Glowstone vs shroomlights in Minecraft: How different are the two blocks?

There are many light sources that gamers can use to illuminate their path in Minecraft, two of them being glowstone and shroomlights.

Both of these blocks are found within the nether realm of Minecraft. While they have some properties in common, they are also quite different from each other.

Here are all the main differences, and similarities, of both the glowstone and shroomlight Minecraft blocks.

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What is the difference between glowstone and shroomlights in Minecraft?

Similarities

Glowstone within a nether wastes biome (Images via Mojang)

When comparing glowstone to shroomlights, one could make the connection that they look somewhat similar in appearance. But on the same token, it is also evident that they are two different blocks given their texture.

The most obvious similarity here is the fact that both glowstone and shroomlights are found in the nether. However, they are not located in the same biome within the nether.

The other main similarity between glowstone and shroomlight is their light level.

Both glowstone and shroomlights emit light levels of 15, the highest possible in Minecraft. This can be very helpful for players while traveling through the nether as it is quite a dark and scary place. Without these glowing blocks, the nether would be eerily dim.

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Differences

A shroomlight in a warped forest biome (Image via Mojang)

There are many differences between glowstone and shroomlights.

First, when it comes to location, these two blocks are found in two entirely different biomes. Shroomlight can be found in warped or crimson forest biomes, while glowstone can be found in the nether wastes biome.

Shroomlights are typically connected to trees growing within the forests, while glowstone is often found dangling from the ceilings of large chunks of netherracks.

Another notable difference between these two blocks is the way they break. When mined properly, shroomlights will drop as blocks, easily able to be placed again elsewhere.

When it comes to glowstone, however, the only efficient way to break and retain its shape is via a silk touch pickaxe. Otherwise, glowstone will crumble upon being mined, and Minecraft players must collect the glowstone dust that will drop instead. The dust will be useful if they wish to craft it back into a full glowstone block.

Glowstone arguably has more uses than shroomlights as well. The dust from glowstone can be used in both potion and firework recipes, while shroomlights are simply light emitting blocks.