How to activate a beacon in Minecraft

To activate a Beacon in Minecraft can be a little tricky. By placing a beacon on top of the pyramid will activate it. Use iron blocks, gold blocks, emerald blocks, diamond blocks, or netherite blocks to make the pyramid. To learn how to build and activate a beacon, continue reading.

What is a beacon in Minecraft?

A beacon is a block that projects a light beam skyward and can provide status effects such as Speed, Jump Boost, Haste, Regeneration, Resistance, or Strength to nearby players. Beacons will only work if it's under an open sky. A single beacon setup only has a maximum of four status effect levels. A multi beacon setup can have up to six beacons. If you have a six beacon setup, you can activate all six status effects.

What do you mean by open sky?

Placing a beacon under any block will render it useless. Place one block in the sky and the beacon at bedrock level; it still won't work. However, placing a Transparent block over the beacon, like glass or water, doesn't create any issue for the beacon. But make sure nothing else is directly above them.

How to build a beacon in Minecraft?

Just like the pyramid in the real world, you can build the same in Minecraft by placing a 3x3 block and place the beacon right on top in the centre. You can make the 3x3 block out of iron blocks, gold blocks, emerald blocks, diamond blocks, or netherite blocks. However, this setup will only allow you to activate one status effect. Add three more layers will allow you to active four status effects.

As you can see from the table each layer of the beacon requires more material and with each layer, the strength of the beacon is increased.

There are four possible pyramid heights. More pyramid levels make more powers available in a wider affected vicinity. The type of mineral block used to build the pyramid is entirely cosmetic and has no functional effect. If you find yourself short on blocks, do not worry. You can use different block types without affecting functionality.

If by any chance the beacon is damaged or deactivated. You can fix it without losing previously-set status effects. The same applies to piston-altered pyramids as well.

How to activate a beacon in Minecraft?

Beacon blocks can function as light sources, emitting a light level 15. Like other light sources, they melt snow and ice. In Bedrock Edition, beacons can also be waterlogged and conduct Redstone power at the same time. To activate a Beacon in Minecraft, place it on top of the 3x3 layer of mineral blocks.

When "activated", beacon blocks provide two unique functions:

• An activated beacon lights up a beam reaching into the sky. It is visible from far. If you are lost, walk towards the beam of light.
• An activated beacon gives players status effects. Status effects are like Powers. However, the status effect range is limited.

Once the beacon emits a beam, one can feed it one iron ingot, gold ingot, emerald, diamond, or Netherite ingot to select the status effects given to players within range of the beacon. Each level allows one status effect.

Level 1 gives you two options.

1. Speed: Increases walking speed; higher levels make the player faster and increase their field of view.
2. Haste: Increases mining and attack speed. Higher levels increase the player's mining and attack speed.

Level 2 also gives you two options.

1. Jump Boost: Increases jump height and reduce fall damage. Higher levels make the player jump higher and reduce more fall damage.
2. Resistance: Reduces damage. Higher levels reduce more damage.

Level 3 only provides you with 1 option.

1. Strength: Increases melee damage, higher levels make the player do more melee damage.

You can do this using the beacon's GUI, displayed by pressing use while looking at the beacon block. You can use any item to feed the beacon. It doesn't matter which of the items.