Do you want to know how to make and activate a Beacon in Minecraft to get different buffs?
Minecraft is full of different structures and builds that the player can craft to receive different bonus effects. Some of these give defensive effects, while others even help fight off mobs. One such structure is a Beacon that provides players with unique buffs. With this in mind, this article tells how to make and activate a Beacon in Minecraft.
Beacon
Beacon is a block that players can craft and activate. This block gives different status effects to the players like Haste, Regeneration, Speed, etc. In addition, it acts like a light source that illuminates an area up to fifteen blocks which even melts the snow. Besides this, it projects a vertical light beam from the top, visible to anyone from far away.
The Beacon looks like a Glass-cased Diamond block with an Obsidian stand. However, players don’t require any Diamonds to craft this. Besides this, the Beacon only activates when it sits on a pyramid of Iron, Gold, Emerald, Diamond, or Netherite blocks. Overall, it’s difficult to build, so below is exactly how to make and activate a Beacon in Minecraft.
How to Build a Beacon
A Beacon requires three primary resources. Namely, these are five pieces of Glass, three Obsidian blocks, and one Nether Star. While Glass is easy to craft, the other two resources will require time. Specifically, the Nether Star is one of the rarest items in the game. To start building, first, start with the easiest resource.
Players can easily get Glass by smelting Sand. For example, the player first has to collect five pieces of Sand from any beach or Desert biome. Next, put that in a Furnace or Blast Furnace for faster smelting. This will give a sufficient amount of Glass. Besides this, players can even find this while raiding a Woodland Mansion, which has Glass in chests.
Obsidian takes time to collect because of the hardness of the block. Specifically, players can only break Obsidian blocks with a Diamond or Netherite Pickaxe. Consequently, one has to first look for Diamonds that also require time as they spawn deep underground and are relatively rare. After getting the Pickaxe, the player then has to find Obsidian.
Players can easily find Obsidian by finding Ruined Portals, Nether Fortresses, Bastion Remnants, and even some Villages. Furthermore, the End dimension is full of Obsidian, so the player can go and collect if he has easy access. Aside from this, players can create their own Obsidian by flowing water over a still source of Lava.
The last item is the Nether Star, which is the rarest item required for a Beacon. Players can only get this item by killing the Wither, which is a massive challenge. After collecting all these, place the Nether Star in the middle of the Crafting Table and three Obsidian blocks on the bottom. Then fill all empty spaces with Glass blocks.
How to Activate a Beacon
Crafting a Beacon is only the first step because now the player has to activate it. While activating the Beacon is an easy process, collecting the resources to activate it takes up most of the time. Basically, the player has to build a pyramid out of specific blocks and then place the Beacon at the top for activation.
There are four possible sizes of pyramids. In particular, each layer of the pyramid adds more status effects and effective range. For example, only one layer adds two status effects, while adding another layer adds two more effects. Likewise, players can build up to four pyramid layers which give maximum effects and duration.
- First Layer: 3×3 layer – Needs 9 resource blocks
- Second Layer: 5×5 layer, 3×3 layer – Needs 34 resource blocks
- Third Layer: 7×7 layer, 5×5 layer, 3×3 layer – Needs 83 resource blocks
- Fourth Layer: 9×9 layer, 7×7 layer, 5×5 layer, 3×3 layer – Needs 164 resource blocks
The smallest layer requires nine blocks, which translates to eighty-one Ingots of the specific block. For instance, if the player makes a two-layered pyramid of Diamond blocks, he will need three hundred and six Diamonds. Similarly, each layer needs more resources, but it’s worth it because of more status effects and a larger range.
Players can mix and match the blocks to create a multi-colored pyramid that will have no negative effect on the Beacon. For example, the player can use Iron and Gold blocks together to create a more aesthetic pyramid for the Beacon. Similarly, they can use any blocks as they are only cosmetic and will not change the effectiveness of the Beacon.
The Beacon activates as soon as the player puts the Beacon on top of a layer of the Pyramid. Its activation is shown by the light ray that extends from the top. Next, the player can access the Beacon and choose any status effect by putting any type of Ingot.
Types of Status Effects
There are a total of five primary status effects and one secondary status effect. The player gets these by activating the Beacon. Primary Powers are per pyramid level, and the player has to build more layers to access them all. The Secondary Power is unique to a four-level pyramid and only is accessible when there is a complete pyramid.
Layer one of the pyramid gives two Primary Powers, which are Speed and Haste Status effects. Speed gives the player an increase in movement speed which helps them avoid mobs or travel faster between places. Haste increases the attacking and mining speed of the player so they can mine ores or break blocks faster.
Layer two of the pyramid unlocks access to two more Primary Powers, which are Jump Boost and Resistance. Jump Boost, as the name suggests, allows the player to jump higher and farther, which also will enable them to juke enemies. Resistance decreases the player’s damage from all sources, which significantly increases survivability.
The third layer of the pyramid unlocks the last Primary Ability, which is Strength. This stats effect significantly increases the player’s damage output so he can take down all mobs faster. However, it only increases the player’s melee damage, so make sure to use Swords or Axes to benefit from this.
Layer four of the pyramid has all the Primary Powers along with a Secondary power, Regeneration. This effect increases the player’s health regeneration, so they constantly heal even if food is not full. Furthermore, the fourth layer also increases the Primary Power levels up to two, making them stronger.
Changing the Color of the Beacon’s Light Beam
Now that the player knows how to make and activate a Beacon in Minecraft, it’s time to make it more aesthetic. For this purpose, the player simply has to make Stained Glass in Minecraft. The player just needs to combine a Glass block and any colored Dye to make Stained Glass. For example, a Glass and Red Dye give a Red Stained Glass block.
Players then can place this Stained Glass on top of the Beacon, which gives the Beam a different colored shade. Interestingly, players can place multiple Stained Glass on top, and the light beam combines all colors together. This gives a very good look depending on the terrain and the rest of the atmosphere.
Minecraft offers players numerous structures and techniques to enhance their in-game experience. The Beacon is one such structure that significantly enhances the experience of Minecraft. Hopefully, this article on how to make and activate a Beacon in Minecraft will help you in your Minecraft journey.
