Blow Up TNT in Minecraft

TNT is an explosive block in Minecraft, and is available in all of the versions (PC/Mac, Pocket, and Console). There are several ways you can ignite TNT, both safely and unsafely. You can light a TNT as simply as using flint and tinder on it, or you can create a complex redstone circuit that will remotely detonate it.

Steps

Making TNT

  1. Find 5 gunpowder piles. You'll need 5 piles of gunpowder in order to craft a piece of dynamite. Gunpowder cannot be crafted, and must be found by defeating certain enemies that have a chance of dropping some, or looking in certain chests that have a chance of holding some:
    • Defeating creepers (before exploding): 66% (1-2 gunpowder)
    • Defeating ghasts: 66% (1-2 gunpowder)
    • Defeating witches: 16% (1-6 gunpowder)
    • Opening desert temple chest: 59% (1-8 gunpowder)
    • Opening dungeon chests: 58% (1-8 gunpowder)
  2. Get 4 sand blocks. You can use regular sand or red sand. Both work the same and can be mixed during the creation of TNT. You can find sand most commonly in the following biomes and areas:
    • Beaches
    • Deserts
    • Riverbanks
    • Mesa (red sand)
  3. Open your crafting window. Use your crafting table to open the crafting grid.
  4. Place the gunpowder in an "X" pattern. Place one gunpowder in each corner of the grid, then place the last piece in the center.
  5. Fill the remaining spaces with sand. Place sand blocks in the four open spaces left in the grid. This will create TNT.
  6. Add the TNT to your inventory. Drag the TNT from the result grid and add it to your inventory. You can now place it in your world to be blown up.[1]

Detonating with Fire

  1. Use flint and steel to light a TNT block. This is the simplest way to detonate TNT. See Make Flint and Steel in Minecraft for instructions on crafting it. Walk up to the TNT with flint and steel equipped to light it. The TNT block will begin flashing when lit.
    • Make sure to back up to a safe distance before it explodes (4 seconds after being lit).
    • TNT has an explosive radius of about 7 blocks.
  2. Use a flaming arrow to light the TNT. If you want to be a little safer when setting off your TNT, you can use a flaming arrow to light it.
    • You can enchant your arrows with flame to make them flaming by using an enchanting table. See Make an Enchantment Table in Minecraft for instructions on creating an enchantment table and using lapis lazuli to enchant items.
    • You can also light an arrow by shooting it through fire or lava. So you can build a fire in front of your TNT block and shoot an arrow through it to light the arrow and detonate the TNT.
  3. Use a fire charge to light the TNT. You can create a fire charge by placing a charcoal in the center of the grid, a blaze powder to the left of it, and a gunpowder below it. Fire charges are not as efficient as flint and steel, as you lose the charge that you throw.
    • Throwing a fire charge at the TNT will light it. You can throw the fire charge by selecting it in your inventory and then using the item.
    • Putting a fire charge in a dispenser will cause it to shoot out as a fireball when triggered. This is not as useful for TNT since the fireball shoots at a random angle.
  4. Detonate TNT using another TNT explosion. TNT caught in the explosion radius of another TNT will light and explode. Unlike TNT you light, which always explodes after 4 seconds, TNT hit by an explosion will detonate after 0.5-1.5 seconds.
    • Since the explosion does not produce an exact radius, make sure your TNT is well within the explosion, no more than 3 or four blocks from the original TNT.
  5. Pour lava or set a fire near the TNT. If lava flows in near the TNT, it will be set off as soon as it catches fire. This can happen even if the lava is not directly touching the TNT. The same principle applies if the area around the TNT is on fire.

