How to Make a Conduit in Minecraft (Recipe + Heart of the Sea Guide)

Short answer: to make a Conduit in Minecraft, combine 1 Heart of the Sea + 8 Nautilus Shells on a crafting table. Place the Heart of the Sea in the center, surrounded by 8 Nautilus Shells in the 8 outer slots. The result is one Conduit — but it doesn't do anything until you activate it by placing it underwater with a prismarine frame around it. Once activated, a Conduit grants nearby players "Conduit Power" (water breathing, night vision underwater, faster underwater mining) and attacks hostile mobs in its range.

Conduits were added in update 1.13 ("Update Aquatic") and are the endgame underwater item. Building one is a significant investment — the Heart of the Sea is one of the rarer items in the game, and you need 8 Nautilus Shells (which are also rare). This guide covers exactly how to get every ingredient, craft the Conduit, and build the frame to power it.

Quick Answer Table

Question	Answer
Crafting recipe	1 Heart of the Sea + 8 Nautilus Shells (Heart center, shells surrounding)
Heart of the Sea source	Buried treasure chests (1 per chest, guaranteed)
Nautilus Shells source	Drowned drops (rare), fishing treasure, Wandering Trader
Activation requirement	Place underwater, surround with prismarine frame
Effects on nearby players	Conduit Power: water breathing, night vision underwater, faster underwater mining
Effects on hostile mobs	Attacks Drowned, Guardians, Elder Guardians in range
Range	16–96 blocks depending on prismarine frame size
Game version	1.13+ (Update Aquatic)

The Conduit Recipe

Open a crafting table and place:

Top row: Nautilus Shell, Nautilus Shell, Nautilus Shell
Middle row: Nautilus Shell, Heart of the Sea, Nautilus Shell
Bottom row: Nautilus Shell, Nautilus Shell, Nautilus Shell

This creates one Conduit. The Heart of the Sea goes in the center; 8 Nautilus Shells fill the surrounding slots.

How to Get the Heart of the Sea

The Heart of the Sea is found only in Buried Treasure chests. Each buried treasure chest contains exactly 1 Heart of the Sea (guaranteed) along with iron ingots, gold ingots, prismarine crystals, and other treasure. The challenge is finding the chest.

Step 1: Get a Buried Treasure Map

Buried Treasure Maps are found in chests in Ocean Ruins and Shipwrecks. Each ocean ruin / shipwreck chest has a chance to contain a Treasure Map.

Step 2: Sail to the marked location

Open the Treasure Map. It shows a sea of squares with one marked with an "X". The X indicates where the buried treasure is.

Step 3: Dig at the X

Travel to the X on your in-game map. The buried treasure is usually 1–10 blocks deep in the sand/dirt below the beach or seafloor. Dig down — you'll find the chest.

Step 4: Loot the Heart of the Sea

The chest contains the Heart of the Sea and other items. Pick it up.

One Heart of the Sea per Conduit. There's no other source — no villager trade, no fishing, no mob drop.

How to Get Nautilus Shells (×8)

You need 8 Nautilus Shells, and each is rare. Sources, ranked:

Method 1: Drowned drops (rare)

Drowned mobs that spawn holding a Nautilus Shell in their off-hand will drop it when killed. The drop chance per kill is small (~3%). With Looting III, this increases. Plan to kill many Drowned to get 8 shells — easily 100+ kills on average.

Method 2: Fishing's treasure loot

Nautilus Shells appear in fishing's "treasure" loot at about 0.8% per catch. With Luck of the Sea III, this jumps to ~1.9%. AFK-fishing with Luck of the Sea III nets you a few shells per hour.

Method 3: Wandering Trader

Wandering Traders occasionally sell Nautilus Shells for 5 emeralds each. Reliable if you can find them, though spawn is random.

Method 4: Drowned spawner farm

If you have access to a Trial Chamber or builds a converted spawner, you can farm Drowned consistently. Each kill has a small Nautilus Shell chance.

