Minecraft Hacks: Everything You Need To Know About Amethyst Crystals
With the release of the new Minecraft Caves and Cliffs update, players have seen several changes within the game. There are new mobs, new items, new ore generation mechanics, and, perhaps the most popular of all these changes, the addition of the new amethyst items.
If you’re curious what a real-life amethyst looks like, here’s a photo used with permission from FossilEra.com. Anyway, while Mojang didn’t copy the exact texture of genuine amethyst, they were successful in drawing out its appeal in the game, hence its current popularity. However, despite that, not many players really know what amethyst crystals are and how it works.
If you’re among these players, this guide will tell you everything there is to know about this new item and how you can use it for the progression of your Minecraft world.
- Amethyst Can Be Found In Underground Geodes
Just like any other ores in Minecraft, amethyst can be found underground in areas that the developers call ‘geodes.’ Amethyst geodes spawn under the Y level 70 up to the bedrock.
These geodes may also spawn in an exposed area, although it’s a relatively rare case. It appears in all kinds of biome, and they’re surprisingly common. Geodes are often surrounded by several layers consisting of smooth basalt followed by calcite and then the amethyst blocks. At the center of the geode, you’ll see all kinds of amethyst items and not just crystals.
- Amethyst Comes In Different Forms
As you may already know, some items in the game come in different forms. Iron, for example, can come in the form of raw iron, iron ingot, or block of iron. Similarly, amethyst isn’t just one item. It also has different forms, each of which serves different purposes.
These forms include:
- Amethyst block: The amethyst block is what makes up amethyst geodes. You can mine these blocks using any type of pickaxe. Do note that it doesn’t drop anything if you use other tools.
- Amethyst cluster: At the center of the geode, you’ll see small spiky-shaped blocks. These are the amethyst clusters, and it’s the source of amethyst shards. You can mine it with any pickaxe, and it normally drops exactly four amethyst shards when mined.
- Amethyst bud: You’ll also find small clusters of amethyst within a geode, which is called the amethyst bud. These are like amethyst clusters, except they’re still not fully grown. You don’t get any item from mining these blocks unless you use a Silk Touch pickaxe.
- Budding amethyst block: The budding amethyst block is where the amethyst bud grows from. These blocks are unobtainable even with a Silk Touch pickaxe.
- Amethyst shard: Finally, amethyst shards are the resource you can get from mining amethyst clusters. This item is used mainly for crafting.
- You Can Craft Items With Amethyst
There are several uses for amethyst, one of which is by using it as a crafting ingredient for various items. Currently, there are only three items that use amethyst shards:
- Spyglass: The spyglass is a new item that allows players to magnify their vision. It requires exactly one amethyst shard and two copper. You can craft a spyglass by forming a horizontal line in the center of the crafting grid, with the amethyst shard on top.
- Tinted Glass: Tinted glass is a darker variation of glass that lets only a low level of light pass through. It requires four amethyst shards and one glass. You can craft it by placing the glass in the center and one amethyst shard on each adjacent grid.
- Amethyst Blocks: Much like any other raw materials, it’s possible to craft a block of amethyst by placing four amethyst shards in a shape-like manner on the grid.
Of course, this only applies to amethyst shards. If you want to craft a lot of tinted glasses or amethyst blocks, it’s certainly possible because amethyst shard is a renewable source.
- Amethyst Is A Renewable Resource
Unlike most ores in Minecraft, amethyst is a renewable resource. It grows in budding amethyst blocks in the form of amethyst buds. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to set up an amethyst farm.
For one, budding amethyst blocks are unobtainable, which means you can’t move them to an ideal location. Moreover, there’s no way of speeding up its growth, unlike crops where you can apply bonemeal. However, knowing the Minecraft community, players would probably come up with a way to set up an automatic amethyst farm.
- Amethyst Clusters Can Serve As Light Source
Upon entering an amethyst geode, you may notice a faint light coming from the amethyst clusters. This is because these blocks actually produce a light level of up to 5. For your reference, a torch has a light level of 14, while the new item, candle, produces a light level of 3. It’s also worth noting that the light level varies according to the growth level of the amethyst.
Small amethyst buds produce a light level of 1, medium amethyst buds have a light level of 2, large buds produce a level 4 light, and, finally, amethyst clusters emit a level 5 light.
Conclusion
Ever since the release of the new Minecraft update, people have been talking about two things–axolotl and amethyst. While there’s not much to know about the adorable creatures, amethyst has some interesting and somewhat complex mechanics. With this guide, however, it should be easy to understand how it works and how you can use it in your Minecraft world.