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File:2011-12-10 23.50.17.png

Naturally occurring obsidian

File:2011-12-10 23.49.26.png

Water pouring onto lava springs, forming obsidian

Obsidian is a navy blue block with purple specks known for its high blast resistance and strength.

Obtaining

Obsidian is known as the sole block which can only be successfully mined with a diamond pickaxe.

Block Obsidian
Hardness 50
Tool
Breaking time[A]
Default 250
Wooden 125
Stone 62.5
Iron 41.7
Diamond 9.4
Netherite 8.35
Golden 20.85
  1. Times are for unenchanted tools as wielded by players with no status effects, measured in seconds. For more information, see Breaking § Speed.

Enchanting a pickaxe with "Efficiency" and using a beacon with Haste both drastically decrease the mining time. See the obsidian farming tutorial for more information.

Lava and water

File:2011-12-10 23.51.44.png

Using a water spring to mine obsidian.

Obsidian is formed when flowing water hits a lava source block, and can be found naturally where water from a spring or lake has flowed over a nearby lava pool.

Natural generation

Obsidian can be created when a Nether portal is generated in the Nether or the overworld. This portal can then be mined, providing another way of obtaining obsidian renewably.

When a player enters the End, a platform of 25 obsidian blocks is generated for the player to spawn on. This platform can then be mined, and will be regenerated when the player reenters The End. Solid pillars of obsidian can also be found on the surface which will regenerate when the ender dragon is respawned. Obsidian also generates as a part of end cities.

Obsidian also occurs naturally where underwater springs flow onto lava, often at layer 10.

Obsidian also generates in woodland mansions in a tree shape with a diamond block in the middle of it.

Chests

Item Structure Container Quantity Chance
Java Edition
Obsidian Bastion remnant Generic chest 4–6 24.4%
Nether fortress Chest 2–4 8%
Ruined portal Chest 1–2 46.4%
Village Weaponsmith's chest 3–7 25.6%
Bedrock Edition
Obsidian Bastion remnant Generic chest 4–6 24.4%
Nether fortress Chest 2–4 8%
Ruined portal Chest 1–2 46.4%
Village Weaponsmith's chest 3–7 25.6%

Ender chests

When an ender chest is mined with a pickaxe without the Silk Touch enchantment, it drops 8 obsidian.

Usage

Obsidian can be used to build explosion resistant structures. At 6,000, obsidian's explosion resistance is the highest you can obtain in Survival mode, other than anvils which have the same blast resistance. Obsidian cannot be pushed by pistons.

Nether portals

Obsidian can be used to create a nether portal frame, which can then be ignited using fire. The frame will be a vertical rectangle any size from 4×5 to 23×23. Note that the corners of the frame are not required.

Crafting ingredient

Name Ingredients Crafting recipe
Beacon Glass +
Nether Star +
Obsidian
Nether Star
Enchanting Table Book +
Diamond +
Obsidian

Ender Chest Obsidian +
Eye of Ender

Video

Obsidian/video

History

classic
0.26 SURVIVAL TEST 9Added obsidian.
In Survival Test mode, obsidian was extremely tough to break and would drop one or two Cobblestone blocks when broken.
indev
?Obsidian was removed.
infdev
?Obsidian was restored. It was used to mark the positions of the cardinal directions. This created two intersecting planes extending just above the surface of the solid material that surrounds them. (This has long since been removed.)
alpha
1.2.0The nether portal was introduced, made using obsidian.
beta
1.8pre1Obsidian could be mined with an iron pickaxe (since removed), or moved by endermen.
release
1.0.0Beta 1.9-pre3The enchantment table was introduced, crafted using obsidian.
Beta 1.9-pre6Obsidian mining time was decreased from 15 to 2.5 seconds.
releaseObsidian mining time was increased from 2.5 to 9.4 seconds.
1.1Obsidian can be found in village chests.
1.3.112w21aThe ender chest was introduced, crafted using obsidian.
1.4.212w36aThe beacon block got a crafting recipe using obsidian.
12w38aThe wither's “blue wither skull” projectile was introduced, producing a special explosion which can destroy obsidian.
1.7.213w36aObsidian can now be destroyed with explosives by summoning a fireball with custom data.
1.814w25a“Infiniobsidian” glitch (allowing conversion of redstone into obsidian) fixed during the implementation of the new block metadata format.
14w30aObsidian can now be found inside chests in nether fortresses.
1.915w31aObsidian now generates as part of the end cities.
15w43aSlightly decreased yield from nether fortress chests.
Pocket Edition Alpha
0.1.0Added Obsidian.
0.5.0Glowing obsidian was added, which drops a block of regular obsidian when mined.
The newly added nether reactor structure generates a “spire” of obsidian when activated.
0.6.0The “spires” generated by nether reactors are now made of netherrack instead of obsidian.
0.12.1build 1Obsidian can now be used to form nether portals.
Obsidian is now used to craft enchanting tables.
0.13.0build 2Obsidian now requires 6.5 seconds to mine, rather than 3.
0.16.0build 1Obsidian is now used to craft beacons.
pu
1.0build 1Obsidian is now used to craft ender chests.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1CU1 1.0 Patch 1Added obsidian.

Issues

Issues relating to "Obsidian" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Trivia

  • Obsidian is one of the hardest blocks to destroy in Minecraft. In reality, obsidian is glass-like in texture and quite fragile.
  • In real life, obsidian is an extrusive igneous rock like andesite, meaning that they are both formed from lava that has cooled down.
  • Destroying an obsidian block with a diamond pickaxe while underwater without standing on solid ground would take 3 minutes and 54 seconds. (Without the pickaxe, it takes 4 minutes and 10 seconds.) Either way, the player will run out of air long before the block is mined. (Unless a potion of water breathing is used)
  • It is a common misconception that enough TNT will destroy obsidian. Even though its explosion resistance rating is finite, additional TNT or other explosives will have no more effect on an individual block than only one (it would take 71.25 times the explosive power of TNT to destroy a block of obsidian). It is possible to hack or use /summon an explosion strong enough to destroy obsidian, but no such explosion appears naturally.
    • The "Blue Wither Skull"'s ability to destroy obsidian is a special feature; its explosion is otherwise no stronger than a ghast's fireball.

Gallery

See also


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