If you want to be an advanced player in Minecraft, a beacon should definitely be part of your setup! It offers great effects that make your work in the game significantly easier. However, obtaining a beacon is not that simple! You have to face the Wither for the recipe. But if you’re strong enough and want to take your Minecraft world to a new level, you should definitely try it and use the beacon for your purposes. So let’s take a closer look at this special block!
Minecraft Beacon: What is it and why is it important?
The beacon is a very interesting block and unique in its way. The word itself gives you some clue about its function, but it doesn’t cover everything. The most noticeable feature is, of course, the beam of light that shoots skyward, guiding you back to your base. That’s one function of the beacon.
But even more important are the effects a beacon can give you. When you’re near it, you can choose from up to six different status effects and use them for various situations in your world. We’ll go into more detail about this below. Some abilities are absolutely necessary to get better in Minecraft.
Minecraft Beacon Recipe & Defeating the Wither – How it’s done!
First, you need to build the beacon, which is not easy. The five glass and three obsidian are quickly farmed, but the heart of the beacon is a whole different matter! You need a Nether Star, which is only dropped by the Wither. This is probably the toughest boss in Minecraft and thus a real challenge! We have a separate article on fighting the Wither if you need tips and tricks.
How does a Minecraft Beacon work?
Once you’ve defeated the Wither and crafted a beacon, you’re not done yet. The beacon doesn’t activate without help. And its use can be quite expensive!
The beacon can only be used if it is placed on a pyramid made of precious metals. These include iron, gold, emeralds, diamonds, and netherite. You need to craft full blocks from them and then place them in a specific pattern to get the effects you want. The good thing is that you can mix the blocks; they don’t matter for the later effects and have the same value.
The pyramid itself consists of four layers, and with each additional layer, new effects are added. The smallest beacon is a 3x3 field, only 9 blocks. However, it is recommended to build a beacon with a 9x9 base. For this, you need 164 (1476 individual items or just over 23 stacks) of the precious blocks, which will cost you a lot of work. Check out our articles to farm three of the five materials. Diamonds and netherite can’t be obtained this way and are therefore not necessarily the best metals for your beacon.
The best materials for the beacon:
- Emeralds: -> (How to Build a Villager Trading Post: Acquire Valuable Items Through Trading)
- Iron: -> (How to Build an Iron Farm: Unlimited Iron Supply)
- Gold: -> (How to Build a Minecraft Gold Farm: Simple Guide & Tips for Endless Gold)
A beacon with all four layers has a range of 50 blocks in every direction (101 blocks in diameter) where the selected effects remain active. They spread in a square radius towards the sides. However, upward and downward effects are unlimited, which is extremely practical!
Coloring a Minecraft Beacon: How to Change the Beam Color!
Let’s take another look at the beam of light, as it is probably the most impressive feature of a beacon. While you can only see it up to 64 blocks away in the Bedrock Edition, the visibility in Java depends on your render settings. At the highest setting, you can see the beam from up to 1343 blocks away!
You can also customize the color of the beacon beam using stained glass blocks or stained glass panes. The panes can be hidden directly in the beam. All 16 Minecraft colors are possible, but you can also mix them with multiple glass panes. This allows for practically endless combinations!
Minecraft Beacon Effects: All Buffs & Advantages Explained
Now let’s look at the effects you can get from a beacon. As previously described, they unlock depending on the level of the pyramid. Therefore, you should immediately build a large pyramid to take full advantage of them. There are both primary and secondary effects. In the interface, you always need to “pay” with a valuable item to activate the effects. Most effects can also be obtained through potions. With level 2, the effects are multiplied.
- Speed: Increases your movement speed (20%)
- Haste: Increases your mining speed (20%) and attack strength (10%)
- Resistance: Reduces received damage (20%)
- Jump Boost: Increases jump height to 1.83 or 2.51 blocks (normal 1.25 blocks)
- Strength: Increases melee attacks by 3 damage or 1.5 hearts
- Regeneration: Slowly regenerates your health within the beacon’s radius
With a beacon base of 9x9 blocks, all effects (except regeneration) have a second and improved level. So it’s worth building them! You must always first select the primary effect for the first level and can then either additionally use regeneration or activate the second level in the secondary field. In Java, it is even possible to have two of the normal effects at level 1 without having to choose regeneration or level 2.
What is a Minecraft Beacon useful for?
These six effects can be wonderfully combined and thus find various applications. However, it always depends on what kind of player you are and what abilities you need at the moment. Finally, let’s look at the three most common examples of using a beacon.
- Base Defense: Against monsters, you should use a combo of strength, resistance, or regeneration.
- Miner: With Haste 2, you can mine many natural blocks instantly, making your mining work much easier.
- Freedom of Movement: Use speed and jump boost to quickly cover distances in your base.
Use a Shulker Box to make the beacon portable. You can easily carry the pyramid, the beacon itself, and the individual items and set them up at your desired location.
Conclusion
A beacon is a must-have for long-time Minecraft players. And even though the fight against the Wither for the Nether Star is not easy, it is absolutely worth it! The various effects can be perfectly combined with your endeavors in the game. Rent your own Minecraft server and build a beacon with your friends in your world. The effects are practical for every player and can be combined in many ways.
