How to Build a Beacon in Minecraft Pocket Edition

Beacons are one of the most powerful items in all of Minecraft Pocket Edition, so it’s no wonder you’ll have to brave the toughest challenges the game has to offer to obtain one. In today’s guide, we’ll show you where to obtain the materials needed to craft a beacon and how to take full advantage of it. Let’s get started with our how to build a beacon in Minecraft Pocket Edition guide!

Materials Needed for a Beacon

To start your beacon building adventure, you’ll need to get your hands on five glass blocks, three obsidian blocks, and a nether star, perhaps the hardest material to get. Nether stars are dropped by the Wither, the optional second boss in Minecraft next to the Ender Dragon.

If you’re missing a nether star, you’ll need to fight the Wither. To summon the Wither, you’ll need to build its statue, which requires four blocks of soul sand or soul soil and three wither skeleton skulls. Wither skeletons spawn in Nether Fortresses. Place the soul sand/soil in a T shape and place the three wither skeleton skulls on top to summon the Wither. Be prepared for a fight, as the Wither is arguably stronger than the Ender Dragon!

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Building the Beacon

Once you’ve gathered all the materials, arrange them like so:

You now have your own beacon! To take full advantage of the beacon, you’ll need to create a pyramid foundation for it and make sure no solid blocks are directly above the beacon, as it needs to shine its light skyward.

The main benefit of a beacon is the passive buffs it applies to all players nearby it. The beacon can grant nearby players a number of buffs, but it depends on how big the beacon’s foundation is.

For example, the most basic beacon pyramid is the beacon on top of a 3×3 formation of ore blocks. Yes, you read that right – the pyramid’s foundation must be constructed of ore blocks, but they can be any ore blocks in any order. Iron blocks, gold blocks, emerald blocks, diamond blocks, and netherite blocks all work for the foundation.

The 3×3 formation is the smallest beacon structure, and it provides the shortest range. You can build up to three more additional layers of ore blocks to extend the beacon’s reach and unlock more powers to use, but obviously this is quite costly.

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Once your pyramid is set, place the beacon at the top in the center and use it to bring up of the beacon’s interface. You may choose a primary power, which includes the following:

• Speed: Increased movement speed
• Haste: Increased mining and attack speed
• Resistance: Decreases damage taken
• Jump Boost: Increased jumping height
• Strength: Increased melee damage

You will then choose a secondary power, which includes:

• Regeneration: Regenerates health over time
• Level II: Choose an additional primary power

Once you’ve made your selection, you’ll need to feed the beacon an ingot of any kind to activate the powers.

And that’s it – you’ve now fully set up your own beacon. If you have any other tips or tricks to share, let us know in the comments below!