How To Make A Beacon In Minecraft: Your Complete Guide To Power And Perks

Pat Barrows 24 Aug 2025

Have you ever seen those bright, shining beams of light reaching for the sky in Minecraft and wondered, "How do I get one of those?" Well, you're in the right place, because building a beacon is a truly rewarding project that can change how you play the game. It’s a pretty big step, you know, towards making your base feel super powerful and giving you some neat advantages as you explore the world.

A beacon, as a matter of fact, is much more than just a fancy light show. It offers your character special status boosts, which can make things like mining faster, jumping higher, or even healing yourself automatically. These effects can really help you out, especially when you are tackling big building projects or going on long adventures across the vast landscapes of Minecraft.

This guide will walk you through every single bit of the process, from gathering all the items you will need, to crafting the beacon itself, and then setting up the pyramid structure that makes it all work. We will also talk about how to pick the powers you want and some helpful tips to get the most out of your beacon. So, let’s get ready to bring some serious power to your Minecraft world, shall we?

What Exactly is a Minecraft Beacon?
Gathering the Essential Materials for Your Beacon

Getting Glass Blocks
Finding Obsidian Blocks
Conquering the Wither for a Nether Star

Crafting Your Beacon: The Recipe
Building the Beacon Pyramid: Powering Up Your Device

Understanding Pyramid Blocks
Building a Small Beacon Pyramid (Level 1)
Building a Medium Beacon Pyramid (Level 2)
Building a Larger Beacon Pyramid (Level 3)
Building a Fully Powered Beacon Pyramid (Level 4)

Activating and Choosing Your Beacon's Powers

Understanding the Beacon Interface
Available Primary Powers
Available Secondary Powers

Tips for Making the Most of Your Beacon
Frequently Asked Questions About Beacons

What Exactly is a Minecraft Beacon?

A Minecraft beacon is a special block that projects a bright beam of light into the sky, but its real value is in the status effects it provides to players nearby. Think of it as a central hub of power for your base or a specific area you are working in. It's a bit like a magical totem, you know, that gives you buffs just for being close to it.

For it to work, the beacon needs to be placed on top of a pyramid made from specific blocks, such as iron, gold, diamond, or emerald blocks. The bigger the pyramid, the more powerful the effects you can choose, and the longer their range will be. It's really quite a system, actually, that encourages you to gather lots of valuable resources.

Gathering the Essential Materials for Your Beacon

Making a beacon, as I was saying, means you need to collect a few different things. Some of these are pretty straightforward to get, while one of them is, well, quite a challenge. Let’s go through each item you will need, one by one, so you know what to look for.

Getting Glass Blocks

You will need five glass blocks for your beacon recipe. Glass is, in a way, one of the easier materials to get your hands on. You just need to find some sand, which is super common in deserts, beaches, or even riverbeds, and then smelt it in a furnace. For instance, put your sand in the top slot of a furnace and some fuel, like coal or wood, in the bottom slot. After a short while, you will have your glass. It’s pretty simple, honestly.

Finding Obsidian Blocks

For obsidian, you will need three blocks. Obsidian is a very tough block that forms when water flows over lava. To mine it, you absolutely need a diamond pickaxe, otherwise, it will just break without dropping anything. You can find obsidian naturally in places like lava pools in the Overworld, in the Nether, or sometimes around End portals. A good trick, you know, is to create your own by pouring water onto lava source blocks. Just be careful, because lava is, like, very hot!

Conquering the Wither for a Nether Star

This is, arguably, the most difficult part of the whole process. You need one nether star. The only way to get a nether star is by defeating the Wither boss. The Wither is a pretty formidable creature, a bit like a flying, three-headed skull that shoots explosive projectiles. It's a tough fight, definitely.

To summon the Wither, you need four blocks of soul sand and three Wither skeleton skulls. Soul sand is found in the Nether, often in soul sand valleys or soul soil biomes. Wither skeleton skulls are, well, a rare drop from Wither skeletons, which are hostile mobs found in Nether fortresses. You will need to spend some time, perhaps a good amount of time, fighting these skeletons to get all three skulls. It's a bit of a grind, you know.

