Top 3 uses of the lodestone in Minecraft

An item composed of chiseled stone bricks and a netherite ingot in Minecraft, lodestones are capable of being interacted with via player compasses.

By utilizing a compass on a lodestone in Minecraft, players may notice that their compass now points to the lodestone itself instead of the world's spawn point.

Furthermore, interacting with the lodestone changes the appearance of the compass, providing a colored sheen to it (similar to how enchanted items shimmer). This sheen changes depending on the version of Minecraft that is being played, but it should be noteworthy either way.

Lodestones have a few helpful applications, and it doesn't hurt for players to be aware of some of the best while experimenting with the block.

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Most beneficial ways to use a lodestone in Minecraft

3) Marking a central location

A central market square (Image via Planet Minecraft/PanteLegacy)

Although compasses often just point to a Minecraft world's spawn point, sometimes that particular location isn't the center of a world or sever. Some players travel a large distance before setting up central hubs like cities, villages, or ports. In that case, it doesn't hurt to have a lodestone placed in a convenient area within the central location.

This way, if players are new to a world or server, they can link a compass back to the central hub. Not only can this prevent players from getting lost, but they'll be able to use a different compass in the event they still need to locate the spawn point.

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2) Marking structures

A witch's swamp hut structure (Image via YouTube/TheJessing)

Minecraft worlds generate a large number of structures upon world creation, and it can be tricky to keep track of all of them. For particularly important structures such as strongholds or villages, it may not hurt to place a lodestone and connect to it for further reference.

This is incredibly helpful for strongholds in particular, as players can save eyes of ender tracking the stronghold back down, allowing them to open their end portal more easily. As long as players remain in the dimension that the lodestone is placed in, they aren't likely to misplace a generated structure with a lodestone placed nearby.

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1) Marking a portal in the Nether/End

Nether portals can often be misplaced if they're not marked (Image via Mojang)

The Nether and End dimensions can be pretty big places, and if players aren't marking where their portals are, they may just end up lost. Considering that both dimensions are significantly more dangerous on average compared to the Overworld, the last thing players want is to get lost in them. Fortunately, lodestones work well in any dimension. If a player places a lodestone near their portal and links it to a compass, they should have a point of reference in the event they get lost in the Nether or End.