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TNT was introduced officially in the Alpha 0.4.0 update of Minecraft, and has been a massively popular fan-favourite addition to the game ever since. The exciting and highly unique properties of the block make this universal admiration come as no surprise.Â
TNT blocks can be used to explode a nearby radius of blocks, this can be useful for clearing out large areas of land quickly, blast mining, killing mobs, building cannons and simply just for fun!
This guide will explain everything you need to know about TNT in Minecraft, including how to craft the block and how to obtain all required resources in its recipe.
Sand is extremely common within Minecraft and can typically be found within a few minutes of wandering through most worlds. You donât need any special tools to obtain sand, simply break the block by hand and it will drop.
TIP: Sand will commonly spawn near most water sources.
Gunpowder is a bit harder to obtain, killing creepers is the best and easiest method to farm the item. You will need to kill these creepers before they explode in order for them to drop gunpowder.Â
To make this a bit easier for yourself, check out this guide for some of the best sword enchantments to effortlessly slaughter any mob.Â
If youâd like more useful information on Minecraft creepers specifically, click here.
Step 1.) You will need to interact with a crafting table in order to open a 3x3 crafting table menu, like this:Â
TIP: Learn how to make and use a crafting table with this guide
Step 2.) Place your sand and gunpowder in the exact formation as shown below:
Step 3.) Drag your newly created TNT from the crafting table inventory slot into your one of your own inventory slots.
TNT in Minecraft must be activated in order to cause an explosion, activation of the block can be most simply achieved via the use of a live redstone signal or directly by lighting with a flint & steel.
Activating a TNT Block with a Lever signal
Activating a TNT Block with Flint & Steel
It depends on the blocks the TNT is placed around, every block in the game has a different blast resistance, and some blocks are harder to break from explosions than others.Â
As a rough ballpark figure however, we can say TNT has approximately a 3-5 block radius destruction.
TNT cannons are great fun to make with any extra TNT you might have lying around, check out this video for a quick guide on some cannon designs.
TNT isnât necessarily expensive to craft, however obtaining gunpowder can be a bit tricky for beginners. The end result however is a unique block that can be leveraged for several use cases within the game, itâs also great fun to simply play around with.
