7 Easy Steps to Light a Beacon in Minecraft

For Minecraft players seeking to establish a beacon of hope and prosperity, the art of igniting one is an essential skill to master. Beacon’s ability to amplify players’ abilities and ward off the night’s horrors makes them invaluable assets in any Minecraft adventure. However, lighting a beacon requires more than just placing it down – it demands a ritual imbued with effort and precision.

The path to illuminating a beacon begins with procuring the necessary materials: glass, iron, and the coveted Nether star, a rare and precious treasure found exclusively within the perilous Nether dimension. Once these components are gathered, the crafting process can commence, transforming them into a beacon base and a beacon pyramid. The base is the foundation upon which the pyramid rests, and its construction requires placing nine glass blocks in a square formation. Atop this base, the beacon pyramid, made from one to four layers of iron blocks, is erected, providing both stability and a sense of grandeur to the impending beacon.

With the beacon structure complete, the moment of ignition draws near. The beacon pyramid’s apex is the focal point for this final stage. By placing the Nether star atop the pyramid’s peak, players initiate the empowerment process. As the Nether star’s energy courses through the beacon, the structure erupts in a brilliant burst of light, illuminating its surroundings and signaling the beacon’s activation. The beacon now stands as a beacon of hope and protection, empowering players with enhanced abilities and shielding them from the lurking darkness.

Crafting a Beacon

The beacon is a powerful block in Minecraft that grants various beneficial effects to players within its range. Crafting a beacon requires a significant investment of resources, but its benefits make it worthwhile.

Materials:

Item	Quantity
Netherite ingot	1
Glass	3
Obsidian	9

Crafting Process:

Creating the Beacon Base: Place the netherite ingot in the center of a crafting table. Surround it with glass blocks on all four sides.
Adding the Obsidian Pyramid: Place the obsidian blocks in a pyramid shape on top of the glass base. The bottom layer should have 9 blocks, the second layer should have 4 blocks, and the third and final layer should have 1 block.
Activating the Beacon: Once the pyramid is complete, place a diamond or emerald block on top of the single obsidian block at the peak. The beacon will now activate and emit a beam of light.

To activate the beacon’s effects, assign it a status effect by placing the corresponding item on top of it. The possible effects and their activation items are as follows:

Speed: Diamond
Haste: Emerald
Resistance: Gold ingot
Strength: Netherite sword
Regeneration: Ghast tear
Jump Boost: Rabbit’s foot
Speed II: Two diamonds
Haste II: Two emeralds

Collecting the Necessary Materials

Crafting a beacon in Minecraft requires gathering specific materials. Here’s a detailed guide to the essential items you need:

Gathering the Glass

You’ll need a total of 19 glass blocks to create the beacon’s pyramid base. Glass is obtained by smelting sand in a furnace or finding it naturally in various structures like desert temples.

Collecting the Obsidian

To form the beacon’s base, you’ll require 5 obsidian blocks. Obsidian is a rare and highly durable material found by pouring water over a lava source block. Once poured, it cools and solidifies into obsidian.

Obtaining the Nether Star

The Nether Star is the pivotal component that powers the beacon. It’s an extremely rare and valuable item dropped only by the Wither boss located in the Nether realm. Defeating the Wither is a challenging task, but it’s essential to obtain the Nether Star.

Constructing the Beacon Base

Creating the Foundation

Begin by laying down a 9×9 square of Iron Blocks, Obsidian, or Diamond Blocks to serve as the foundation of the beacon. This will provide a sturdy base for the subsequent layers.

Building the Pyramid

Starting from the foundation, construct a pyramid shape by placing 8 rows of blocks in each layer, diminishing the size by one block per level. The pyramid should form a stepped structure, with each layer gradually reducing in size until it reaches the top.

Choosing the Material

The choice of material for the pyramid’s outer layer influences the beacon’s range and effects. Each material offers specific benefits:

Material	Range	Effect
Iron	20 blocks	Haste I
Gold	30 blocks	Haste II
Diamond	50 blocks	Haste III

Diamond provides the widest range and strongest Haste effect, making it the most desirable material for constructing a beacon. However, Iron and Gold are more affordable and accessible, so their use depends on the player’s resources and preferences.

