Minecraft Lodestone Locations & Best Uses Explained | Screen Rant

Minecraft is filled with all kinds of blocks that each have their uses. From the basic dirt block all the way up to the versatile Redstone ore block, there is a bevy of substances for players to get creative with. Keeping track of all of these blocks can be overwhelming, and some can fall through the cracks. Minecraft's lodestone is one such block, but it has a very helpful use and can only be found in a few places.

Players hoping to "beat" Minecraft will need to venture into the treacherous realms of the Nether and the End. The resources found within each are critical to progressing through the game, so avoiding them is not an option. In addition to the myriad of enemies and environmental threats, it's also incredibly easy to become lost in these worlds. Compasses don't work in the Nether or the End - unless players use a lodestone.

Related: What Minecraft's Rarest Ore Is (& How To Find It)

Using a compass on a lodestone will force it to point towards the block instead of to the player's original spawn point. This can be very helpful when exploring in Minecraft. For example, having a lodestone next to a portal in the Nether will ensure players will always be able to find their way home. Being able to more easily traverse the Nether can make finding Ancient Debris and Netherite much simpler, making the rest of the game easier, as well.

There are two ways players can acquire a lodestone block: by finding them in a chest or by crafting one. To get a lodestone from a chest, players will need to find a bastion remnant in the Nether. These castles can spawn in any Nether biome except for basalt deltas. Every bastion remnant is guaranteed to have at least one lodestone, always spawned within a chest in the top section of the central rampart.

Crafting a lodestone block requires eight chiseled stone bricks and one Netherite ingot. The Netherite ingot goes in the center of the crafting grid, with the chiseled stone bricks placed around it. Chiseled stone bricks are one of many different stone brick types in Minecraft, while Netherite ingots are fairly rare and can be used to craft the strongest gear in the game. Players may be better off trying to find a lodestone, saving those materials in favor of crafting more valuable equipment. Knowing where to find a lodestone, as well as how to use it, can help players make their way through the most treacherous sections of Minecraft.

Next: Minecraft: Why Cobblestone Is The Most Important Resource