How To Make A Beacon In Minecraft? (2024)

When properly configured, a beacon in Minecraft emits a beam of light towards the sky. It can also providethe player various status benefits such as jump boot, regeneration, and so on.

Beacon helps you easily boost your status in the game without having to rely on potions and wasting a ton of resources.

But, beacons can be a bit tricky for people who have never used them before. They are even harder to craft in the early stages as you will need to kill the Wther.

So, if you have just killed the boss and got your hands on a nether star, we’ve compiled a detailed guide on how to craft and use a beacon in Minecraft.

How to Craft a Beacon in Minecraft?

You need to defeat the Wither to gain a nether star. Only after you find the star, will you be able to craft a beacon. You won’t be able to explore and find the Wither in the game. Instead, you have to summon it using three wither skulls and four soul sand blocks.

How to Activate A Beacon?

Crafting a Beacon is not the only process in using the beacon. You will have to build a platform as well. You will further need at least nine-iron blocks for the platform. Using them creates the first level pyramid for the beacon. If you want your beacon to be powerful, you will have to increase the levels in the pyramid.

For an easier illustration, let’s take a look at the level 3 beacon and the process to build it using iron blocks:

In an open space, preferably near your base (or where you need the beacon), build a 9×9 platform with iron blocks.
Above the iron platform, build a 7×7 platform using the same block. Place them in a way that will have space above the outermost iron blocks of the previous platform.
Make more platforms above the 7×7 in the same manner until your pyramid has 3×3 iron blocks at the top.
Place the beacon in the middle of the 3×3 block. Your beacon should start sending a light beam upwards.

Your highest-tier beacon pyramid is ready!

To activate the beacon, you will need at least one ingot of iron, gold, or netherite. You can also use an emerald or a diamond to do so. To use the beacon, you should:

Right-click on the beacon.
In the GUI, you can see the primary powers you can activate on the right such as haste. Select the one you need.
Place an ingot on the box at the bottom right, next to the item display for the ones you can use in the beacon.
Once placed, click the checkmark on the bottom right and close the GUI.

After following through with these steps, you will have a primary perk of your choice and a secondary bonus given by the beacon.

You can use one of the five blocks to build a pyramid for a beacon: iron, gold, netherite, emerald, and diamond blocks.

Furthermore, you can build the pyramid in 3×3, 5×5, 7×7, 9×9. Each size unlocks a different perk. However, you cannot increase the power of the beacon more than its highest tier, which is 9×9.

Try these steps to build the smallest tier pyramid for the beacon:

Build a 3×3 platform with iron blocks.
Place the beacon in the middle.
Follow the steps above to activate the beacon.

How to change the color of the beacon?

Once you place the beacon properly, you can see a beam of light shooting up to the sky. It is, however, of a plain white color. If you do not like the color, you can also change the color into any colors you find in the game. To do so, you can:

Craft a stained glass block using the dye of your choice.
Once you have the colored (stained) glass, place it on top of the beacon.

The light will change its color.

How to make a Rainbow Beacon?

Building a rainbow beacon is a complicated process that uses pistons and Redstone. Let’s look at the step-by-step process to create the Redstone structure around the beacon.

First, set up your beacon and the pyramid.
On top of the beacon, place a red-stained glass.
Place a yellow stained glass on top of the red and green on top of yellow.
Finally, place a blue stained glass on top.
Place three temporary blocks on the first glass, such as a stone.
Move to the right and place three more blocks on the yellow glass block.
Move counter-clockwise until you reach the blue glass block.
Then, break the first two blocks starting from the glass so that only the third block stays. These blocks will be the place for the pistons.
Place sticky pistons facing inward on each of the temporary blocks.
From the bottom piston, go counter-clockwise and join each block behind the piston to make a circuit. Doing so will create the pathway for Redstone.
Climb on top of the first sticky piston and place Redstone on all the blocks, making a complete circuit.
While standing behind the piston facing the beacon, remove the Redstone in two blocks on your left and replace them with repeaters.
Set the repeaters to four ticks. Do this for all the pistons.
Next, place a block anywhere outside the circuit and a Redstone torch on it. Your pistons should start moving.
Remove the Redstone torch and a Redstone to stop the pistons. Once they do, place the Redstone back in its place.
All the glass blocks will stick on the pistons. Your final result should look like this:
Place the Redstone torch back in the same block and remove it once everything activates to start the pistons again. You won’t need to keep the torch there as the whole thing is automatic and runs in a loop.

These are the uses and tricks of a beacon in Minecraft. You can set up several beacons at the same time and power them to give you different perks simultaneously.

Why is My Beacon Not Working in Minecraft?

Beacons need the platform made out of the blocks mentioned above to activate. Furthermore, you will need to place it in a space with a clear view of the sky. If the beacon does not have a clear view of the sky (clear sky means no opaque block should be directly on top of the beacon), your beacon will not work either.

Frequently Asked Question

Can I Use Tinted Glass above the Beacon?

Although tinted glass lets you see behind it, it completely blocks any light and acts as an opaque block. Hence, if you put it on top of the beacon, instead of changing the color of the light like the regular glass, it deactivates the beacon until you remove it.

How Far Does a Beacon Reach?

The minimum range is 20 blocks when you use the tier 1 beacon (using a 3×3 shrine). Each level increases the range by ten blocks. If you have a 5×5 pyramid, then it goes to 30 blocks. And if you have set up the beacon to maximum (using a 9×9 pyramid), its range will be up to 50 blocks, which is the maximum range.

Can I Build the Beacon Shrine with Any Block?

You cannot use any kind of block while building the beacon shrine. You need to use either iron blocks, gold blocks, emerald blocks, diamond blocks, or netherite blocks. Using any other blocks will result in the beacon not powering up.

Furthermore, you cannot mix and match the blocks either. You will have to use the same block all over the pyramid. Mixing the blocks will also result in the beacon not activating.