Adding the Beacon’s Stem

Once you have the base of your beacon complete, it’s time to add the stem. The stem is the elevated structure that will hold the beacon’s light source. To create the stem, you will need:

Material	Quantity
Iron Block	9

Place an iron block in the center of the top surface of the beacon base.
Surround the iron block with 8 more iron blocks, creating a square around it.
Place another iron block on top of the central iron block, directly above it.
Continue stacking iron blocks vertically, creating a tower of 3 or more blocks. The higher the tower, the brighter the beacon’s light will be, with a maximum height of 4 iron blocks.

The stem of your beacon is now complete. You can proceed to add the beacon’s pyramid and light source to activate it and enjoy its illuminating effects.

Finalizing the Beacon Structure

Once the beacon’s base is assembled, it’s time to complete its structure. Follow these steps:

1. Add the Beacon Pyramid

Place a single iron block on top of the beacon base. This will serve as the base of the pyramid. Then, build up the pyramid by placing another layer of iron blocks, followed by a layer of glass, then iron, and finally glass. The pyramid should be a total of five layers high.

2. Finalize the Structure

Place a nether star on top of the pyramid to complete the beacon structure. The beacon will now glow with a powerful light, illuminating the surrounding area.

3. Powering the Beacon

Unlike other blocks in Minecraft, beacons do not function on their own. They require a power source to operate. To power a beacon, you must insert the desired effects into its inventory. These effects can be obtained by crafting potions or by finding them in chests or other loot containers.

4. Inserting Effects

To insert effects into a beacon, simply open its inventory by right-clicking on it. The beacon’s inventory consists of four slots for holding potion effects. Place the desired potions in these slots to activate their effects within the beacon’s range.

5. Beacon Range and Effects

The range of a beacon’s effects depends on the pyramid’s height. The more layers the pyramid has, the larger the radius of the beacon’s effects. The following table shows the relationship between the pyramid’s height and the beacon’s range:

Pyramid Height	Beacon Range
1	20 blocks
2	30 blocks
3	40 blocks
4	50 blocks
5	60 blocks

Energizing the Beacon

To power up the beacon, you’ll need a sturdy base made of netherite, iron, gold, diamond, or emerald blocks. The size of the base determines the level of the beacon’s power. A 1×1 base will give you a Tier 1 beacon, while a 9×9 base will give you a Tier 4 beacon, the most powerful level.

Once you have your base, you’ll need to place a beacon block on top of it. The beacon block is the heart of the beacon, and it’s what will allow you to activate the beacon’s effects.

To activate the beacon, you’ll need to place a pyramid of minerals around the beacon block. The minerals can be any type of mineral, but they must be placed in a specific order. The bottom layer of the pyramid must be made of iron ingots, the middle layer must be made of gold ingots, and the top layer must be made of diamond or emerald blocks.

Once the pyramid is complete, the beacon will be activated. The beacon’s effects will now be active in the area around the beacon. The range of the beacon’s effects depends on the level of the beacon.

Beacon Effects

The beacon can provide a variety of effects, depending on the type of mineral used to activate it. The following table shows the different effects of beacons:

Mineral	Effect
Iron	Haste
Gold	Resistance
Diamond	Regeneration
Emerald	Speed

Providing the Beacon’s Power Source

The Beacon requires a consistent power source to function. Various blocks can serve this purpose, each providing different levels of power.

Renewable Sources

Iron Blocks: Generate 360 power.
Gold Blocks: Generate 180 power.
Diamond Blocks: Generate 90 power.

Non-Renewable Sources

Netherite Block: Generates 540 power.
Emerald Block: Generates 450 power.

Special Source

Beacon Core Block: Generates 250 power. This special block can only be obtained by crafting or trading with Villagers.

Block	Power
Iron Block	360
Gold Block	180
Diamond Block	90
Netherite Block	540
Emerald Block	450
Beacon Core Block	250

Note that the power level provided by a block is cumulative. For example, placing two Gold Blocks beneath the Beacon will generate 360 power.

Establishing the Beacon’s Effects

To activate the beacon, it requires a pyramid construction made of either iron blocks, gold blocks, diamond blocks, or netherite blocks as the base. The pyramid’s size determines the beacon’s level and its range of effects.

The pyramid can have a base level of 3×3, 5×5, 7×7, or 9×9. Each level increases the beacon’s maximum height by one block, up to a maximum height of 4 blocks for a 9×9 base.

The following table summarizes the pyramid size requirements for each beacon level:

Beacon Level	Pyramid Base Size
1	3×3
2	5×5
3	7×7
4	9×9

Note that the beacon’s base can be any combination of the allowed block types, and the blocks do not need to be arranged in a specific pattern.

