User:Simons Mith/Beacons

Beacons are simple, er, Steve-made landmarks visible from a long distance. They usually consist of a column of cheap blocks with a light on top, and they are sometimes made asymmetric so that they point in a particular direction – such as towards the next beacon in a chain, or towards one's home base. One might also use different beacon styles to mark the positions of different types of resource.

A common way for novices to make a beacon is to pillar jump to a suitable height, making a tower one block wide, and then jump off. This causes damage which must then be healed, and limits the height of the pillars that can be built.

There are several ways to reduce or avoid this needless damage, including;
 * Build the column two blocks wide, and then dig down the second column to get back to ground level.
 * Place ladders or vines so that you can simply climb down.
 * Use Ender pearls to teleport back down.
 * Jump into water to cushion one's landing. This might even be water you placed yourself from a bucket before starting the pillar.
 * Wear boots of feather falling. (See Armor and Enchantments for details.)

Beacon blocks
There is also a beacon block, which not only provides a column of light visible at very great distances even by daytime, but also provides 'buffs' (power bonuses, such as increased movement or mining speed) to friendly players nearby. Unfortunately you must defeat a Wither in order to get a key component of this item, so it will not be obtainable until you have a very powerful character.

Aesthetics
Beacons are about the most utilitarian structure one ever makes in Minecraft, and those players that use them use them continually, even once very experienced. This means they are excellent candidates for aesthetic improvements.

For example, while a dirt column with a torch on top is perfectly adequate, you could equally well use a column of smooth stone with a block of gold on top, or a glass box containing lava. Once you've been to the Nether, glowstone blocks, redstone lamps and burning netherrack also become possible light sources.

It doesn't matter what materials combinations you choose, but by using something slightly unusual you add a small amount of detail to your world.