Introduction
Beacons are powerful blocks in Minecraft that serve two main purposes: projecting a beam of light into the sky, acting as a visible landmark, and providing beneficial status effects to players within a certain range. Often considered an endgame item, crafting and fully utilizing a beacon requires significant resources and effort but offers considerable advantages in exploration, building, and combat. This Minecraft Bedrock Beacon Guide will walk you through the process of obtaining, building, activating, and understanding beacons in Minecraft Bedrock Edition.
Crafting a Beacon
To craft a beacon, you will need 5 glass, 3 obsidian, and 1 nether star. Glass is obtained by smelting sand in a furnace. Sand is commonly found in beach biomes, riverbanks, and deserts. Use a shovel to gather it efficiently, then place it in a furnace with a fuel source such as coal, charcoal, or wood to produce glass.
Obsidian is created when water comes into contact with a lava source block. The easiest way to do this is to carry a water bucket into a cave or ravine where lava pools are exposed. Pour the water over the lava to form obsidian, then mine it using a diamond or netherite pickaxe—no other tools can break or collect it. You’ll need three blocks of obsidian for the beacon.
The nether star is the most challenging component to obtain, as it is dropped by the Wither boss upon defeat. To summon the Wither, you will need 4 soul sand or soul soil and 3 wither skeleton skulls. Soul sand and soul soil are found in the Nether, especially in soul sand valleys. Bring a shovel and explore these biomes to collect the needed blocks. Wither skeleton skulls are rare drops from wither skeletons, which spawn in Nether Fortresses. Fortresses are large, dark structures that can be found in most Nether biomes. Equip a sword enchanted with Looting III to increase the odds of obtaining skulls, as they drop rarely—typically less than a 2.5% chance without the enchantment.
Once you have the materials, build a T-shaped structure with the soul sand or soul soil: three blocks wide at the top and one block in the center underneath. Place a wither skeleton skull on each of the three top blocks to summon the Wither. Be prepared for a tough battle, as the Wither is a powerful boss that can destroy blocks and deal significant damage. Many players choose to fight it deep underground or in the Bedrock Lair—a safe method involving the ceiling of the Nether—to prevent excessive destruction and control its movement. After defeating the Wither, it will drop one nether star.
With all materials gathered, craft the beacon by placing the nether star in the center slot of a crafting table, the three obsidian blocks along the bottom row, and the five glass blocks in the top and middle remaining slots. This will produce one beacon block.
To craft the beacon, place the nether star in the center slot of a crafting table, the three obsidian blocks in the bottom row, and the five glass blocks in the remaining top and middle slots. This will yield one beacon block.
Building a Beacon Pyramid
Crafting a beacon is only the first step—activating its powerful effects requires building a pyramid-shaped base using mineral blocks. This base must be constructed from full blocks of specific ores: iron, gold, diamond, emerald, or netherite. You can use a single type of block or mix different types within the same pyramid. Regardless of the materials chosen, the pyramid must be solid—hollow interiors or partial layers won’t work.
To build a functional beacon pyramid, you’ll need to place the beacon block on top and in the exact center of the uppermost layer. The size and number of layers determine the beacon’s range and the strength of the effects it can provide. The pyramid can be built with one to four layers, each increasing the overall power and adding new abilities.
A Level 1 pyramid is the smallest possible structure. It consists of a single 3×3 square base layer (9 blocks total) with the beacon placed directly on top of the center block. This level unlocks the most basic beacon powers, with the smallest range of influence—perfect for early setups when resources are limited.
A Level 2 pyramid adds a second, wider layer below the 3×3. The base becomes a 5×5 square, and the top layer remains 3×3. This level requires 25 blocks on the bottom layer and 9 on top, totaling 34 blocks. It grants access to more powerful primary effects and expands the beacon’s range, making it more suitable for small bases or compact mining areas.
A Level 3 pyramid includes a third, even larger base layer. It uses a 7×7 square as the foundation, followed by a 5×5 layer and a 3×3 layer above. This configuration demands 49 blocks on the bottom, 25 in the middle, and 9 on top, requiring 83 blocks altogether. This setup further increases the beacon’s area of effect and makes more status effects available.