Once you have your materials, arrange the soul sand in a 'T' shape, like a golem, and then place the three Wither skeleton skulls on top of the three upper blocks of the 'T'. The Wither will then appear! Be ready for a fight, because it will explode upon spawning and is quite dangerous. It's usually a good idea to fight it in an enclosed space, like a strong underground bunker, so it doesn't fly off and destroy your base. After you defeat it, it will drop the precious nether star. This is, you know, the key ingredient.

Crafting Your Beacon: The Recipe

Once you have all your materials, the crafting part is the easiest bit. You will need a crafting table for this. Here’s the simple recipe:

Place the nether star in the very center slot of the crafting grid.
Surround the nether star with three obsidian blocks along the bottom row.
Fill the remaining five slots with glass blocks, so they form a 'V' shape above the nether star and obsidian.

And just like that, you will have your beacon! It's a pretty satisfying moment, actually, when you see that item pop up in your crafting output. Now, the next step is to give it some real power.

Building the Beacon Pyramid: Powering Up Your Device

A beacon, you see, won't do anything on its own. It needs a pyramid structure underneath it to function. The type of blocks you use for the pyramid matters, but not for the effects themselves, just for the cost. You can use blocks of iron, gold, diamond, or emerald. Any combination of these will work, so you can mix and match if you want to. For instance, if you have a lot of iron, that's a perfectly fine choice.

Understanding Pyramid Blocks

The blocks you use for the pyramid need to be solid blocks of precious minerals. This means you need to craft nine ingots or gems into one block. So, an iron block takes nine iron ingots, a gold block takes nine gold ingots, and so on. This is, you know, where a lot of your resource gathering will come in handy.

Building a Small Beacon Pyramid (Level 1)

The smallest pyramid, which is a level one pyramid, gives you access to the first tier of primary powers. This pyramid is a 3x3 square base made of nine mineral blocks. You place the beacon right in the middle of that 3x3 square. It's a rather simple start, honestly.

**Base Layer:** 3x3 square (9 blocks)

Building a Medium Beacon Pyramid (Level 2)

A level two pyramid gives you access to the second tier of primary powers. This one has two layers. The bottom layer is a 5x5 square, and the layer on top of that is a 3x3 square, centered on the 5x5. The beacon then sits on the 3x3 layer. This is, in some respects, a bit more resource-intensive.

**Base Layer:** 5x5 square (25 blocks)
**Second Layer:** 3x3 square (9 blocks), centered on the base

Building a Larger Beacon Pyramid (Level 3)

For a level three pyramid, you get access to the third tier of primary powers. This pyramid has three layers. The bottom layer is a 7x7 square, the next layer is a 5x5 square, and the top layer is a 3x3 square. The beacon goes on top of the 3x3. You are, like, really investing in resources now.

**Base Layer:** 7x7 square (49 blocks)
**Second Layer:** 5x5 square (25 blocks), centered
**Third Layer:** 3x3 square (9 blocks), centered

Building a Fully Powered Beacon Pyramid (Level 4)

This is the big one! A fully powered beacon, as my text says, gives you access to all primary powers and a secondary power. This pyramid has four layers. The bottom layer is a 9x9 square, then a 7x7, then a 5x5, and finally a 3x3 square on top. The beacon, of course, goes on the very top 3x3 layer. This is, you know, the ultimate beacon setup and requires a lot of blocks, really.

**Base Layer:** 9x9 square (81 blocks)
**Second Layer:** 7x7 square (49 blocks), centered
**Third Layer:** 5x5 square (25 blocks), centered
**Fourth Layer:** 3x3 square (9 blocks), centered

To fully power a beacon, you will need a total of 164 mineral blocks (81 + 49 + 25 + 9). That's a lot of mining, but the benefits are absolutely worth it, at the end of the day.

Activating and Choosing Your Beacon's Powers

Once your beacon is sitting proudly on its pyramid, it will immediately shoot a light beam into the sky. But to get the actual status effects, you need to activate it and choose your desired powers. This is, like, the exciting part!

