Top 5 things to know about beacon in Minecraft

Beacons are one of the most valuable items in Minecraft. Their ability to make almost everything easier is unrivaled. The only issue with them is that they are incredibly difficult to craft. For starters, its ingredients include a Nether star, which can only be acquired after defeating the Wither. The Wither is the most difficult and hard-to-spawn mob in the game.

Beacons also require an obscene amount of Minecraft resources; however, they are worth it. They can completely change the game and have been around in Minecraft for a little while. That said, there are undoubtedly things that not everyone knows about them.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the views of the author.

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Fun facts about Minecraft beacons

5) Sky view

In order to function, a beacon has to have an unobstructed view of the Minecraft sky. This means that not a single block—other than clear ones—can be above it. Even if it is 100 blocks above the beacon, this item won't work.

This isn't a challenging issue to overcome, but it does mean that beacons can't be constructed underground without providing a clear line of sight to the sky. This is really the only major stipulation when building a beacon. Otherwise, they can be built almost anywhere else with no issues at all.

Another thing to note is that clear blocks, like glass or water, won't disrupt the usage of a beacon. Stained glass can actually make its light a different color.

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4) View distance

Beacons have a beam when activated (Image via Mojang Studios)

The distance at which the powerful beam of light from the beacon can be seen varies dramatically between Bedrock Edition and Java Edition. For Bedrock, players can see the beacon's light from 64 blocks away regardless of whether their Render Distance is set to maximum. That is a paltry distance compared to what's seen in Java Edition.

In the Java version, gamers can see the beam from a whopping 256 blocks away. The title does not specify if the Render Distance affects this feature, but it is unlikely. Either way, crafters can see their beacon's beam from so far away that it might be as useful for getting back home as a map.

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3) Resources

Most players know that they need an incredible amount of resources to make a fully powered beacon. Each portion of its pyramid has to be filled with blocks of a certain resource, where every block has nine ingots. Moreover, to activate the item, one Netherite, iron, or gold ingot or a diamond has to be fed to it. This is why using a beacon can become an expensive endeavor quickly.

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2) Powers

Only one power is available exclusively with a four-level beacon pyramid: Regeneration I. The following are available as the Primary Powers of the item:

• Speed I
• Haste I
• Resistance I
• Jump Boost I
• Strength I

After the initial stage of powers, Regeneration I is available. The only way to get this effect from a beacon is to get it to stage two. Another thing to note is that the level of the Primary Powers can be increased to II at this point, but the new status effect is Regeneration I.

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1) Alternative use

Most Minecraft players would prefer to use a beacon for the purpose it's meant to serve: to offer status effects in a certain range for a certain amount of time. It's far too expensive to do anything else with it.

However, it does have other uses. Beacons give off a light level of 15, which is the highest possible in Minecraft. They can melt ice and snow, too. Despite being among the most valuable items for a singular reason, they can serve multiple purposes. One of them just happens to be preventing hostile mobs from spawning.