How to Make a Beacon in Minecraft: Recipe, Pyramid & All Powers

A beacon is one of the best things you can build in Minecraft: it shines a beam into the sky and gives everyone nearby powerful effects like Haste, Speed or Regeneration. This guide covers how to make a beacon in Minecraft from scratch — the recipe, getting the nether star, building the pyramid and picking the right power.

Recipe

5 glass + 3 obsidian + 1 nether star

Nether star from

The Wither

Pyramid levels

4 (9, 34, 83, 164 blocks)

Max range

50 blocks (full pyramid)

Payment

Iron, gold, emerald, diamond or netherite

Works in

Java & Bedrock

Beacon recipe

Open a crafting table and place the items like this:

You can check the recipe and stats on our beacon item page. Glass is easy (smelt sand), and obsidian forms when water touches still lava — mine it with a diamond or netherite pickaxe. The hard part is the nether star.

How to get a nether star

The nether star only drops from the Wither, a boss you summon yourself:

1. Collect 3 wither skeleton skulls by killing wither skeletons in Nether fortresses. They drop rarely — a Looting III sword helps.
2. Collect 4 soul sand (or soul soil) from the Nether.
3. Build a T shape of soul sand (3 across the top, 1 below the middle) and place the three skulls on top. Place the last skull last.
4. Fight the Wither. It’s tough — bring Protection IV armor, a strong sword, healing potions and milk to remove the wither effect.

Beacon pyramid levels

A beacon only works on top of a pyramid made of iron, gold, emerald, diamond or netherite blocks (you can mix them). Each pyramid level unlocks stronger powers and a bigger range.

Iron blocks are the cheapest choice. A full level 4 pyramid needs 164 blocks — that’s 1,476 iron ingots, so an iron farm is the usual way to build one.

How to activate the beacon

1. Place the beacon on the very top of the pyramid.
2. Make sure nothing solid blocks its view of the sky. Glass is fine — and stained glass changes the beam’s color.
3. Right-click the beacon, put an iron ingot, gold ingot, emerald, diamond or netherite ingot in the payment slot, choose a power and press the checkmark.

The payment is used up each time you change the power, so iron ingots are the smart choice.

Which beacon power is best?

• ⛏️ Haste II — the most popular. Mining and breaking blocks becomes much faster; great for building and digging.
• 🏃 Speed II — move faster around big bases and farms.
• ❤️ Regeneration — slowly heals everyone in range; good for PvP or mob farms.
• 🛡️ Resistance II — less damage taken, useful at raid farms.
• 💪 Strength II — more melee damage for mob grinders.

With a full pyramid you get two powers: your main choice at level II (like Haste II) or your main power at level I plus Regeneration.

Beacon tips and tricks

• 🌈 Colored beams: place stained glass above the beacon to color the beam — mix colors by stacking different panes.
• 🧭 Landmark: the beam is visible from far away, so it helps you find home.
• 💎 Swap blocks later: start with iron and swap to diamond or netherite for show — the effects are the same.

How to make a beacon in Minecraft step by step

1. 🧪 Prepare for the Wither: Protection IV armor, a Sharpness V sword, a Power V bow, healing potions and milk.
2. 💀 Collect 3 wither skeleton skulls and 4 soul sand in the Nether.
3. ⭐ Summon and defeat the Wither to get the nether star.
4. 🪨 Mine 3 obsidian with a diamond or netherite pickaxe.
5. 🪟 Smelt sand into 5 glass.
6. 🛠️ Craft the beacon.
7. 🧱 Build the pyramid and place the beacon on top.
8. 💰 Pay with an iron ingot and choose your power.

How many ingots does each pyramid cost?

Each mineral block takes 9 ingots (or 9 emeralds or diamonds). Here’s the cost in iron ingots:

Beacon vs conduit

A conduit is the underwater cousin of the beacon. It’s built from a heart of the sea and nautilus shells and powered by a frame of prismarine blocks. It gives Conduit Power underwater (breathing, night vision and faster mining) and attacks nearby hostile mobs. Use a beacon on land and a conduit for ocean bases.

Where to put your beacon

• 🏠 Main base: Haste II makes building and storage work faster.
• ⛏️ Quarry or strip mine: Haste speeds up digging, which also helps when you go hunting for diamonds — see the best Y level for diamonds.
• ⚔️ Mob farm or raid farm: Strength or Resistance helps you fight.

Wither fight survival guide

The Wither is the hardest part of making a beacon, so prepare well. It fires exploding skulls, and when it drops to half health it gets an armor shield that blocks arrows — switch to your sword for the second half. The Wither effect turns your health bar black and slowly drains it; drink milk to clear it. A Smite V sword deals extra damage because the Wither is an undead mob, and splash potions of Healing hurt it while healing you. Fight it in a tunnel deep underground so it can’t fly far, and keep the area clear of anything you don’t want destroyed. Once it dies, grab the nether star quickly — it’s immune to explosions, so it won’t be destroyed.

Is a beacon worth it?

Absolutely, once you’re in the mid-game. A full-power beacon with Haste II changes how you play: mining, building and clearing land all become much faster. It also marks your base with a beam you can see from far away, and it looks great with stained glass. The upfront cost — a Wither fight and a lot of iron — is high, but a beacon lasts forever and keeps working for every player in range.

Once your beacon is running, consider building a second one later for a different area — for example one with Speed near your farms and one with Haste in your build zone. Beacon effects from different beacons can apply at the same time if you stand in range of both.

Common beacon problems

• ❌ No beam: a solid block is in the way, or the pyramid isn’t complete.
• ❌ Can’t pick a power: you need a payment item in the slot.
• ❌ Effect stops: you walked out of range. Upgrade the pyramid for more range.

Need more help with gear for the Wither fight? See our best Minecraft enchantments and potions brewing chart.