How to make a gunpowder farm in Minecraft

Gunpowder is a volatile item in Minecraft. Many beginner players cannot find a use for it beyond crafting small amounts of TNT to prank their friends. However, expert Minecraft players know the actual value of the resource.

Locating gunpowder can be challenging because it can only be found in chests hidden within rare Minecraft structures or obtained by killing some of the scariest mobs in the game - creepers.

In this helpful step-by-step guide, players will learn how to create a farm to harvest gunpowder in Minecraft.

Starting a Minecraft gunpowder farm

To create a gunpowder farm in Minecraft, players will need a building block of their choice, any slabs, and many trapdoors.

Two tamed cats are also essential to ensure that this farm works efficiently. This means players also need a fishing rod, raw fish, and enough patience to tame two cats.

It may also be beneficial to acquire a lead or two, as it saves time when positioning the cats in the creeper farm. Carpets are also necessary to prevent other mobs from spawning, so Minecraft players will need to find wool to craft these unique, functional, decorative blocks.

Building the farm

Step 1

The first step to building a Minecraft gunpowder farm, besides gathering all the required materials, is to lay out the structure's foundation. This can be done by creating a 13x16 rectangle on the ground.

Step 2

After this large rectangle has been built, players need to break a few blocks. The middle six blocks on the top and bottom of the structure need to be removed. In the end, there should be 10 blocks on either side with a six-block gap in between them.

Step 3

Now, place blocks diagonally adjacent to those five-block walls. Repeat the process one more time, but the second time move inward so that the structure is a sort of hourglass shape, as shown in the image above.

After this foundation has been laid out, players need to add another layer of blocks on top, making the structure two blocks high instead of one.

Step 4

In the center of the left wall, place a trapdoor made of any wood. Underneath that trapdoor, add a carpet of any color. After that, place five more rugs, each separated by two blocks, as shown in the photo below.

Repeat the same thing on the other side of the structure so that it is perfectly mirrored. There is also an option to add extra blocks to the middle of the system, making the pathway more effective in funneling the creepers to the collection chamber.

Step 5

The next step towards efficiently farming gunpowder in any Minecraft world is building a roof on this structure made entirely of slabs. Then, on the inside of the building, place trapdoors on every block of the ceiling where one will fit. This step makes the structure dark enough to spawn creepers but not tall enough to spawn other mobs.

Step 6

This step is slightly tricky, but the leads mentioned earlier will make it manageable. Place a cat on the first two trapdoors (the only two that are not flat against the structure's ceiling) so that the doors do not move.

Step 7

Finally, dig down four blocks in the center of the hourglass shape. Then, at the top of this new hole, put six trapdoors and click them to open up. They should be flat against the wall of the top block of this hole.

On one side of this hole, place two water buckets to flow towards one side of the structure. Use the photo below for reference. Now, the basic design of the gunpowder farm is complete.

Step 8

No Minecraft gunpowder farm is complete without a safe way to kill creepers. To do this, Minecraft players should add a room to the bottom of the creeper spawning structure. The purpose of this room is to kill creepers and fill chests with gunpowder automatically. Otherwise, this structure would only be a creeper spawner.

Mine into the wall of the hole until the water stops flowing. A small area should be mined out with enough room for a few glass blocks, hoppers, and chests.

Step 9

The next step for the Minecraft player is to craft four signs, placing two of them on the glass blocks and then on either side of the tunnel with the flowing water. Above the signs on the glass blocks, place two buckets of lava. Be careful doing this, as it can be dangerous if not closed quickly enough.

The signs should make it so that the lava is floating, and creepers will be swept into it by the flowing water underneath.

Step 10

Finally, break any light source blocks within the structure. Now creepers should start spawning, float towards the lava, and burn to death. If the player wants to make this farm automatic, they can also mine out two blocks underneath, place hoppers, and connect them to chests.

This will make it so that their gunpowder will be automatically transported to the chest for more accessible collection once creepers die.

How it works

Because of the trapdoors and carpets, no Minecraft mob other than creepers will spawn within this structure. This means that if the player lights up around the outside of the building, they can maximize the number of creepers spawning since the light will prevent any other types of mobs from spawning in the same area.

As soon as these conditions have been met, players can stand on top of the structure, and creepers will begin to spawn, die, and fill up the chest with gunpowder. Once the farm is built, enjoy watching creepers explode and collect the rewards.

For a visual resource on how to create a Minecraft gunpowder farm, check out the following video by Minecraft creator LaZ1en: