How to Make Obsidian in Minecraft

Water and lava are among the two most important resources in Minecraft. While water is required in farming, growing crops, and brewing potions, lava is one of the most efficient fuels used for smelting and cooking. But the real magic is when water and lava interact to make one of the strongest blocks in the game — Obsidian. Moreover, depending on their current state, they can also create stone and cobblestone blocks. So, keep reading to learn how to make Obsidian in Minecraft, where to find naturally generated ones, and even how to obtain Crying Obsidian in the game.

What is Obsidian in Minecraft?

Minecraft Obsidian is a dark purple, tough block found in all three dimensions. It also has a couple of rather important properties. It is completely blast-resistant, so TNT and most other explosives cannot destroy it.

This includes attacks by the Ender Dragon and the explosive Sulfur Cube mobs, but excludes the Wither’s blue skulls and coming in contact with its body. The Wither in Minecraft is the only Minecraft Mob that can destroy Obsidian.

Learning how to make TNT in Minecraft will give you more insight into the blast resistance in depth. Minecraft Obsidian has unique interactivity with pistons as well. Pistons and sticky pistons are unable to push or pull Obsidian blocks in Minecraft.

The hardness of Obsidian is quite high, so only diamond and netherite pickaxes are capable of breaking these blocks. So, craft a decent pickaxe by checking the best Y level for diamonds in Minecraft, and then go Obsidian mining.

How to Make Obsidian in Minecraft With Lava and Water

Learning how to make Obsidian in Minecraft is rather easy, and all you need is flowing water and a still lava source block. When a flowing water block comes in contact with a lava source, it will directly convert into Obsidian, destroying the lava source. This means you will need a lava source for every single Obsidian block you want to obtain. Here’s what the process looks like:

Step 1: Acquiring Water in Minecraft

The flowing water part of this process is straightforward. You can find a water source in your world with ease and dig out a canal for it to travel to the lava. But the best way to transport flowing water is by using a bucket.

To craft a bucket in Minecraft, you need three iron ingots. You can right-click on a water source with a bucket selected to scoop it up. Then, you can place it wherever you want, easily creating flowing water blocks.

Step 2: Finding Lava Sources in Minecraft

The tricky part of how to create Obsidian in Minecraft is locating lava. You can stumble upon this dangerous liquid block in various places in the Overworld. Lava pits or pools can form on the surface, directly exposed to the sky. Those surface lava pools are the best option for gathering early-game Obsidian in Minecraft. You can most easily find them in the desert Minecraft biome since it’s fairly flat.

Additionally, lava pools are also generated in the underground portion of the Minecraft world, which you will discover by exploring caves and searching for diamonds on the best Y level. Lonely lava sources are occasionally generated in caves as well, but the time is not quite efficiently consumed if you choose to get Obsidian in Minecraft that way. You can refer to our best Minecraft seeds to generate some customized worlds with such structures right away.

Step 3: Minecraft Obsidian Crafting Recipe

Once you find a lava pool, it’s time to learn how to make Obsidian in Minecraft. Start by placing the water source a block away (horizontally or vertically) from the lava pool edge. The water will then start flowing, and it will cover multiple lava sources, turning them into Minecraft Obsidian.

Step 4: Collect Obsidian Using a Diamond Pickaxe

The flowing water instantly converts any exposed lava sources to Obsidian much faster than the items can fall. So, all of your Obsidian is going to be safe.

Many new players ask how to mine Obsidian in Minecraft. The answer is simple, and you will need at least a diamond pickaxe to mine Obsidian in Minecraft. Also, it will take quite a lot of time compared to most other blocks.

Note: If you are using a lava pool to get Obsidian in Minecraft, there are almost definitely more lava source blocks right underneath the Obsidian you just generated. To avoid all the long-mined Obsidian items burning in lava, place the water source block you used to create Obsidian on the same level as the Obsidian platform and allow it to flow towards the blocks you’re mining.

Other Ways to Get Obsidian in Minecraft

Apart from learning how to make Obsidian in Minecraft from scratch, you can obtain it in other ways. Those include both early and late-game options. Naturally generated Obsidian is not an uncommon sight. In some cases, you will find just a few Obsidian blocks, whereas in other cases, you’ll be able to fill even dozens of shulker boxes in Minecraft with them.

Obsidian in Caves

Sometimes, flowing water and lava can interact with each other naturally in your Minecraft world. This usually appears in the caves. The water source could generate above the lava pool, so when it starts flowing, it can generate Obsidian below.

Obsidian in Structures

Obsidian generates naturally as a part of some structures. Those include:

• Ruined Nether Portals – Ruined Nether portals exist both in the Overworld and the Nether. They consist of Obsidian and crying Obsidian blocks, surrounded by Netherrack, magma blocks, and even some additional lava sources you can turn into Obsidian. This structure is meant to hint at the Nether dimension’s existence.

