Beacon in Minecraft: A Complete Guide

The beacon is one of the most coveted blocks in Minecraft. It offers powerful status effects, a striking light beam, and a symbol of achievement for players who have mastered the game's toughest challenges. This guide covers everything you need to know about obtaining, building, and using a beacon, from the basic ingredients to advanced configurations.

What Is a Beacon?

A beacon is a block that projects a vertical light beam into the sky and grants nearby players a selection of status effects. These effects range from increased speed to regeneration, and they can be upgraded to higher levels as you expand the beacon’s pyramid base.

Key Features

How to Craft a Beacon

Crafting a beacon requires a rare ingredient: the Nether Star. This item is dropped only by the Wither boss, making the beacon one of the most challenging items to obtain.

Materials Needed

  1. 3 Obsidian blocks
  2. 5 Glass blocks
  3. 1 Nether Star (dropped by the Wither)

Place the items in a crafting table as follows:

When the recipe is completed, a beacon appears in your inventory ready for placement.

Building the Beacon Pyramid

The beacon’s power is determined by the size of its pyramid base. The pyramid can have up to four layers, each made from a solid block of your choice (e.g., iron, gold, diamond, emerald, or netherite). The larger the pyramid, the stronger the effects and the wider the range.

Layer Requirements

1‑Layer Pyramid3×3 square (9 blocks) 2‑Layer Pyramid5×5 square (25 blocks) + 3×3 square (9 blocks) 3‑Layer Pyramid7×7 square (49 blocks) + 5×5 square (25 blocks) + 3×3 square (9 blocks) 4‑Layer Pyramid9×9 square (81 blocks) + 7×7 square (49 blocks) + 5×5 square (25 blocks) + 3×3 square (9 blocks)