Detonating Using a Redstone Circuit

  1. Gather redstone powder. Redstone powder is used to create the redstone circuit and transmit power. For a basic circuit, you can have a trail of up to 15 blocks of redstone powder. Longer trails require redstone repeaters.[2]
    • Redstone ore can only be found on layers 0-15, with the most abundant amount found between layers 4-13. You'll need to mine down to the bedrock layer and then begin your hunt for a redstone vein. You can use any type of pickaxe to mine redstone ore.
    • One block of redstone ore can be crafted into 9 piles of redstone powder. You usually get 4-5 blocks of redstone per redstone ore you mine.
    • You can find redstone powder in dungeon chests and stronghold chests. Witches may drop redstone powder when defeated. Jungle temples spawn 15 redstone powder for the trap.
  2. Make a switch mechanism. There are several different mechanisms you can use to trigger your redstone circuit:
    • Button - This item is placed on the side of a full block, and provides redstone power when pushed. You can make a stone button by placing a single stone block in the center of the crafting grid. You can make a wood button by placing any wood planks in the center grid.
    • Lever - A lever is placed on any solid surface, and can toggle redstone power on and off. You can make a lever by placing a stick in the center of the crafting grid and a cobblestone block underneath it.
    • Pressure plate - This is a button that is pressed automatically when you stand on it. The major difference with a pressure plate versus the other two is that monsters can activate the pressure plate, making it perfect for traps. You can make a pressure plate by putting a stone or wood block in the center of the grid and an identical block to the left.
  3. Create a basic circuit. Now that you have your redstone powder and a switch mechanism, you can create your basic circuit:
    • Place your switch mechanism somewhere that you can use it. This will be your blasting remote, so make sure you can see the explosion.
    • Place redstone powder in a trail towards where you want to put the TNT. The first piece should be adjacent to your switch mechanism. You can place redstone powder by looking at a block and right-clicking while it's equipped. Redstone ore can connect one level up or down, and the total length must be 15 blocks or less.
  4. Place your TNT at the end of the redstone trail. This is where the circuit terminates, and will activate the TNT block. Make sure the TNT box is on the same level as the end of the trail, and is directly adjacent to the final redstone powder block.
  5. Activate your circuit. Now that the TNT has been placed, you can activate your circuit by using the mechanism. Once you trigger the redstone circuit, the TNT will immediately be set to explode. after 4 seconds, the TNT will detonate.
  6. Try a more complex circuit. By using redstone torches, you can create advanced logic gates that can remotely detonate lots of TNT at different intervals. See Make a Redstone Lamp in Minecraft for instructions on making and using redstone lamps, which are an integral part of larger redstone circuits.

Tips

  • TNT is great for clearing out large chunks of land when digging a mine, but be aware that there's a good chance you'll destroy the majority of materials you would have gotten if you had used a pickaxe instead. You'll want to avoid using TNT near rich veins of valuable ore.
  • Protecting yourself from a TNT explosion: If you (or a mob) are sitting in a minecart, you will have minimal damage from a TNT explosion. This can allow you to launch an explosion from considerable distance.
  • If you want to strip mine the fastest way is to light a bunch of TNT stacks on a mountain and it will blow through showing you the contents. This is especially fun with ravines.
  • Obsidian, bedrock and liquid source blocks are immune to TNT explosions. This allows you to make bomb shelters or even a cannon to launch TNT through.
  • Beds will act like TNT in the nether and end but NOT in the overworld.
  • TNT is a troller's favorite trolling device for destruction.
  • Primed TNT does not collide with other primed TNT.
  • TNT is the only explosive made for the prime purpose of exploding. It is possible to cause explosions in less controllable ways, such as beds detonating when used in The Nether or The End or approaching a creeper, which causes it to explode.
  • If TNT is detonated in water, this will stop it from destroying any built or structural blocks. However, if a player or other entity is in the radius of the blast, damage can easily occur to living beings.
  • If you are on an old version of Minecraft and you place TNT in your home, put water on it to make no explosion.

Warnings

  • Too much TNT will lag your game, so be careful. The larger the explosion, the more CPU power required, and can result in singleplayer stuttering or lots of lag in multiplayer.
  • It's best to stay away from TNT when it's lit. Otherwise, you may blow up.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/TNT
  2. ↑ http://minecraft.wikia.com/wiki/Redstone_(Wire)
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