How to get and use lodestone in Minecraft

Minecraft has a wide array of unique blocks that have special functions you might not know about. Lodestone is an incredibly useful block that you may mistake as a simple decoration if you don’t know how to find and use it.

Acquiring lodestone can be rather tricky depending on how lucky you are. And even after you do manage to get it, you still have to put in a bit of extra work to get it functioning properly. It’s a powerful tool to have at your disposal, though, so here’s how to get and use lodestone in Minecraft.

Where to find lodestone in Minecraft

The only place lodestone naturally spawns is in chests at every Bridge Bastion Remnant. It doesn’t spawn in every type of Bastion, only the one that has a bridge-like shape to it. It does have a 100 percent chance of appearing at this spot as long as you find one, but since there are four different variations of the Bastion remnant structure, luck plays a huge role in how easy or hard it is to find.

If you’re not sure whether or not you’re at a Bridge Bastion Remnant or one of the other ones, look for a bridge leading through the middle of the area with several lava waterfalls flowing down around it. This version also has several other grand lava waterfalls around it, which makes it generally pretty easy to distinguish from the other ones. It’s still pretty tricky to find though, so if you can’t find one, consider crafting a lodestone instead.

How to craft lodestone in Minecraft

One lodestone can be crafted using one iron ingot and eight chiseled stone bricks. At any crafting table, you need to place the iron ingot in the center slot and surround it with chiseled stone bricks to make this item.

• You can get iron ingots by smelting iron ore you mine from around the world in a furnace. Iron ingots can also oftentimes be found as random chest loot at structures throughout all dimensions.
• You can get chiseled stone bricks by combining two stone brick slabs at a crafting table or by cutting stone with a stonecutter. They can also be mined from structures around the world like Strongholds, Jungle Temples, Trail Ruins, and Igloos.

What does lodestone do in Minecraft?

Lodestone can be connected to a compass to always point you towards it, which essentially means it acts as a custom beacon that always guides you back to wherever you leave it. This tool works across all three dimensions, so you can use it anywhere you like.

You can use lodestone to always find your way back to your base, to mark the spot of a particularly rich mine, to save the location of a Nether fortress, or point towards any other important spots you can think of. Many different situations call for one, making it an incredibly powerful tool once you know how to use it. If you use it in combination with coordinates, you’ll become a master navigator in no time.

How to use lodestone in Minecraft

You can use lodestone by connecting a compass to it. This block has no use unless there’s an active compass tied to it, so to get it working you need to:

• Acquire one lodestone.
• Place the lodestone down wherever you want the compass to lead you.
• Acquire a compass.
• Approach the lodestone with your compass.
• Use the compass while looking right at the lodestone.

If it’s your first time using lodestone, you’ll know your compass is connected to the lodestone if you get a pop-up for the Country Lode, Take Me Home achievement. The regular compass also becomes a lodestone compass that shines just like enchanted gear or weapons. Once your compass is connected, you can always find your way back to the spot where you placed the loadstone as long as you’re in the same dimension where it’s placed.

While you’re out exploring the world or making your way back home using your new lodestone, you might want to be on the lookout for all Pig variants and all Wolf variants along the way. If you’re up for a challenge, consider paying the Creaking a visit in the pale garden biome or battling a Breeze in a Trial Chamber.