Beacon and conduit
How many blocks a beacon pyramid needs, which effects each level unlocks, how far the beacon reaches, and what colour the beam turns with stained glass. Plus the conduit frame: 16 to 42 prismarine blocks.
Pyramid
Mineral
Any of these items switches the beacon on or changes the effect — there is no difference between them.
Stained glass above the beacon
Light Blue Stained Glass
Level 4 beacon
- Blocks
- 164 81 + 49 + 25 + 9
- Ingots or gems
- 1476 9 per block
- Range
- 50 blocks around and up to the sky
- Beam
-
#3ab3da
Haste II17 s, refreshed every 4 s
What each beacon level unlocks
A one-layer pyramid unlocks Speed and Haste, the second layer adds Resistance and Jump Boost, and the third Strength. The full four-layer pyramid adds a secondary power: Regeneration or the same primary effect one level higher, such as Haste II — with it an Efficiency V pickaxe mines stone instantly.
No opaque blocks may sit above the beacon: the beam has to reach the sky. Glass, stained glass, and panes let it through and colour it. To switch the beacon on or change the effect, put an iron or gold ingot, an emerald, a diamond, or a netherite ingot into its window.
Frequently asked questions
How many blocks does a beacon need?
Level 1 takes 9 blocks (a 3×3 layer), level 2 34, level 3 83, and level 4 164: layers of 9×9, 7×7, 5×5, and 3×3. Iron, gold, emerald, diamond, and netherite blocks all work and can be mixed in one pyramid. A full iron pyramid takes 1,476 ingots.
What is the range of a beacon?
10 blocks plus 10 per pyramid level: 20, 30, 40, and 50. Vertically it reaches from its own height minus the range all the way up to the sky. The effect lasts 9 + 2 × level seconds and refreshes every 4 seconds, so it lingers briefly after you leave the area.
How do you colour a beacon beam?
Place stained glass or glass panes above the beacon. The first glass sets the colour, and every next glass of a different colour mixes half-and-half with the current one. That is how several panes give shades beyond the 16 dyes — the calculator shows the colour after every layer.
How does a conduit work?
A conduit sits in water in the middle of a frame of prismarine, prismarine bricks, dark prismarine, or sea lanterns — three 5×5 rings around it. From 16 blocks it grants Conduit Power: water breathing, night vision, and faster mining underwater. The range is 16 blocks for every 7 frame blocks, up to 96, and with the full 42-block frame the conduit attacks nearby hostile mobs itself.