nocware
Quick answer
- Craft a beacon from 5 glass, 3 obsidian and 1 nether star (from the Wither).
- Put it on a pyramid of iron, gold, emerald, diamond or netherite blocks.
- A full 4-layer pyramid takes 164 blocks and gives effects in a 50-block radius.
A beacon gives you Haste, Speed, Regeneration and more around your base, all the time. Here's exactly what it takes.
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Crafting the beacon
Put the nether star in the middle, 3 obsidian along the bottom and 5 glass around the rest. The nether star only comes from killing the Wither.
Pyramid sizes
| Level | Blocks needed | Range | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 20 blocks | Speed, Haste |
| 2 | 34 | 30 blocks | + Resistance, Jump Boost |
| 3 | 83 | 40 blocks | + Strength |
| 4 | 164 | 50 blocks | + Regeneration, or level II of your main effect |
Iron is fineThe block type doesn't change anything. A full iron pyramid works exactly the same as diamond. You can even mix block types.
1,476iron ingots for a full iron pyramid (164 blocks)
~23stacks of ingots
Turning it on
- Build the pyramid and put the beacon on the top middle.
- Make sure it can see the sky (glass is fine above it).
- Open it, pay with one iron ingot, gold ingot, emerald, diamond or netherite ingot, and pick your effects.
Coloured beams
Put stained glass on top of the beacon to colour the beam. Stack different colours to mix them.
Haste II for miningA level 4 beacon set to Haste II makes mining noticeably faster. Great around a strip mine or perimeter.
Cheat sheet
- 5 glass + 3 obsidian + 1 nether star
- 9 / 34 / 83 / 164 blocks for levels 1 to 4
- 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 block range
- Any mineral block works, even mixed
Stack & Shulker CalculatorConvert Minecraft items into stacks, shulker boxes and chests→
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