Beacon

The Beacon Block (currently referred to as Work in Progress in game) is a block that will be added in 1.4.

Usage
The GUI for the Beacon Block outlines a pyramid shape. When the player crafts blocks of Diamond, Emerald, Gold or Iron and places them in a pyramid shape beneath the Beacon Block, it will emit a beam of light into the sky and can apply temporary buffs to the player. The more levels a pyramid has, the more effects it can apply. There are currently 4 types of pyramids. Not counting the Beacon Block, the first pyramid requires 9 blocks, the second 34 blocks, the third 83 blocks, and the final arrangement 164 blocks. A Secondary Power is a power that can be added onto a primary power. The "Regeneration" power is always visible.

Requirements / Effects
The Beacon block requires that there be no solid blocks above it, and a sunlight level of 15 (it does not have to be day time). This does not apply to the pyramid itself.

Effects will be applied to the Player while within a radius of the beacon, with larger pyramids giving larger areas-of-effect. The radius is approximately 16 blocks for the smallest pyramid, and 40 blocks for the largest pyramid. The radius does not take into account the player's y-coordinate, so for example a beacon at the height limit will apply its effects to players on the ground below it. (This contrasts mob spawner behavior and other distance checks, where the height does matter.)

The effects of the Beacon Block are as follows:

Primary Powers
The five primary powers are Speed, Haste, Resistance, Jump Boost, and Strength. One primary power must be selected to activate the beacon.

Secondary Powers
The only purely secondary power is Regeneration. Secondary powers also provide level II variations of primary powers when selecting that primary power. When selecting the level II variant, regeneration is no longer provided by the beacon.

Activation
The beacon does nothing when placed. To activate it (and set its secondary effects) place either an Iron Ingot, a Gold Ingot, an Emerald or a Diamond into the GUI slot. You can set the power by clicking on the top window: clicking on an effect will activate it. The item will be consumed and the beacon will light when the green checkmark is clicked.

Note: To set a beacon to a different effect, another item must be consumed.

Trivia

 * The Beacon light generated from the Beacon Block is 255 blocks tall
 * It is possible to see transparent blocks through the light beacon. (Clouds, Rivers, etc.)
 * The Beacon light does not disappear until the chunk is unloaded, providing a great means to judge where places are. (Brightness of Bright may be required to see it farther off.)
 * It is possible to mix and match the blocks used in the pyramid. (Both Emerald and Diamond blocks may be used together, for example.)
 * Destroying Beacon Block with resource doesn't drop resource itself.