How do you make and activate a beacon in Minecraft?

Who this is for: Minecraft players ready to tackle the Wither boss and build advanced base infrastructure with powerful beacon effects.


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Crafting Your Beacon

To make a beacon in Minecraft, you’ll need three obsidian blocks, five glass blocks, and one nether star. The nether star is the trickiest ingredient – you get it by defeating the Wither boss, which requires three wither skeleton skulls and four soul sand blocks.

Once you have your materials, arrange them in the crafting table like this:

  • Top row: glass, glass, glass
  • Middle row: glass, nether star, glass
  • Bottom row: obsidian, obsidian, obsidian

Building the Pyramid Base

Your beacon won’t work without a proper pyramid foundation made from mineral blocks. You can use iron, gold, emerald, diamond, or netherite blocks – mixing different types works perfectly fine.

For a level 1 pyramid (the smallest), create a 3×3 base using 9 blocks. Want more power? Build bigger:

Pyramid Level Base Size Total Blocks Needed Range
1 3×3 9 20 blocks
2 5×5 + 3×3 34 30 blocks
3 7×7 + 5×5 + 3×3 83 40 blocks
4 9×9 + 7×7 + 5×5 + 3×3 164 50 blocks

Activating Your Beacon

Place the beacon block on top of your pyramid’s center. It should immediately shoot a beam of light into the sky – that’s your signal it’s working! Right-click the beacon to open its interface.

You’ll see different power options depending on your pyramid size. Level 1 pyramids offer Speed or Haste. Larger pyramids unlock Resistance, Jump Boost, and Strength. The fourth level adds Regeneration as a secondary effect.

To activate a power, insert a mineral item (iron ingot, gold ingot, emerald, diamond, or netherite ingot) into the beacon’s slot, select your desired effect, and click the checkmark. Your beacon will consume the item and grant the effect to all players within range.

Pro Tips for Beacon Management

Keep your beacon’s light beam clear – any solid block above it will shut down the effects. The beam can pass through transparent blocks like glass or water, so you can still protect it with a glass dome. Remember that beacon effects last about 10 seconds after leaving the range, giving you a brief buffer when moving around your base.

If you’re planning multiple beacons, space them strategically since their ranges can overlap for maximum coverage of your builds and farms.

TL;DR

Craft a beacon using 3 obsidian, 5 glass, and 1 nether star, then place it on a mineral block pyramid (minimum 3×3) to activate powerful effects like Speed, Haste, or Regeneration.

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Joyst1ck

Gaming Writer & HTML5 Developer

Answering gaming questions—from Roblox and Minecraft to the latest indie hits. I write developer‑focused HTML5 articles and share practical tips on game design, monetisation, and scripting.

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