Using a beacon primarily involves activating it by placing it on a specific pyramid structure built from valuable blocks, and then interacting with it to select powerful status effects.
Activating Your Beacon
To activate a Beacon and make it functional, you must place it on top of a Pyramid. The Pyramid must be built from specific types of valuable blocks: Iron, Gold, Diamond, Netherite, or Emerald blocks. You can use a mixture of these if you don't have enough of a single type of block. The Pyramid structure must have between one and four layers.
Here's a breakdown of the activation process:
- Gather Materials: Collect a Beacon (crafted from Nether Star, Glass, and Obsidian) and a significant number of block forms of Iron, Gold, Diamond, Emerald, or Netherite.
- Build the Pyramid: Construct a square-based pyramid structure using the required blocks. The size determines the beacon's power and the effects it can grant. You need at least one layer.
- Place the Beacon: Once the pyramid is built, place the Beacon block directly on the center block of the top layer.
If built correctly, a beam of light will shoot up from the Beacon into the sky, indicating it is active and ready to grant effects.
Building the Pyramid Structure
The effectiveness of your Beacon depends on the size of the pyramid it sits on. A larger pyramid allows access to more powerful effects and increases the range.
Pyramid layer requirements:
- Layer 1 (Smallest): A 3x3 square base. Requires 9 blocks. Grants level I primary effects.
- Layer 2: A 5x5 square base with a 3x3 square on top. Requires 34 blocks (25 + 9). Grants level I or II primary effects.
- Layer 3: A 7x7 square base, a 5x5 square on top, and a 3x3 square on the very top. Requires 83 blocks (49 + 25 + 9). Grants level I or II primary effects and allows choosing a secondary effect.
- Layer 4 (Largest): A 9x9 square base, a 7x7, 5x5, and 3x3 squares stacked on top. Requires 164 blocks (81 + 49 + 25 + 9). Grants level I or II primary effects and allows choosing a secondary effect, including Regeneration.
Remember, you can mix and match the allowed block types (Iron, Gold, Diamond, Netherite, Emerald) within the same pyramid.
Selecting Beacon Effects
After the Beacon is activated on a pyramid, you can interact with it (usually by right-clicking) to open a user interface (GUI). This GUI allows you to select which status effects you want the Beacon to provide.
- Choose Primary Effect: In the top row of the GUI, select one of the available primary effects. The available effects depend on the number of pyramid layers (Speed, Haste, Resistance, Jump Boost, Strength). With a 2-layer pyramid or larger, you can choose between Level I and Level II of the chosen effect (Level II costs more to activate).
- Choose Secondary Effect (3+ Layers): If your pyramid has three or four layers, the bottom row of the GUI becomes available. You can select an additional secondary effect (usually Regeneration, or boosting the primary effect to Level II for free instead of paying).
- Pay the Cost: To confirm your selection, you need to place one ingot or gem (Iron Ingot, Gold Ingot, Diamond, Emerald, or Netherite Ingot) into the payment slot in the GUI and click the checkmark.
The chosen effects will then be applied to all players within a certain radius of the Beacon, as long as they are within range. The range increases with each additional pyramid layer.
Using a Beacon effectively involves building the appropriate pyramid size for the desired effects and range, activating it, and then using resources in the GUI to maintain your chosen status buffs.