Activating the Conduit (The Prismarine Frame)

An un-activated Conduit doesn't do anything. You need to:

Place the Conduit underwater (it can sit on any block or float in water).
Build a frame of prismarine, dark prismarine, prismarine bricks, or sea lanterns around it.
The Conduit activates automatically and starts emitting light + the Conduit Power effect.

The frame can be 1×1 (just 1 block of prismarine), but for full power and range, build a 5×5×5 prismarine ring. The more frame blocks you have (up to 42 total), the more powerful the Conduit:

16 frame blocks: Range 32 blocks, no hostile mob attacks
32 frame blocks: Range 64 blocks, no hostile attacks
42 frame blocks (maximum): Range 96 blocks, attacks hostile aquatic mobs within range

A "full activation" 42-block frame requires the Conduit at the center, surrounded by a 5×5×5 hollow cube of prismarine variants (the cube has 42 blocks excluding the center). Build this around the Conduit underwater.

What Conduit Power Does

Players within range of an activated Conduit get the Conduit Power status effect, which combines:

Water Breathing — infinite oxygen underwater
Night Vision underwater — clear visibility
Haste while underwater (faster mining)
Resistance to underwater Drowned attacks

The effect is automatic for any player within range. No need to be in line-of-sight of the Conduit.

Hostile Mob Attacks (Full Power Only)

At max frame size (42 blocks), the Conduit emits beams that damage hostile aquatic mobs:

Drowned — damaged within range
Guardians — damaged within range
Elder Guardians — damaged within range

This makes a Conduit essential for raiding Ocean Monuments — it makes you immune to Drowned + clears Guardians from the perimeter automatically.

Common Questions

Why won't my Conduit activate?

Check: (1) it's placed underwater (water all around it), (2) at least 16 prismarine blocks surround it in a valid frame pattern. The frame must be the right shape — a single block on each side at minimum.

Can I have multiple Conduits?

Yes. Each activated Conduit has its own range. Overlapping Conduits don't extend range — each works independently.

Does Conduit Power work in the Nether or End?

No. Conduit Power is an underwater Overworld effect only.

Can I move a Conduit after placing it?

Yes. Mine the Conduit with any pickaxe (iron or better) and it drops as an item. Replace it elsewhere.

Does the Conduit require sky access?

No — unlike Beacons, Conduits don't need sky access. They work entirely underwater, including in deep ocean trenches.

Does the Conduit run out of fuel?

No. Once activated, it works forever with no fuel requirement.

What's the easiest underwater base for a Conduit?

A small 5×5×5 prismarine cube with the Conduit inside. Place near your dock or above an Ocean Monument for permanent underwater access.

Can fishing give me a Heart of the Sea?

No. Hearts of the Sea only come from buried treasure chests.

Putting It All Together

The workflow for an activated Conduit:

Find a Buried Treasure Map (Ocean Ruins or Shipwreck chest).
Travel to the X on the map. Dig down. Loot the Heart of the Sea.
Farm 8 Nautilus Shells (Drowned kills, fishing, or Wandering Trader trades).
Craft the Conduit at a crafting table.
Travel to your desired underwater location.
Place the Conduit underwater on any block.
Build a 5×5×5 prismarine cube around it (42 blocks for max power).
The Conduit activates and emits Conduit Power to nearby players.
Use the Conduit Power effect to raid the nearest Ocean Monument for prismarine, sponges, and Elder Guardian drops.

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

If you're building a circular underwater base around your Conduit, our Minecraft circle generator blueprints the perfect dome or prismarine ring. And if you want to keep your Conduit and ocean monument farm running on a 24/7 server with friends, see our best Minecraft server hosting comparison.

That's everything you need to know about Conduits in Minecraft. Heart of the Sea, 8 Nautilus Shells, prismarine frame — and unlimited underwater adventures. Happy diving!