The nether star is a rare item dropped by the wither that is used solely to craft beacons.
Obtaining[]
Mob loot[]
The nether star can be obtained only by defeating the wither, which is a boss mob. One nether star is dropped each time; the drop chance or amount is not affected by the Looting enchantment. In Java Edition, nether stars dropped by withers take 10 minutes to despawn and are immune to explosions. In Bedrock Edition, nether star items never despawn, neither by time nor by explosions.
Usage[]
The nether star has the same animated glint as enchanted items, potions, and end crystals.
A dropped nether star item cannot be destroyed by explosions. However, it can still be destroyed by a falling anvil,[Java Edition only] fire, lava, cacti, or the Void.
Crafting ingredient[]
| Name | Ingredients | Crafting recipe |
|---|---|---|
| Beacon | Glass + Nether Star + Obsidian |
Achievements[]
| Icon | Achievement | In-game description | Actual requirements (if different) | Gamerscore earned | Trophy type (PS4) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS4 | Other platforms | |||||
| The Beginning? | Spawn the Wither | Be within a 100.9×100.9×103.5 cuboid centered on the Wither when it is spawned. | 20G | Bronze | ||
| The Beginning. | Kill the Wither | Be within a 100.9×100.9×203.5 cuboid centered on the Wither when it drops the nether star. | 40G | Silver | ||
Advancements[]
| Icon | Advancement | In-game description | Parent | Actual requirements (if different) | Resource location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Withering Heights | Summon the Wither | Spooky Scary Skeleton | — | nether/summon_wither
|
Data values[]
ID[]
| Name | Identifier | Form | Translation key |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nether Star | nether_star | Item | item.minecraft.nether_star |
| Name | Identifier | Alias ID | Numeric ID | Form | Translation key |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nether Star | nether_star | netherstar | 518 | Item | item.netherStar.name |
Video[]
History[]
| Java Edition | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.4.2 | 12w34a |  The texture of the nether star has been added. | |||
| 12w36a |  Added nether stars.
| ||||
| Nether stars are dropped by the wither. | |||||
| 12w37a |  The texture of nether stars has been changed so that they no longer have a dark outline. | ||||
| 1.4.6 | 12w49a | Dropped nether stars can no longer be destroyed by explosions. | |||
| 1.13 | 17w47a | Prior to The Flattening, this item's numeral ID was 399. | |||
| 1.14 | 18w43a |  The texture of nether stars has been changed. | |||
| 1.16 | 20w07a | Nether star has become a renewable resource, as soul sand, one of the blocks used to construct withers, is now renewable through bartering. | |||
| Pocket Edition Alpha | |||||
| v0.16.0 | build 4 | Added nether stars. | |||
| Bedrock Edition | |||||
| 1.10.0 | beta 1.10.0.3 | The texture of nether stars has been changed. | |||
| Legacy Console Edition | |||||
| TU19 | CU7 | 1.12 | Patch 1 | 1.0.1 | Added nether stars. |
| 1.90 | The texture of nether stars has been changed. | ||||
| New Nintendo 3DS Edition | |||||
| 1.3.12 | Added nether stars. | ||||
Issues[]
Issues relating to "Nether Star" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.
Gallery[]
The nether star without enchanted animated glint.
The nether star dropped by the wither.
A wither to the left, and a nether star to the right.
