How to Make a Beacon in Minecraft (Recipe + Pyramid Guide)

Short answer: to make a Beacon in Minecraft, combine 5 Glass + 1 Nether Star + 3 Obsidian on a crafting table. The Nether Star is the bottleneck — it only drops from the Wither boss, which requires 3 Wither Skeleton skulls plus 4 Soul Sand to summon. Once you have a Beacon, you place it on top of a pyramid of iron, gold, emerald, diamond, or netherite blocks to activate it. The pyramid size (1–4 levels) determines the beam's range and which status effects you can choose.

Beacons were added in update 1.4.2 and remain one of the most prestigious blocks to obtain. A fully activated 4-level Beacon grants area buffs like Speed II, Haste II, Resistance, Strength, Jump Boost, and Regeneration to everyone nearby — game-changing for builds, raids, and large bases. This guide covers the exact crafting recipe, every step from Wither skull farming to pyramid construction, and how to choose the right pyramid material.

Quick Answer Table

Question	Answer
Crafting recipe	5 Glass + 1 Nether Star + 3 Obsidian on a crafting table
Recipe layout	Glass row top, Glass+Star+Glass middle, Obsidian row bottom
How to get Nether Star?	Kill the Wither boss (only source)
Pyramid required?	Yes — 1 to 4 levels of mineral blocks below the Beacon
Valid pyramid blocks	Iron, Gold, Diamond, Emerald, Netherite (mixable)
Effects available?	Speed, Haste, Resistance, Jump Boost, Strength + Regeneration (lvl 4)
Beam visibility	From any distance — visible through any blocks except bedrock-equivalents
Clear sky required?	Yes — Beacon needs unobstructed vertical line to the sky

The Beacon Recipe

Open a Crafting Table and place ingredients in this exact pattern:

Top row: Glass, Glass, Glass
Middle row: Glass, Nether Star, Glass
Bottom row: Obsidian, Obsidian, Obsidian

The result is one Beacon block. The Beacon doesn't do anything yet — you need to place it on a pyramid to activate.

How to Get the Nether Star (The Hard Part)

The Nether Star drops from killing the Wither boss. To summon the Wither, you need:

3 Wither Skeleton skulls (rare drop from Wither Skeletons in Nether Fortresses)
4 Soul Sand (from soul sand valleys in the Nether)

Step 1: Farm Wither Skeleton skulls

Travel to a Nether Fortress. Wither Skeletons spawn there at night-equivalent darkness. Each skeleton kill has a 2.5% chance to drop a skull. With a Looting III sword, this jumps to 5.5% — typically 50–60 kills for 3 skulls on average.

Step 2: Get 4 Soul Sand

Soul Sand is common in the Nether — entire soul sand valleys exist. Mine 4 blocks with any shovel (silk touch not required).

Step 3: Summon the Wither

Place 4 Soul Sand in a T-shape: a base row of 3 with one on top of the middle. Add the 3 Wither Skulls on top of the upper soul sand and the two extending base ones.

The Wither spawns immediately, plays a charging-up animation, then EXPLODES outward — destroying surrounding terrain. Summon in a safe arena, ideally bedrock-bounded (the Nether's bedrock ceiling, or build in a closed deepslate room).

Step 4: Defeat the Wither

The Wither has 300 health. It flies, shoots explosive skulls, and has a defensive shield phase. Best strategies:

Trap it on bedrock (Nether ceiling, End void edges)
Use a Mace with Density or Breach for massive smash damage
Smite V swords work great (Wither is undead)
Bring Strength II + Regeneration potions
Bring Totems of Undying

When defeated, the Wither drops 1 Nether Star and 50 XP. You only need one Nether Star per Beacon.

Get the Obsidian and Glass

These are easy:

3 Obsidian: place water on lava (creates obsidian). Mine with a Diamond or Netherite pickaxe.
5 Glass: smelt 5 Sand blocks in a furnace. See our how to make glass guide for sand sources and fuel options.