• Woodland Mansions – If you’re extraordinarily lucky, you will come across Obsidian in the woodland mansion. They generate only in the secret rooms and also conceal a whole diamond block inside.
• Ocean Ruins – Occasionally, you’ll find a couple of Obsidian blocks as part of some ocean ruins structures.

Obsidian Pillars in the End

The End pillars are often considered the closest thing to an Obsidian farm in Minecraft that players have access to naturally. The main island, where you battle the Ender Dragon, generates 10 giant and solid Obsidian pillars.

Not only that, but the pillars regenerate every single time you respawn the Ender Dragon in Minecraft. This essentially means you have an unlimited supply of Obsidian, provided you can defeat the Ender Dragon over and over again.

Since making Obsidian requires a lava source block, it is very difficult to make an automatic Obsidian generator in Minecraft. What you can do is repeatedly respawn in the End, defeat the Ender Dragon to get an unlimited supply of Obsidian, and it is basically the closest Obsidian farm in Minecraft.

Chest Loot

Obsidian block items have a chance to generate inside some structures’ chests. Those structures include:

• Bastion Remnant – Generic chests in this giant blackstone structure have a chance to contain 4-6 Obsidian blocks.
• Nether Fortress – Chests in the Nether Fortress can contain 2-4 Obsidian blocks.
• Ruined Nether Portal – You’re very likely to find 1-2 Obsidian blocks in the ruined portal’s chest.
• Village – Weaponsmith’s building has a chance to generate a chest with 3-7 Obsidian blocks.

Bartering with Piglins

One of the various items and blocks available through piglin bartering is Obsidian. Every piglin that’s been given a gold ingot has about an 8.71% chance of throwing an Obsidian block toward the player.

How to Make Crying Obsidian in Minecraft

A common misconception among players is that you can make Crying Obsidian in Minecraft. However, it is not true, and you can only obtain the Crying Obsidian from the following methods:

• Ruined Nether Portals
• Bastion Remnant Chests
• Bartering with Piglins

Once you obtain a Minecraft Crying Obsidian, you can use it to make Respawn Anchors. These help you respawn in the Nether biome, since you can’t really place beds and set the respawn position there.

What are The Uses of Obsidian in Minecraft

Now that you know how to make Obsidian in Minecraft, it’s time to understand its significance. However, besides those uses, it also has other relevant functions that players should be aware of. So, without any further delay, let’s mention all uses of Obsidian.

Blast Resistant Block

So, as we mentioned above, Obsidian is a highly blast-resistant block. This is rather crucial in some cases. For instance, if you’re building a farm that includes a TNT duper, such as a tree farm or cobblestone generator, it’s essential to protect the surroundings from the explosion effects.

Therefore, we can use Obsidian to surround the blast area so that only the chosen blocks will be destroyed.

Moreover, with obsidian, you can protect yourself from ghasts’ fireballs and TNT explosions while finding Netherite in Minecraft or bed explosions in the End while trying the bed technique against the Ender Dragon (read how to hatch an Ender Dragon egg here). Obsidian is your number one block that can be gathered in large quantities and shields you from almost all explosion damage.

Block Unable to be Pushed or Pulled

This is a rather useful feature of obsidian blocks. In certain farm designs, including slime or honey block flying machines, it’s crucial that we can stop and disable them. Even though you can utilize other blocks with similar properties, obsidian is used pretty regularly.

Crafting Ingredient

Obsidian is a part of three extremely relevant crafting recipes in Minecraft. Those are:

• Beacon: Beacons are functional and expensive blocks that provide players with buffs. There’s a lot to say about this amazing block, so if you’d like to learn more about beacons in Minecraft, check out our linked guide. Follow the crafting recipe shown in the image below to craft the beacon.

• Enchanting Table: Enchanting tables allow you to upgrade your gear, make it even stronger and more durable, and even enhance it with different abilities. Check out the guide on Minecraft enchantments that explains everything you need to know about enchanting. To craft the enchanting table, you will need the following items, as shown in the image below.

• Ender Chest: It is a must-have in every late-game player’s inventory. It’s a chest that allows you to access unique contents that every Ender chest shares. This way, the inside of the Ender chest is always safe, as the items cannot leave unless you pull them out. Check out our guide on how to make and use an Ender chest if you need additional help.

Nether Portal Frame Block

To progress in Minecraft and beat the game, you’ll have to enter the scary, fiery dimension — the Nether. The only way you can do so in survival is through a Nether portal. If you are not familiar with this construction, read our dedicated guide on how to make a Nether portal in Minecraft.

Note Block Interaction

If you place an obsidian block under a note block and right-click on it, bass drum sounds will be played.

So, now you know everything about how to make Obsidian in Minecraft. What ways of obtaining this block suit you, making it from scratch or looting various structures throughout your adventures? Let us know in the comments below!