Understanding the Beacon Interface

Right-click on the beacon block to open its interface. You will see a grid of available powers, and a slot at the bottom where you need to place an item to pay for the power. You can use an iron ingot, gold ingot, diamond, or emerald to activate the effects. Any of these will work, it's just a matter of what you have available. This is, more or less, how you tell the beacon what to do.

Available Primary Powers

The primary powers become available depending on the size of your pyramid. Each tier unlocks more options:

**Level 1 Pyramid (3x3):** Speed or Haste.
**Level 2 Pyramid (5x5):** Resistance or Jump Boost, in addition to Speed and Haste.
**Level 3 Pyramid (7x7):** Strength, in addition to all previous options.
**Level 4 Pyramid (9x9):** You can choose any of the five primary powers (Speed, Haste, Resistance, Jump Boost, Strength) at level I, and also pick a secondary power.

The range of these effects also increases with the pyramid size. A fully powered beacon has a very generous range, which is pretty useful for large bases.

Available Secondary Powers

When you have a fully powered, level four pyramid, you get to choose a secondary power. This means you can either:

Upgrade your chosen primary power to Level II (e.g., Speed II instead of Speed I).
Choose Regeneration I as an additional effect.

So, you know, you could have Speed II, or you could have Speed I and Regeneration I. It's a pretty neat choice to make, depending on what you need most.

Tips for Making the Most of Your Beacon

Building a beacon is a big project, so you will want to get the most out of it. Here are some thoughts and ideas:

**Strategic Placement:** Think about where you place your beacon. Put it in a central location in your base, or near your main mining area, so you can always be within its range. A good spot, you know, can make a huge difference.
**Resource Management:** Since the pyramid blocks require a lot of resources, consider building an iron farm or a gold farm to get the materials more easily. This is, actually, a common strategy for players.
**Wither Fight Preparation:** When you are going after the Wither, be super prepared. Bring good armor, powerful weapons, healing potions, and maybe even some enchanted golden apples. It's a really tough fight, so you know, don't go in unprepared. Learn more about Wither boss strategies on the Minecraft Wiki.
**Experiment with Powers:** Don't be afraid to try different power combinations. Haste is great for mining, while Strength is fantastic for combat. See what works best for your current activities. You can, for instance, switch them up whenever you need to.
**Consider Aesthetics:** While function is key, a beacon can also be a beautiful centerpiece for your base. You can build elaborate structures around it or make it part of a grand design. It's, like, a really cool visual element, too.
**Multiple Beacons:** If you have many different areas you want to buff, you could, perhaps, build multiple beacons. This is a very advanced strategy, but it allows for specialized effects in different zones. Learn more about beacon mechanics on our site, and link to this page for more in-depth tips.

Frequently Asked Questions About Beacons

Here are some common questions people often ask about beacons:

What is the easiest way to get a Nether Star?

Honestly, there isn't an "easy" way to get a Nether Star, because you always have to defeat the Wither boss. The "easiest" approach, arguably, involves careful preparation. Gather plenty of good gear, potions, and perhaps even some friends to help you in the fight. Building a strong, enclosed arena in the End dimension or deep underground in the Overworld can make the Wither fight a bit more manageable, as it restricts its movement and destruction. It's, like, still a challenge, though.

What blocks can be used for a beacon pyramid?

You can use blocks of iron, gold, diamond, or emerald to build a beacon pyramid. Any combination of these blocks will work perfectly fine. So, you know, if you have a ton of iron, you can just use iron blocks. You don't have to stick to just one type of block for the whole structure. It's pretty flexible, actually.

How many layers does a fully powered beacon have?

A fully powered beacon pyramid has four layers. The base layer is a 9x9 square, the second layer is a 7x7 square, the third layer is a 5x5 square, and the top layer, where the beacon sits, is a 3x3 square. It's a rather substantial structure, requiring a total of 164 mineral blocks to complete. That's, like, a lot of blocks!

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