Soul Sand
Renewable |
Yes |
---|---|
Stackable |
Yes (64) |
Tool | |
Blast resistance |
0.5 |
Hardness |
0.5 |
Luminant |
No |
Transparent |
Yes |
Flammable |
No |
Catches fire from lava |
No |
Soul sand is a block found naturally only in the Nether. Soul sand usually slows down the movement of mobs and players walking on it. It is also used for growing nether wart and for constructing a Wither.
Contents
Obtaining[edit]
Natural generation[edit]
Soul sand is found below Y=34 in the nether wastes, generally in four-block-deep layers. It is also found naturally in nether wart rooms of nether fortresses.
Soul sand also generates in hoglin stables and housing unit bastion remnants.
Soul sand also generates in soul sand valleys as part of the surface terrain.
Soul sand can generate in the Nether in the form of mineral veins. Soul sand attempts to generate 12 times per chunk in veins of size 0-23, from altitudes 0 to 31, in soul sand valleys. It can only replace netherrack.
Breaking[edit]
Soul sand can be mined with any tool (or none), but shovels are the quickest.
Block | Soul Sand | |
---|---|---|
Hardness | 0.5 | |
Tool | ||
Breaking time[A] | ||
Default | 0.75 | |
Wooden | 0.4 | |
Stone | 0.2 | |
Iron | 0.15 | |
Diamond | 0.1 | |
Netherite | 0.1 | |
Golden | 0.1 |
- ↑ Times are for unenchanted tools as wielded by players with no status effects, measured in seconds. For more information, see Breaking § Speed.
Chest loot[edit]
Item | Structure | Container | Quantity | Chance |
---|---|---|---|---|
Java Edition | ||||
Soul Sand | Bastion remnant | Hoglin stable chest | 2–7 | 22.8% |
Bedrock Edition | ||||
Soul Sand | Bastion remnant | Hoglin stable chest | 2–7 | 26.2% |
Bartering[edit]
Piglins may barter 2–8 soul sand when given a gold ingot.
Usage[edit]
Soul sand slows the movement of any mob or player and causes them to sink 2 pixels into the block while walking on it.
Most blocks that can be placed on full blocks can be placed on soul sand, with the notable exceptions of both types of fungi, both types of roots, and nether sprouts.[1]
Crafting ingredient[edit]
Name | Ingredients | Crafting recipe |
---|---|---|
Soul Campfire | Stick + Soul Sand + Any Log or Stem or Any Stripped Log or Stem or Any Wood or Hyphae or Any Stripped Wood or Hyphae |
|
Soul Torch | Coal or Charcoal + Stick + Soul Sand |
Growing nether wart[edit]
Soul sand is used for growing nether wart, a primary base ingredient for many varieties of potions. Nether warts can be placed on soul sand like seeds on farmland and over time they will grow through four growth stages (if you place the nether wart on soul sand, you will also get the "A Seedy Place" advancement[Java Edition only]). Nether warts can grow in any dimension and do not have any light-level requirements. Nether warts can also only be placed in soul sand (and cannot even be placed in soul soil).
Withers[edit]
Four blocks of soul sand (or soul soil) are used in the construction of the wither. The four blocks are arranged in a "T"-like formation (similar to the summoning of an Iron Golem) and 3 wither skeleton skulls are placed in a row on top of the "T" to summon the wither.
Bubble columns[edit]
Placing soul sand under source water blocks creates a lifting bubble column, which causes items, players, and mobs inside the column to rise to the surface. The bubble column extends upward through any number of empty water source blocks (not waterlogged blocks).
Note blocks[edit]
Soul sand can be placed under note blocks to produce cowbell sounds.
Fire[edit]
Fire lit on soul sand becomes soul fire, which burns indefinitely.
Sounds[edit]
Sound | Subtitle | Source | Description | Namespaced ID | Translation key | Volume | Pitch | Attenuation distance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Block broken | Blocks | Once the block has broken | block.soul_sand.break | subtitles.block.generic.break | ? | ? | 16 | |
None[sound 1] | Blocks | Falling on the block with fall damage | block.soul_sand.fall | None[sound 1] | ? | ? | 16 | |
Block breaking | Blocks | While the block is in the process of being broken | block.soul_sand.hit | subtitles.block.generic.hit | 0.55 | ? | 16 | |
Block placed | Blocks | When the block is placed | block.soul_sand.place | subtitles.block.generic.place | ? | ? | 16 | |
Footsteps | Blocks | Walking on the block | block.soul_sand.step | subtitles.block.generic.footsteps | ? | ? | 16 |
Bedrock Edition: [needs in-game testing]
Sound | Source | Description | Namespaced ID | Volume | Pitch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
? | Blocks | Once the block has broken | dig.sand | ? | 0.8 |
? | Blocks | Falling on the block with fall damage | fall.sand | ? | ? |
? | Blocks | While the block is in the process of being broken | hit.sand | ? | 0.5 |
? | Blocks | Jumping from the block | jump.sand | ? | ? |
? | Blocks | Falling on the block without fall damage | land.sand | ? | ? |
? | Blocks | Walking on the block | step.sand | ? | ? |
? | Blocks | When the block is placed | use.sand | ? | 0.8 |
Data values[edit]
ID[edit]
Name | Namespaced ID | Block tags (JE) | Item tags (JE) | Form | Translation key |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Soul Sand | soul_sand | soul_fire_base_blocks soul_speed_blocks wither_summon_base_blocks | soul_fire_base_blocks | Block & Item | block.minecraft.soul_sand |
Name | Namespaced ID | Numeric ID | Form | Translation key |
---|---|---|---|---|
Soul Sand | soul_sand | 88 | Block & Item | tile.soul_sand.name |
History[edit]