Building the Pyramid

The Beacon needs a pyramid of mineral blocks beneath it to activate. Pyramid levels and block counts:

Level 1 (9 blocks): 3×3 square below the Beacon — Speed I or Haste I, range 20 blocks
Level 2 (34 blocks): 3×3 on top of 5×5 — adds Resistance I or Jump Boost I, range 30 blocks
Level 3 (83 blocks): adds 7×7 base — adds Strength I, range 40 blocks
Level 4 (164 blocks): adds 9×9 base — adds Regeneration I + lets you upgrade primary effects to Level II, range 50 blocks

Total for a full 4-level pyramid: 164 mineral blocks. If using iron blocks, that's 1,476 iron ingots. Most players use mixed pyramids: cheap iron for the big base layers, expensive gold/diamond/netherite for the visible top layers.

Choosing the Pyramid Material

All five materials are functionally identical — they all activate the same effects at the same range. The choice is aesthetic:

Iron blocks — cheapest, fastest to acquire, looks "industrial"
Gold blocks — moderate cost, golden glow
Emerald blocks — expensive (villager trading), striking green
Diamond blocks — expensive, classic blue glow, "prestige" look
Netherite blocks — most expensive, dark sleek aesthetic

Activating and Choosing Effects

Once the pyramid is built and the Beacon is on top:

Right-click the Beacon to open the menu.
Insert one of: Iron Ingot, Gold Ingot, Diamond, Emerald, or Netherite Ingot (as the "fee").
Choose a primary effect from the list. Available options depend on pyramid size.
At level 4, you can also choose a secondary effect (Regeneration, or upgrade the primary to Level II).
Confirm. The Beacon activates — a beam of light shoots upward.

Your chosen effect applies to all players within range. The Beacon only requires the fee on first activation OR when changing effects — it doesn't need a continuous fee.

Common Questions

Why won't my Beacon turn on?

Check: (1) the pyramid is correctly sized and made of valid blocks (iron/gold/diamond/emerald/netherite), (2) there's an unobstructed vertical column above the Beacon to the sky (no blocks except bedrock-equivalents block the beam), (3) the Beacon is directly on top of the pyramid (centered).

Can the Beacon beam pass through stained glass?

Yes — and it changes color. Place stained glass above the Beacon's beam path to color the light. Multiple colors of stained glass produce a mixed color.

Do Beacon effects work in caves?

Yes, the effects apply in 3D within range — not just in line-of-sight. A 4-level Beacon's effects work in caves 50 blocks below it.

Can I have multiple Beacons?

Yes — and their effects stack. Two adjacent 4-level Beacons can give you Speed II AND Haste II AND Resistance simultaneously.

How do I get the 1,476 iron for a full pyramid?

Build an Iron Farm. Iron Golems spawn near villager pods, and a properly built iron farm produces 200+ iron per hour. See our server hosting guide for keeping your iron farm running 24/7.

Does the Wither drop more Nether Stars with Looting?

No — the Wither always drops exactly 1 Nether Star regardless of Looting.

Can I take a Beacon with me?

Yes. Mine the Beacon with any pickaxe (iron or better) and it drops as an item, keeping no enchantments. Take it anywhere.

Why is "Regeneration" only at Pyramid Level 4?

Mojang reserved Regeneration as the prestige secondary effect — it's the strongest passive heal in the game and requires the full investment to unlock.

Putting It All Together

The end-to-end Beacon workflow:

Build XP gear with Mending, Looting III, and Smite V.
Travel to the Nether. Find a fortress. Farm Wither Skeletons until you have 3 skulls (~50 kills with Looting III).
Collect 4 Soul Sand from a soul sand valley.
Build a safe arena (bedrock-walled) and summon the Wither. Kill it with your Smite V sword or a Mace.
Collect the Nether Star.
Mine 3 Obsidian and smelt 5 Sand into Glass. Craft the Beacon.
Build a pyramid of iron/gold/diamond/emerald/netherite blocks. Start with 1 level (9 blocks) for instant gratification, then expand to 4 levels (164 blocks) over time.
Place the Beacon on top and activate with an iron ingot.

For more "How to Make X" guides, see our companion posts: How to Make a Cake, How to Make a Conduit, How to Make a Saddle (surprise: you can't!), How to Make Paper, and How to Make Glass.

If you're building a circular Beacon room or display platform, our Minecraft circle generator blueprints the perfect circle around your Beacon. And if you want your iron farms working 24/7 to fuel that pyramid, see our best Minecraft server hosting comparison.

That's everything you need to know about making a Beacon in Minecraft. Star, glass, obsidian, pyramid, light. Happy beaming!