A Level 4 pyramid is the largest and most powerful configuration. It features four layers: a 9×9 square at the base, then 7×7, 5×5, and finally a 3×3 layer at the top. This full pyramid needs 81 blocks for the bottom layer, 49 for the next, 25 above that, and 9 at the top, totaling 164 blocks. This structure unlocks the maximum range and strength of beacon effects and enables secondary effects like regeneration or upgraded primary abilities. It is the ideal setup for large-scale operations such as massive builds, resource farms, or PVP arenas.
Constructing a full pyramid takes considerable effort and resources. Mining iron or gold and converting them into blocks requires a steady supply, while diamond, emerald, or netherite blocks are even more difficult to acquire in bulk. Iron farms, gold farms, and villager trading halls are helpful long-term solutions for gathering materials efficiently. Once built, however, a full pyramid beacon becomes a powerful tool for enhancing gameplay in a wide radius, making the investment well worth it for experienced players.
Use of Beacon Powers
Once your beacon is activated and a power is selected, it grants beneficial status effects to players within its area of influence. These effects can greatly enhance gameplay across exploration, combat, and building. Speed increases your walking and sprinting pace, making it easier to cover large distances quickly, escape threats, or simply move efficiently through expansive builds. At Speed II, which requires a fully powered beacon pyramid, your movement becomes significantly faster, and when combined with enchantments like Soul Speed, travel across soul sand and soul soil becomes incredibly swift.
Haste is another valuable effect, boosting both mining and attack speed. It’s especially effective for large-scale excavation or resource gathering. With Haste II and an Efficiency V enchanted tool, you can instantly mine many block types, which is ideal for clearing out areas or constructing massive builds. Resistance reduces incoming damage from most sources, making it an essential power for combat. It allows players to endure more hits and survive dangerous situations, especially when dealing with mobs or during boss fights. Resistance II, available only with a fully built beacon, offers even stronger protection.
Jump Boost increases the player’s jump height, allowing for smoother movement over obstacles like fences or small cliffs. With Jump Boost II, players can leap over two-block-high ledges, eliminating the need for constant block placement when climbing. Strength enhances melee attack power, allowing players to defeat enemies faster and with fewer hits. This is particularly useful when battling waves of hostile mobs or engaging in boss fights such as the Wither. At Strength II, your damage output is greatly improved, shortening combat encounters and reducing the risk of taking damage.
Regeneration is a unique secondary effect available only with a four-layer pyramid. It gradually restores your health over time, which is especially useful when combined with defensive powers like Resistance. Together, these effects can make a player extremely resilient, capable of enduring prolonged battles and environmental hazards without needing frequent healing items.
Strategic use of beacon powers allows players to tailor their environment for efficiency and safety. Whether it’s enhancing productivity in a mining base, speeding up travel across large builds, or bolstering defenses during raids or boss encounters, beacons can dramatically improve your Minecraft experience. Setting up multiple beacons or constructing a mega beacon allows for simultaneous access to several effects, offering a versatile and powerful advantage across the game world.
Activating a Beacon and Selecting Powers
Once the beacon is placed on a complete pyramid with an unobstructed view of the sky, it will emit a beam of light. To activate the status effects, interact with the beacon to open its menu. Insert one of the following items into the slot: iron ingot, gold ingot, diamond, emerald, or netherite ingot. The item used to activate the beacon does not have to match the materials used in the pyramid.
After inserting the activation item, you can choose a primary power from the menu. The available powers depend on the pyramid level. Level 1 allows Speed I or Haste I. Level 2 adds Resistance I and Jump Boost I. Level 3 includes Strength I. Level 4 offers the same set of primary powers but also enables a secondary power. For the secondary power, you can either choose Regeneration I or upgrade your selected primary power to Level II.
Once you’ve made your selections, confirm by clicking the green checkmark. The activation item will be consumed, and the beacon will begin to provide the selected status effects to players within range. The effects include Speed, Haste, Resistance, Jump Boost, Strength, and Regeneration. The range varies with pyramid size: 20 blocks for Level 1, 30 blocks for Level 2, 40 blocks for Level 3, and 50 blocks for Level 4, measured horizontally in a square and also extending downwards. Vertically, the effect extends up to 384 blocks. If a player leaves the beacon’s range, the effect will persist briefly depending on the pyramid size, but it will continuously refresh while within range.
