How To Make A Beacon In Minecraft ( Guide)

Beacons are one of Minecraft's most powerful endgame items. Besides emitting a vertical beam of light seen from far away, beacons provide powerful status effects like Speed, Strength, or Regeneration within a specific range. However, crafting and activating one is no easy task. This updated 2025 guide explains everything you need to know about how to make a beacon in Minecraft.

How To Craft A Beacon

To craft a beacon, you’ll need the following materials:

• 5x Glass (smelt sand in a furnace)
• 3x Obsidian (mine using diamond pickaxe)
• 1x Nether Star (dropped by the Wither boss)

Use these materials on a crafting table to create your beacon.

🔥 Getting the Nether Star is the hardest part. Let’s go over that next.

How To Get A Nether Star (Defeating The Wither)

Step 1: Collect Wither Skeleton Skulls

• You need 3 Wither Skeleton Skulls, rare drops from Wither Skeletons in Nether Fortresses
• Equip a Looting III sword to increase drop rate

Step 2: Gather Soul Sand

• Found in Soul Sand Valleys in the Nether
• You need 4 blocks to summon the Wither

Step 3: Summon The Wither

• Place Soul Sand in a T-shape
• Put 3 skulls on top to trigger the boss fight
• Avoid summoning near your base!

Step 4: Fight & Defeat The Wither

• Best location: Under the End exit portal or deep underground with bedrock walls
• Use beds for respawn, strong weapons, potions, and a safe escape tunnel
• When defeated, the Wither drops 1 Nether Star

What Are Beacons Made Out Of?

The beacon block alone doesn’t work. It must be placed on top of a pyramid base made from:

• Iron blocks
• Gold blocks
• Emerald blocks
• Diamond blocks
• Netherite blocks

🧱 Use iron blocks for the cheapest option.

Full Beacon Pyramid Structure

To get the maximum power, build a 4-layer pyramid:

Layer	Size	Blocks Needed
1 (bottom)	9x9	81
2	7x7	49
3	5x5	25
4	3x3	9
Total	—	164 blocks

The beacon goes in the center of the top 3x3 layer.

Beacon Powers

Once the pyramid is ready, right-click the beacon and insert one of the following:

• Iron ingot
• Gold ingot
• Diamond
• Emerald
• Netherite ingot

Then, you can activate powers:

Power	Description	Layer Required
Speed	Move faster	Any pyramid
Haste	Mine faster	Any pyramid
Resistance	Take less damage	2+ layers
Jump Boost	Jump higher	2+ layers
Strength	Deal more damage	3+ layers
Regeneration	Heal over time	4 layers (as secondary power)

🌀 You can combine primary + secondary effects only with a full 4-layer pyramid.

Beacon Range

Beacon range depends on pyramid size:

Layers	Range (blocks)	Duration after leaving
1	20	11 sec
2	30	13 sec
3	40	15 sec
4	50	17 sec

📍 Range applies in a 40x40 to 100x100 area, extending vertically without limit.

Efficient Beacon Setups

Want to cover large areas?

• Space beacons strategically to chain their ranges
• Place at bedrock level to reach all floors vertically
• Carry a shulker box with materials to relocate your beacon as needed

Beacon Variants & Colors

You can customize beacon beams:

• Dye glass and place it above the beacon to change the beam color
• Use stained glass panes to blend multiple colors
• Place multiple beacons on one pyramid with larger dimensions

Example: 6-Beacon Base

Layer	Size
1	10x11
2	8x9
3	6x7
4	4x5

🌈 Great for combining multiple powers with unique colors!

Can You Use Beacons In Other Dimensions?

Yes!

• ✅ Nether: Beams can pass through bedrock
• ✅ End: Perfect for boss fights or large builds
• ⚠️ The beacon must have access to the sky/light in any dimension

Final Tips

• Don’t waste precious materials—plan your beacon placement and pyramid size carefully.
• Use iron for cost-efficiency unless you have emerald trades or extra diamonds.
• Set up beacons in high-use areas: bases, mines, farms, or redstone hubs.

💡 Beacons are more than just a flex — they’re tools for efficiency, combat, and creativity.

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