Torch

Torches are blocks that emit light. When placed on a suitable surface, it adjusts its model in relation to how it is placed on a block, so that it can be made to attach to any side of a block except the bottom side.

From just one block of wood and eight pieces of coal or charcoal, 32 torches can be made, making them an easily obtainable item. Since the Adventure Update, torches have warmer light when placed. They can also be found naturally in Abandoned Mine Shafts, Strongholds and NPC Villages.

Properties


Torches act as a full block, for the purpose of placing other objects or torches in the same area. Being treated as a block by sand and gravel this prevents them from falling down past a block with a torch on it. Instead, sand and gravel break when they fall on a torch. If they are placed directly above a torch they act as if they were on any other solid material, allowing them to be used as environmental triggers, such as airlocks. To the player, torches act as non-solid blocks, allowing players to pass through torches and place them whilst clipping into the torch. Torches also melt nearby snow and ice, making them useful to keep skylights from being snowed over and lakes from freezing in snow biomes. The torches will however only melt snow and ice from a radius of 2 blocks from the torch. The smoke from a torch extends up 2½ blocks.

When a torch is placed in water, it will be detached, as if you had destroyed it. The block it was placed in will have no water in it afterwards, unless two adjacent water sources cause a third to be created. This can also be used to regain air while underwater.

Torch placement
'' * Torches may be placed on the sides of openable blocks such as chests by having another block which a torch cannot be placed on (such as leaves or another torch) also facing the cube where the torch should be placed, and attempting to place a torch on it. Or trying to place the torch on a ceiling next to a wall. The torch will instead attach to an acceptable block such as the chest.

'' ** Torches may only be placed on the top of fences or glass, not on the sides.

History

 * The inspiration for the aesthetic of the torch is thought to have come form "Super Castlevania IV" on the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), as torches in Minecrat bear a shocking resemblance to the torches in that game.


 * In Indev version 0.31 Torches had a different icon in the inventory, appearing much shorter: Minecraftindevtorch.jpg


 * In an early version of the game, when removing the block torch leaned on moved the torch on another available block, if there was one.


 * As of Beta 1.7, torches cannot be placed on leaves, whether they are found naturally on a tree or placed after being trimmed with shears.


 * As of Beta 1.7, torches and redstone torches can be placed on top of fences.

Notch announced that torches would become temporary light sources that would eventually go out. They would need to be relit with flint and steel. The permanent torch would be replaced with lanterns, and all torches that exist already in saved games whether placed, stored or in inventory would become lanterns. This was supposed to take effect on October, 31st 2010 with the Halloween Update, but it was postponed until a later update.


 * As of 1.2, one may now place torches and redstone torches on top of glass.

Bugs

 * When attempting to place a torch on a half slab 1 bock above ground with a chest in front on the ground with a furnace as a wall, the torch attaches to the side of the furnace at the same level as the half slab. Only tested in 1.4.2
 * Any torches placed before the Beta 1.6.4 update will emit no light, even while still showing the smoke and flame animations.
 * If you place a torch on a block where lava is or has been placed, the lava will temporarily go away. After, the lava flows back into the same place. This can be a used as a frantic technique to get rid of lava or to spare time for you or other players.
 * Removing a wall-mounted torch on a server and placing a new torch on another wall-block or floor block (with the torch itself in the same block) before the item has "Dropped" will place the new torch on the same wall block, regardless of where it is placed.
 * Sometimes, torches generated in, for example, an Abandoned Mine Shaft, won't emit light until the light around it updates, or if the torch is replaced and destroyed.
 * In 1.1, if a water bucket is placed directly above a torch that has been placed directly on top of a block, the torch will disappear forever. It is unknown if this is a bug or intentional.
 * In 1.2.3, when placing a torch that's surrounded by blocks except for the bottom, the block that the torch occupies will be at the lowest lighting level. However, only that block will not light up; light will travel out from it. This is also true for Redstone Torches.
 * In 1.2.3, placing a torch on glass does not show the bottom of the torch.
 * If you destroy a torch which has generated in an Abandoned Mineshaft, it won't drop as an item, only if you don't have any torches in your inventory.
 * If you walk or run at a torch and jump over it, you will hear the noise of a single footstep on wooden planks.
 * Sometimes torches will appear floating in Stronghold libraries, Torch stands in strongholds, or on lampposts in NPC Villages; Torches will also float in Level Save Bugs where the level is not saved correctly or structures that were not made or generated previously.
 * Sometimes a torch will not provide light unless you walk into the room.
 * In 1.4.3, when placing a Torch that would be surrounded by blocks when placed, the Torch will automatically be placed on the block facing West, regardless of what block it was actually placed on. If there is no block facing West, the Torch will be on the block facing East (the order of what block the Torch will be placed on if this is continued is West, East, North, then South). This makes it so you cannot place Torches on top of blocks that are next to a wall or in a corner. However, the Torch will not align if it is placed before its surrounding blocks.
 * Since 1.4.4, one can see a flash of the light of a torch placed nearby.

Trivia

 * If you jump on a placed torch, you will hear a sound of stepping on a wooden block. This is only the sound effect however, so you will not actually stand on it. You must also be moving in a horizontal direction as well, so running and jumping on them is the way to check it.
 * It would take 1.26018466 × 10 torches to light the entire surface of a minecraft map. It would take approximately double that number to cover everything in a minecraft map, caves and all, counting the 12 million blocks as the edge of the map.
 * If a block falls onto a torch (sand or gravel), it breaks the block and gives the player the resource, but the gravel will not drop flint. However, if the torch is placed quickly enough after removing the base of a stack of falling blocks, the stack remains in place.
 * Because torches emit a light level of 14 and hostile mobs require a light level of 7 or less to spawn, separating them by up to 12 blocks will prevent hostile mobs from spawning.
 * Torches, interestingly, are created when the Ender Dragon is defeated.