Java Edition Alpha | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
October 8, 2010 | Soul sand first appears on Notch's blog. | ||||
v1.2.0 | preview | ![]() | |||
Soul sand generates in the newly added Nether dimension. | |||||
v1.2.0_01 | Gravel now generates where soul sand should generate. Some soul sand can still generate. | ||||
v1.2.0_02 | Soul sand now generates where some of the gravel would. | ||||
Java Edition Beta | |||||
1.6.6 | The player can now get out of soul sand to another block while sneaking. | ||||
Java Edition | |||||
1.0.0 | Beta 1.9 Prerelease | Added nether warts, which can be grown on soul sand. | |||
Beta 1.9 Prerelease 6 | Shovels now mine soul sand faster. | ||||
1.4.2 | 12w36a | Wither skeleton skulls can now be placed on a formation of soul sand to create a wither. | |||
12w38a | Soul sand now has new sounds when being walked on. | ||||
1.5 | 13w02a | In texture packs, soul sand now uses /textures/blocks/hellsand.png. | |||
1.8 | 14w17a | Silverfish and endermites now take damage if they walk on soul sand. | |||
14w32b | One-way doorways can no longer be made with soul sand. | ||||
1.13 | 17w47a | Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 88. | |||
18w07a | Soul sand now produces upward bubble columns when under water. | ||||
1.14 | 18w43a | ![]() | |||
18w46a | Soul sand has now lost the ability to support many blocks.[2] | ||||
18w47b | Soul sand can now support many blocks they could not due to the above bug. | ||||
19w09a | Soul sand can now be used to play the cowbell, if they are under note blocks. | ||||
19w13a | Soul sand can no longer support such blocks.[3] | ||||
1.14.1 | ? | Soul sand and gravel now generate around lava sea level instead of between y level 60 and 65.[4] | |||
1.15 | 19w42a | Soul sand no longer has an increased slowing effect when placed above ice, packed ice, or slime blocks.[5][is this the correct version?] | |||
pre3 | Soul sand no longer suffocates silverfish or endermites. | ||||
December 3, 2019 | Maria Lemón confirms that fire set on soul sand does not become soul fire. | ||||
1.16 | 20w06a | Soul sand now generates in the soul sand valley. | |||
20w07a | Soul sand now has a 10⁄109 (~9.17%) chance of being given by the new piglins when bartering, in a stack size of 1–4, making it renewable. | ||||
20w09a | Soul sand can no longer be obtained by bartering with piglins, making it no longer renewable. | ||||
20w10a | Soul sand now has a 40⁄411 (~9.74%) chance of being given by piglins when bartering, in a stack size of 4–16, making it renewable, once again. | ||||
20w11a | Soul sand can now support many blocks, once again.[6][7] | ||||
20w12a | Fire lit on top of soul sand now becomes soul fire. | ||||
20w15a | Soul sand is now used to craft soul fire torches. | ||||
20w16a | Soul sand can now generate in bastion remnants or be found in its chests. | ||||
1.16.2 | 20w28a | Now sea pickles can be placed on soul sand. | |||
Soul sand now has a 40⁄459 (~8.71%) chance of being given by piglins when bartering, in a stack size of 2–8. | |||||
Pocket Edition Alpha | |||||
v0.12.1 | build 1 | ![]() | |||
v0.16.0 | build 4 | Soul sand can now be used to spawn the wither. | |||
Bedrock Edition | |||||
1.5.0 | beta 1.5.0.4 | Soul sand now produces upward bubble columns when under water. | |||
1.10.0 | beta 1.10.0.3 | ![]() | |||
1.13.0 | beta 1.13.0.9 | Soul sand can now be used to play the cowbell, if they are under note blocks. | |||
1.16.0 | beta 1.16.0.51 | Soul sand now generates in the soul sand valley. | |||
beta 1.16.0.57 | Soul sand now has a 40⁄411 (~9.74%) chance of being given by piglins when bartering, in a stack size of 4–16, making it renewable. | ||||
Soul sand is now used to craft soul fire torches. | |||||
Soul sand can now generate in bastion remnants or be found in its chests. | |||||
Soul sand now generate as mineral vein in soul sand valley. | |||||
Soul sand now have their own unique sounds. | |||||
Legacy Console Edition | |||||
TU1 | CU1 | 1.0 | Patch 1 | 1.0.1 | ![]() |
TU19 | CU7 | 1.12 | Soul sand can now be used to build the wither. | ||
TU69 | 1.76 | Patch 38 | Soul sand now produces upward bubble columns when under water. | ||
PlayStation 4 Edition | |||||
1.90 | ![]() | ||||
New Nintendo 3DS Edition | |||||
0.1.0 | ![]() |
Trivia[edit]
- Soul sand can generate on the floor of caverns and lava pools below Y=60 only if it generated in that same column at Y=60 or above.
- Because soul sand is not as high as a full block, standing near lava while on soul sand sets the player on fire. Standing near water while on soul sand extinguishes the player, though direct contact to fire sources still hurts them.
- Soul sand has inner collision boxes every eighth of a block. However, these collision boxes have an effect only if entities are clipped into soul sand.
- If a water current is pushing the player diagonally against a wall and soul sand is the block adjacent to the player's head when the current ends, it causes the player to jump.
- If snow or carpet is over soul sand, the effects of it being a partial block are avoided because the player walks on the cover block, not the soul sand.
- Despite soul sand being a type of sand, it does not fall the same way sand and gravel do.
- Falling gravel turns into an item when it falls on soul sand. This means gravel cannot replace lava if soul sand is underneath.
Gallery[edit]
Issues[edit]
Issues relating to "Soul Sand" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.
References[edit]