The conduit is one of Minecraft‘s more curious blocks. In fact, it’s so curious that it is very easy to never know they exist at all. They do, though, and they are weird.
The conduit does a handful of things that players fond of underwater play or exploration may find nifty, but first, we’re going to go into how to make one of these bad boys.
How to Make a Conduit in Minecraft
A conduit requires:
- 8 Nautilus shells
- 1 Heart of the sea
How to Get Nautilus Shells
Even with Minecraft‘s 1.5.0 upon us, getting nautilus shells and the Heart of the Sea is still kind of a pain.
You can get nautilus shells by either fishing or by killing drowned that are holding one. Both options are quite rare, so it’s up to you which method you decide to use!
It’s also possible to get nautilus shells from a wandering trader, but that’s even harder than just fishing them up or seeking out drowned to slay. Fishing is probably your best bet.
How to Get the Heart of the Sea
Obtaining a heart of the sea is even harder than getting the whopping eight nautilus shells you need.
The heart of the sea can only be found in buried treasure chests, which can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack if you’re just looking without any help.
It’s possible to seek out buried treasure chests by using a buried treasure explorer map.
There are two ways to get one of these treasure maps. Either you seek out underwater ruins for chests that may contain a map, or you get one of your villagers up to apprentice or journeyman cartographer to sell you one.
If you want to do it the hard way, you’re going to be digging at a lot of sand. Buried treasure chests are most often found under the sand on beaches, though they can rarely be found under sand underwater.
How to Use a Conduit in Minecraft
Getting everything together in survival mode is quite the task, but it’s worth it if you want to make use of the new bells and whistles in 1.5.0.
First, you need to know what a conduit needs to be surrounded by water to activate. This doesn’t have to be the ocean or anything, even flowing water will do.
You must place at least 16 prismarine, prismarine bricks, dark prismarine, or sea lanterns around the conduit for it to activate. You can place up to 42 blocks of these types around it to increase its field of effect.
At 16 blocks, the conduit will affect up to 32 blocks around it.
At 42 blocks, the conduit will affect up to 96 blocks around it.
What a Conduit Does
A conduit gives the conduit power status effect to all players within its range of effect. This status effect is a real doozy for players who prefer to build or adventure underwater, as it:
- Increases your vision underwater
- Grants infinite underwater breath
- Grants haste to speed up your mining
- Kills aggro mobs in range
Essentially, it’s a super-powered bubble without the bubble visual effects!
It’s easy to see why the conduit is the nautical player’s best friend, but there’s no denying this is a block that takes some real effort to not only craft but to put to good use as well. Perhaps the perfect pairing to an underwater fortress?
If you found this guide useful, check out our other Minecraft guides or even our plethora of Minecraft seed lists. We have new hand-picked seeds to share each and every month, you know you want to take a look.
