Make a Beacon in Minecraft

Have you ever been lost in Minecraft? Do you just wish there was just something you could spot that would lead you to your home? Beacons can help you find your way but proper Minecraft beacons also have the added bonus of providing status effects, improving your damage, armor, and other attributes. Read below for instructions on making a proper beacon, as well as a simple beacon which does not produce these effects.

Steps

Materials

  1. Get materials for the pyramid base. You will need a base, in the shape of a pyramid, which is made of iron blocks, gold blocks, emerald blocks, or diamond blocks. In order to make the most powerful beacon (the power is determined by height), you will need 164 blocks of any one of those four materials.
    • All four blocks are made by crafting 9 of the smaller base material into a block. Iron ingots make iron blocks, diamonds make diamond blocks, etc.
    • Gold and iron ore are found in same way as most ores (iron much more readily than gold). Emerald is incredibly difficult to find and located only in Extreme Hills.
  2. Get obsidian. You will need 3 obsidian to make the beacon itself. This is easily found or created by exposing lava to flowing water. The water must come down on top of the lava, rather than the other way around (which makes cobblestone).
  3. Get glass. Glass is easily made by smelting sand in a furnace. You will need 5 blocks of glass.
  4. Get a Nether Star. Now, here’s the tricky part. If you’re in Creative mode, getting a Nether Star won’t be hard but getting one in Survival Mode will be a bit of a challenge. In order to get a Nether Star, you have to kill a Wither. He will drop the Nether Star.
    • Summoning a Wither is done similarly to making a Golem in Minecraft. Place four soul sands (found in the Nether) in front of you in a T shape and place 3 Wither Skeleton heads on top (the heads are dropped when killing Wither Skeletons).
    • The Wither will spawn and its health bar will begin to fill. When the bar fills it will explode. Wait for it to do that first, before trying to kill it.

Construction

  1. Clear the area. Get a large, clear area so that you have enough space to build the base. The area will need to be at least 9x9.
  2. Form the first layer. Form the first layer of the base by placing the blocks in your chosen material in a 9x9 square.
  3. Form the second layer. Form the second layer of the base by placing the blocks in your chosen material in a 7x7 square at the center of the 9x9 square. A ring of blocks should be visible at the edge.
  4. Form the third layer. Form the third layer of the base by placing the blocks in your chosen material in a 5x5 square at the center of the 7x7 square. A ring of blocks should be visible at the edge.
  5. Form the fourth layer. Form the fourth layer of the base by placing the blocks in your chosen material in a 3x3 square at the center of the 5x5 square. A ring of blocks should be visible at the edge.
  6. Place the beacon. Place the at the center of the 3x3 square. The beacon itself is crafted with 3 obsidian in the bottom row of the crafting window, the Nether Star at the center, and the other five squares filled with glass.
  7. Choose your status effect. With the beacon created, you will need to right click on it to view and change your status effects. The default should be regeneration.

Alternate Beacon

  1. Find a good spot. This is a basic beacon, unlike the method listed above. Used as a homing beacon, it will give off less light so don't make the beacon on low land. Make it on a mountain so you can spot it from far away.
  2. Place 3 to 6 blocks high (depending on your choice). Use any material you want (other than water or wood).
  3. Make a small glass box but keep the top open.
  4. Bring lava using a bucket and pour it in the hole. Lava is found underground or occasionally in lakes.
  5. Cover the hole with a glass block.

Tips

  • The beacon will be best at night. As it will light up the area around it, allowing you to spot it fast.
  • The higher the beacon, the more you can see it at night.
  • If you make the 3x3 you need 81 iron ingots.
  • When making the glass box, hold shift so you can easily place the blocks without falling.
  • You can also make a tower, but the beacon is more efficient.
  • Glass can be made by placing sand in a furnace.
  • If you don't want lava, you can place a(many) torch(es).
  • If you add more layers under the 3x3, you can increase the effect. Each layer needs to extend by one block in every direction (3*3, 5*5, 7*7, and 9*9)
  • Placing stained glass on top of of a beacon adds color.

Warnings

  • Be reasonable! When choosing the height of the beacon, don't make it touch the sky! No one can see it if it's sky-high.Think ahead and plan a way to get down safely! A fall of over 23 blocks = instant kill.
  • Be careful with lava! It can burn you on contact! In fact,it is the second fastest way to die in Minecraft so a water bucket is very handy!

Related Articles

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Make_a_Beacon_in_Minecraft&oldid=332979"