Enhancing Beacon Functionality

1. Beacon Upgrade

Utilize nether stars to upgrade your beacon, providing it with increased power and functionality.

2. Pyramid Structure

Construct a pyramid of iron blocks beneath the beacon to amplify its effects, with a base of 5×5 and a height of 3 blocks.

3. Secondary Effects

Beacons grant primary effects (e.g., Haste, Resistance) and secondary effects (e.g., Mining Fatigue, Hunger). Primary effects last longer and have higher levels.

4. Block Types

Choose the correct block type for the beacon’s pyramid base to determine the primary effect (e.g., Iron for Haste, Diamond for Regeneration).

5. Beacon Range

The beacon’s range is limited to 50 blocks, so position it appropriately to affect the desired area.

6. Secondary Effects Control

Use a redstone torch to toggle between primary and secondary effects. Placing the torch at the beacon’s base disables secondary effects.

7.Beacon Placement

Place the beacon at the top of the pyramid and ensure it has clear line of sight to the surrounding area.

8. Beacon Power

The beacon’s power is determined by the height of the pyramid. A base of 5×5 with a height of 3 blocks provides the maximum power.

9. Beacon Tiers and Effects

The beacon’s primary effect varies based on the block used for the pyramid base:

Troubleshooting Beacon Issues

If your beacon is not working properly, there are a few things you can check:

1. Make sure the beacon is placed on a solid block.

Beacons can only be placed on solid blocks, such as stone, cobblestone, or obsidian. If the beacon is placed on a non-solid block, such as dirt or sand, it will not work.

2. Make sure the beacon has a clear line of sight to the sky.

Beacons need a clear line of sight to the sky in order to function. If the beacon is blocked by a block, such as a wall or a roof, it will not work.

3. Make sure the beacon has enough power.

Beacons require power in order to function. The power level of a beacon is determined by the number of blocks that are placed around it. The more blocks that are placed around the beacon, the higher the power level will be.

4. Make sure the beacon is not damaged.

Beacons can be damaged by explosions or by being attacked by mobs. If a beacon is damaged, it will not work.

5. Make sure the beacon is not too far away from the player.

Beacons have a limited range of effect. If the player is too far away from the beacon, it will not work.

6. Make sure the player has the correct permissions.

In multiplayer games, players may need to have the correct permissions in order to use beacons. If a player does not have the correct permissions, they will not be able to use the beacon.

7. Make sure the server is running the correct version of Minecraft.

Beacons were added to Minecraft in version 1.4.2. If the server is not running the correct version of Minecraft, the beacon will not work.

8. Make sure the beacon is not being interfered with by other blocks.

Certain blocks, such as redstone blocks and glowstone blocks, can interfere with the operation of beacons. If a beacon is being interfered with by another block, it will not work.

9. Make sure the beacon is not being affected by lag.

Lag can cause beacons to behave erratically. If the server is experiencing lag, the beacon may not work properly.

10. Make sure the beacon is not being affected by a bug.

Beacons are still in development and may be affected by bugs. If you are experiencing problems with a beacon, you can check the Minecraft bug tracker to see if there is a known bug that is causing the problem.

Block Type	Primary Effect
Iron	Haste
Gold	Speed
Diamond	Regeneration
Emerald	Resistance
Redstone	Strength
Lapis Lazuli	Jump Boost

Beacon Height	Number of Blocks	Power Level
1	0	0
2	1	1
3	4	2
4	9	3
5	16	4

How To Light A Beacon Minecraft

You have just crafted the Beacon in Minecraft, but how do you use it? A Beacon is an exceptional block in Minecraft that can grant you and your friends very useful status effects. To use a Beacon, you need to place it down and provide it with a source of power. To power a Beacon, you can use any of the following items: Iron Ingots, Gold Ingots, Diamond, or Netherite Ingots. Once you have placed down the Beacon and provided it with a source of power, the Beacon will begin to shine a light, and it will also begin to grant the status effects to you and your friends. The range of the Beacon’s effects can be increased by placing additional Beacons nearby. To stop the Beacon from granting you and your friends status effects, you can simply remove the power source from the Beacon. You can also change the status effects that the Beacon grants you and your friends by using a Beacon GUI. To access the Beacon GUI, simply right-click on the Beacon. You can then use the Beacon GUI to select the status effects that you want the Beacon to grant you and your friends.