How to Make a Conduit in Minecraft

- One Heart of the Sea

- Eight Nautilus Shells

- Crafting Table

A Heart of the Sea can be found from treasure maps found in shipwreck treasure chests. Some shipwrecks will have a treasure map that will lead to a sandy shore or a nearby island that marks an “X” for treasure. You may run into problems if the treasure spot had been generated before the shipwreck. Just keep scuba diving and digging for treasure, eventually you will find the one you are looking for.

The nautilus shells will accumulate from defeating enough drowned enemies. Many drowned will spawn underwater in ocean biomes but also in riverbanks and lakes. Nautilus shells are relatively rare drops, but eventually you will have more than what you know to do with.

Finally to make the conduit itself, you will need the 3x3 crafting menu of a crafting table.

Step-by-Step Guide(with Pictures):

Here is the step-by-step pictorial guide you need to follow to Make a Conduit in Minecraft:

First, you will need to track down a shipwreck. Swim around in ocean biomes until you come across a sunken ship. You can also feed dolphins some raw fish and they may escort you to a nearby shipwreck.

Not every shipwreck will contain a treasure map. Keep moving and looking for another shipwreck in this case. Look through every chest that you find until you come across a treasure map.

When you first open the map it should show an incomplete map in the chunk you are already in.

Take a note of the “X” you find on the map. Swim towards that shore and ensure you are standing near the “X” before you start digging. My map took me to a nearby sandy shore.

This part can be frustrating especially if the game overrides the chest during world generation. The only way to find out is to start digging. I had to dig quite deep in a large radius in order to find my treasure chest.

Mine spawned five blocks below the surface and right below where the “X” is on the map. Every treasure chest should spawn a Heart of the Sea.

Now that you have acquired your heart, start hunting some drowned. Especially the ones holding a nautilus shell.

Any drowned can drop a nautilus shell but the ones that are holding one will always drop the one they are holding. Gather up eight shells and head to a crafting table. Place the Heart of the Sea in the middle slot and surround it with nautilus shells.

Congratulations! You now have a beacon-like entity that can help you conquer the ocean.

A conduit will do nothing on its own. It will act as a torch underwater, but to really get the benefit out of it, you need to surround it in a grid of prismarine blocks. Prismarine can only be found in underwater temples. You can craft the prismarine blocks from the drops of guardians, but guardians will only spawn near underwater temples. Not only that, the elder guardians will inflict a debuff on you called mining fatigue that makes mining out enough blocks take longer than clearing out the temple.

It is not easy tackling your first underwater temple. For one thing it is underwater and you will need to constantly manage your breath meter. Work room by room, take a couple signs with you to make air holes near the ceilings of rooms and try to keep track of where you are and where the next air hole is. Make sure to take a respiration three helmet or water breathing potions. It is very easy to get lost in the maze-like rooms of an underwater temple. Defeat the 2-4 elder guardians to prevent mining fatigue and start mining some prismarine blocks.

When you are constructing the grid around a conduit, you will need a minimum of sixteen blocks, and the conduit can be powered up to maximum with forty two blocks of prismarine or sea lanterns. The conduit itself has to be in the middle of 3x3x3 water blocks. Start by building a “+” on the ground with some prismarine built up on the edges of the plus.

Next place a ring of prismarine around the top layer of the edges of the plus.

Your conduit should be active, but it is not at its maximum yet. Raise another few blocks of prismarine and you can complete the build how you began it.

This little cage you construct will be exactly the forty two blocks needed to maximize the strength of the conduit. You can arrange the cage however you would like as long as it is within the 5x5x5 of the conduit and the conduit has 3x3x3 of water surrounding it.

Conduits will help you breathe underwater, see further, kill hostile mobs around you, and play a heart beating sound. It can be a nice decorative piece in the center of an aquatic build. With one conduit, you can have a safe corner of the ocean. With multiple in a perimeter you can build a castle in the sea.

The conduit will also give its benefits above water if it is raining. Of course assuming you are standing within its effective range.

How do you fully power a conduit?

A conduit needs to be surrounded with forty two blocks of prismarine in order for it to function at its maximum. See above for the building details. A fully powered conduit will work ninety two blocks in any direction away from its center. Traveling past this point, you will lose the benefits of the conduit.

Do conduits kill guardians?

Conduits will kill guardians assuming the conduit is at least minimally powered. If you have already conquered an underwater temple and have prismarine to work with you can use a conduit to flush out an underwater temple.

The environment underwater is harsh and constantly trying to kill you. If you place a conduit, the water begins to work for you. Killing hostile mobs around you and providing you with a source of oxygen. It will also help you see further and mine faster. This can be essential for underwater bases and makes it so you do not have to fight being underwater constantly. The concept of the conduit existing can help motivate you to build things underwater and opens up many opportunities to be creative.