes holds one to three blocks of it. The amber from chests is always empty, so it’s only useful for building.
Plain Crystallized Amber only drops when you mine it with Silk Touch, so breaking an empty block with a normal pickaxe gives you nothing back. It’s quick to mine either way, and a pickaxe is the right tool for it.
What It Contains
When a block of amber in a column is filled, it either holds a Sculk Leech or a single item, and the item is picked from a short list. About one in five filled blocks has a Leech in it, and the rest have something like Iron, Gold, Quartz or a 
Sculk Bone, with a smaller chance of Diamonds, Emeralds or even an enchanted pair of Iron Boots.
Crystallized Amber Contents
Amethyst Shard 
Gold Ingot 
Iron Ingot 
Nether Quartz 
Soul Dust 
Iron Boots 
Diamond 
Emerald 
Diamond Axe 
Brittle Gloomsherd 
Temple Gloomsherd 
Ward Gloomsherd 
Wayfinder Gloomsherd The chances above are for any filled block, so the remaining 20% or so is the Leech. Half of the Iron Boots come enchanted, and the amber is one of the ways to find four of the Gloomsherds, which is handy if you’re collecting the set for a Gloomslate Pot.
The Gloomsherds were added in 1.4, so they aren’t in the 1.20.1 version of the mod, which stops at 1.3.3. If you’re playing that version, the amber holds the same kinds of items, just without any Gloomsherds mixed in.
Breaking It
Mining a filled block with a normal pickaxe frees whatever is inside, so the item drops on the ground or the Sculk Leech comes out in its place. It’s worth checking for a Leech before you swing, as it’ll be right next to you the moment the amber breaks.
With Silk Touch, you’ll get the whole block back instead, with its item or Leech still sealed inside, and the tooltip will tell you what it contains. Placing it down again keeps the contents exactly as they were, so you’re able to move a Diamond in amber to your base as a trophy, or bring a sealed Leech home without it getting loose.
If you don’t want to fight a Leech, either leave that block alone or take it with Silk Touch, as it can’t escape while it’s sealed inside. Breaking it later, somewhere safe, lets you deal with it on your own terms.
Uses
Empty Crystallized Amber is mostly a decorative block, as it’s partly see-through and gives off a very faint light. It goes well with 
Gloomslate, since that’s what it grows in, and it also composts with a high chance of adding a layer, which is a handy way to clear out any spares.
The filled blocks are worth more as loot than as building blocks, so it’s usually best to break them for their contents. A few kept whole with Silk Touch do make a nice display, though, especially the ones with a Diamond or a Leech frozen inside.
FAQ
Filled Crystallized Amber holds either a Sculk Leech or one item, like Iron, Gold, Quartz, Soul Dust, a Sculk Bone, a Diamond, an Emerald or a Gloomsherd. You’re able to see the item or the Leech inside the block before you break it, so you’ll know what you’re getting.
Crystallized Amber is set into the Gloomslate columns of the Overcast Columns biome, and a Silk Touch pickaxe will collect the block itself. Mining it normally only frees what’s inside, and empty blocks drop nothing unless you’re using Silk Touch.
You can, as mining a filled block with Silk Touch drops it with the item or Leech still inside, and placing it again keeps the contents the same. Breaking it later without Silk Touch will then free whatever was sealed in it.
