Shahrukh Sial is a gaming content writer at Sparked Host. He covers game guides, tips, and updates to help players improve their skills and enjoy a better gaming experience.

Ever wanted to build something in Minecraft that stands out and gives you special abilities? The beacon is one of the most powerful and impressive items in the game. Not only does it shoot a powerful beam of light into the sky, but it also gives you and all nearby players special boosts, like faster movement or stronger attacks.But building one isn't easy. It takes a lot of work and some very rare materials.

This guide will walk you through every step of how to create a minecraft beacon, from gathering the rare nether star to building the full 4 layers pyramid.

What Do Beacons Do In Minecraft?

A beacon is a special block that provides continuous status effects to nearby players.

Think of it like a power-up station for your base. The bigger the pyramid you build for it, the more powerful the effects and the longer their range. A fully-upgraded beacon can give you two status effects at once.

The beacon beam itself is a beautiful sight. It's a bright vertical beam of light that shoots all the way up to the sky, making your base visible from a great distance. It's not just a cool feature; it's a mark of a true Minecraft master. The beacon and its pyramid are a major achievement.

What You Need To Build A Beacon

To make a beacon, you need two main things: a nether star and a lot of ore blocks.

The crafting recipe for a beacon is:

  • 1 Nether Star

  • 5 Glass Blocks

  • 3 Obsidian blocks

To get glass, you must smelt sand in a furnace. You can find obsidian by creating a pool of lava and pouring water on top of it. Then, you can mine obsidian with a diamond pickaxe or Netherite pickaxe.

Nether Star

To get a Nether Star in Minecraft, you must defeat the Wither boss. The Wither is summoned by placing Soul Sand or Soul Soil in a T-shape and placing three Wither Skeleton Skulls on top of the crossbar.

Lots Of Ore Blocks

The crafting recipe for the beacon is simple, its true power comes from the pyramid you place it on. To activate and use a beacon, you must build a pyramid underneath it using Ore blocks such as iron, gold, diamond, emerald, or netherite.

Step 1: Summon The Wither (to get the Nether Star)

The nether star is the hardest part to get. It only drops when you defeat the Wither, one of the most dangerous boss mobs in the game.

Get Wither Skeleton Heads

To summon the Wither, you need three wither skeleton skulls. Wither skeletons are tall, black skeletons found in Nether fortresses. They have a rare chance of dropping their skulls when defeated. A good tip is to use a sword enchanted with Looting III, as it increases the drop chance.

Gather Soul Sand

Next, you need soul sand. This block is found in the Nether, especially in the Soul Sand Valley biome. You'll need four blocks of it to summon the Wither.

Summon The Wither

To summon the Wither, arrange the soul sand in a "T" shape on the ground. Make sure to clear any grass or other blocks underneath it. Then, place the three wither skeleton skulls on top of the three upper soul sand blocks. The Wither will appear and then explode, so make sure you do this away from your base.

Defeat The Wither

This is the final challenge. The Wither is a powerful boss. Once you defeat it, it will drop one nether star. You need this to craft your minecraft beacon.

Step 2: Mine LOTS Of Ore

A beacon must be placed on a pyramid built from mineral blocks. The pyramid can be made from iron blocks, gold blocks, diamond blocks, emerald blocks, or netherite blocks. You can mix and match these different materials, but they must be full blocks.

There are 4 layers to a full pyramid, and each layer increases the beacon's powers and range.

  • Level 1: 9 blocks or 81 ore (a 3x3 square)

  • Level 2: 25 blocks or 225 ore (a 5x5 square below the 3x3)

  • Level 3: 49 blocks or 441 ore (a 7x7 square below the 5x5)

  • Level 4: 81 blocks or 729 ore (a 9x9 square below the 7x7)

NOTE: A full 4 layers pyramid requires a total of 164 blocks, which is a huge amount of iron, gold, diamonds, emeralds, or netherite.

Step 3: Build The Beacon

Now that you have your nether star, glass, and obsidian, you can craft the beacon at a crafting table. Once it's crafted, place it on top of the center block of your pyramid. This will activate the beacon beam.

To give your beacon a primary power, right-click on it to open the menu. You'll see an empty box at the bottom. Place an iron ingot, gold ingot, emerald, diamond, or netherite ingot in this box. Then, select your primary power from the list, like Haste or Jump Boost. For a secondary power on a full pyramid, you will be able to select a second effect.

Beacon Powers

The size of your pyramid determines what powers you can get.

  • One layer: Gives you a choice of Speed or Haste.

  • Two layers: Adds Resistance and Jump Boost.

  • Three layers: Adds Strength.

  • Four layers: Gives you the choice of a primary power and a secondary power, which is either a buffed version of your primary power or Regeneration.

A full pyramid with all 4 layers gives you the most benefits.

Beacon Range

The range of your beacon's status effects is directly tied to the size of your pyramid. The larger the pyramid, the further its powers will reach.

  • One layer: The beacon's effects will reach players within 20 blocks.

  • Two layers: The range increases to 30 blocks.

  • Three layers: The range extends to 40 blocks.

  • Four layers: A full pyramid gives you the maximum range of 50 blocks.

How To Make The Best Beacon In Minecraft

To create the best beacon possible, you need to build a full, four-layer pyramid. This not only gives you the maximum range of 50 blocks, but it also unlocks all the primary powers and allows you to add a powerful secondary effect. A full pyramid gives you the most benefits and is a testament to your hard work.

How To Change Color Of Beacon Light

You can easily change the color of the beacon beam. Just place a stained glass block on top of the beacon. The beam will change to the color of the stained glass. You can even use multiple beacons with different colored stained glass to create a stunning display.

Conclusion

The beacon is a symbol of great achievement in Minecraft. It requires a lot of hard work to get the nether star and all the mineral blocks for the pyramid. But once you create one, you'll have a powerful tool that gives you and all nearby players special status effects. With its bright beam and amazing abilities, the beacon is a truly rewarding build. Now you know how to make the best minecraft beacon and light up your world.