How to make and use TNT in Minecraft

The immensely popular sandbox game Minecraft features a plethora of unique block types that players can find and craft. One of the most powerful and dangerous blocks in Minecraft is TNT which can be a very helpful asset or a deadly weapon.

TNT can be a very helpful asset in situations like taking on massive amounts of deadly mobs or in helping locate Ancient Debris in the Nether to construct Netherite. However, it can also be a tool for damage as players could utilize it to prank their friends or stir up some chaos.

Whether you plan to utilize TNT for good or evil, it’s certainly a great resource to have on hand. Here’s how players can go about crafting this unique item.

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How to craft TNT in Minecraft

To craft TNT, players will first need to gather:

• Four Sand or four Red Sand
• Five Gunpowder

Making TNT is easy enough once players have gathered the correct materials. TNT can be crafted at a crafting table by arranging the five Gunpowder in an X format and filling in the four remaining slots with the four sand.

One TNT will be created when these resources are combined. This makes TNT creation a rather costly process since Gunpowder can be difficult to gather.

Where to find Sand in Minecraft

Sand can commonly be gathered from along beaches or all throughout deserts. It can also sometimes be located near other kinds of water like rivers. Players can obtain sand by breaking with their fists or a shovel.

Red Sand can only be found in the badlands biome and is thus rather rare.

How to get Gunpowder in Minecraft

Gunpowder is one of the more difficult resources to obtain because it cannot be crafted. Instead, players can only obtain Gunpowder by:

• Defeating Creepers or Ghasts: This will yield between zero and two Gunpowder.
• Defeating Witches: This mob yields between zero to six Gunpowder.
• Trading: The Wandering Trader has a one in six chance of having Gunpowder for sale at the cost of one Emerald.
• Looting chests: Players may find Gunpowder in chests around the world. This includes chests found in Dungeons, Desert Pyramids, Woodland Mansions, and Shipwrecks. There is over a 50 percent chance that chests found in Dungeons, Desert Pyramids, and Woodland Mansions will have Gunpowder in them while Shipwrecks have about a 20 percent chance.

How to get TNT in Minecraft

While crafting TNT is the easiest way for players to obtain this item, it can also be found around the world. Players can find TNT in:

• Buried Treasure Chests: There is about a 62 percent chance that a chest found by a Buried Treasure map will contain some TNT.
• Shipwrecks: Chests opened by players located in Shipwrecks have about a seven percent chance of having TNT.
• Desert Pyramids: This is the most dangerous location to find TNT since every Desert Pyramid is rigged with a TNT trap that will immediately explode players if they are not careful. If you traverse carefully, you can break the pressure plate that activates the TNT and then gather all of it.

How to activate TNT in Minecraft

After players have crafted or found TNT they can then activate it by:

• Using Flint and Steel
• Utilizing a Fire Charge
• Hitting it with any item that is enchanted with Fire Aspect, which is one of the best Minecraft enchantments that players can equip their tools with
• Powering it with Redstone
• Shooting it with a flaming or explosive projectile
• Having it come into contact with lava or fire
• Having it be near another explosion like a Creeper, a bed, an End Crystal, a Respawn Anchor, or another TNT block
• Placing it by a Dispenser
• Lighting it with Flint and Steel through a Dispenser
• Having it hit by a lightning bolt

Once TNT has been activated it will then explode within a matter of seconds. If more TNT is nearby, a chain reaction will take place as the first TNT activates that one and so one for as many of them are in close vicinity.