Mega Beacon
For players who want all six primary effects at once, it’s possible to construct a larger base supporting multiple beacons. One efficient design uses a base with layer dimensions of 11×10, 9×8, 7×6, and 5×4, with six beacons placed on the top 5×4 layer. Each beacon can be configured separately to provide a unique effect. This design is more resource-efficient than building six separate full pyramids and allows players to enjoy the full range of beacon powers in one location.
Beacon Beam and Colors
Once activated, a beacon projects a bright, vertical beam of light that shoots straight into the sky. In Minecraft Bedrock Edition, this beam is visible from up to 64 blocks away, regardless of your device’s render distance settings, making it an excellent tool for navigation. Whether you’re deep underground, exploring far from your base, or flying overhead with Elytra, a beacon beam provides a reliable and unmistakable visual landmark to guide you home or highlight important areas.
One of the more creative aspects of beacons is the ability to customize the color of the beam. This is done by placing stained glass blocks or stained glass panes directly above the beacon. When placed correctly, the beam will immediately change to match the color of the glass. Crouching (or sneaking) while placing the glass ensures that you don’t accidentally open the beacon’s menu instead. Glass panes work similarly to blocks, but they allow for a more refined and cleaner transition of color, especially when building decorative beacon towers or artistic light displays.
Players can experiment by stacking multiple layers of different colored stained glass to achieve more vibrant or custom tones. However, it’s important to note that in Bedrock Edition, these layers do not blend their colors as they do in Java Edition. Instead, only the topmost layer of stained glass determines the color of the beam. This means that while you can change colors easily by swapping the top layer, you won’t get blended gradients or multi-hued effects. Still, you can create themed beacons by coordinating beam colors with your base, biome, or in-game function—for example, using red for combat zones, blue for water-related builds, or green for farming areas.
For additional visual effects, some players build glass enclosures or decorative towers around their beacon, enhancing the light show while keeping the aesthetic aligned with their base’s architecture. Because the beacon beam is dynamic and changes in real time when you modify the glass, it’s also possible to create color-cycling mechanisms using redstone and pistons to move stained glass blocks in and out of the beam path, creating animated or shifting color displays.
Beyond simple utility, beacon beams offer a fun and visually striking way to personalize your world, turning a functional power source into a brilliant artistic centerpiece.
Building Beacons in Other Dimensions
Beacons can also be built and activated in the Nether and the End. In the Nether, you must ensure the beacon has an unobstructed vertical path to the bedrock ceiling. The beam can pass through bedrock, making it possible to build a functional beacon at the bottom of the Nether. In the End, where there’s no ceiling, beacons can be freely placed and activated. These beacons are useful for navigation, mining, or supporting large-scale builds across dimensions.
Relocating a Beacon
If you need to move a beacon, simply mine the beacon block and its pyramid base and reconstruct them in a new location. The beacon block can be broken with any tool or even by hand. This flexibility is useful when moving builds or consolidating resources. You can even keep a shulker box packed with beacon materials for quick deployment in new areas.
Conclusion
Beacons are powerful but resource-heavy endgame items in Minecraft Bedrock Edition. They act as both a skyward landmark and a source of status effects for players nearby. To craft one, you’ll need glass, obsidian, and a Nether Star, which is only dropped by the Wither—a tough boss that must be summoned using Wither Skeleton Skulls and soul sand or soul soil.
To activate a beacon, place it on top of a pyramid made from iron, gold, diamond, emerald, or netherite blocks. The pyramid can have up to four layers. More layers increase the beacon’s range and unlock stronger effects. Once placed on a valid pyramid with a clear view of the sky, activate the beacon by inserting an iron ingot, gold ingot, diamond, emerald, or netherite ingot. This lets you choose status effects like Speed, Haste, Resistance, Jump Boost, and Strength. A full four-layer pyramid also unlocks a secondary power—either Regeneration I or an upgrade to a primary effect.
You can customize the beacon’s beam color by placing stained glass or panes above it. Beacons also work in the Nether and the End, and their beams can pass through bedrock in the Nether.
If you want all six effects at once, a mega beacon can be built using a special layout that supports multiple beacons on a shared base. This is a more efficient way to get full buffs across your world. Learning how to properly build and use beacons gives you big advantages in combat, exploration, and building.
If you’re looking for more guides, be sure to explore the website for more tips and tricks. Enjoy your adventure, and happy mining!
