Minecraft TNT

You’ve probably seen one in action already, so the iconic red box should either incite terror or excitement in you, depending on which side of the explosion you were on. But don’t let the imminent destruction of everything you have striven to build discourage you from using Minecraft TNT. After all, your buildings can be repaired, but the explosion TNT does in your heart will open it forever.

The Flawless Minecraft TNT Recipe

Now that you’re likely excited to try out some TNT for yourself, we should tell you how it’s made. For a good old block of Minecraft TNT, all you need is some gunpowder and some sand, either regular or red sand:

5x Gunpowder + 4x Sand or 4x Red Sand = 1x TNT

Both of these ingredients have to be looted from mobs or chests. Minecraft mansions are particularly well positioned for finding some things to blow other things up (the mansion itself, for example).

Alternatively, you can try finding some treasure chests, desert temples or shipwrecks. If you want to make finding these places a bit easier, try using a map from a cartographer in your village. These buildings have treasure chests inside them which in turn can house these explosives. Some of them even contain gunpowder, so looting a few never hurts when trying to amass Minecraft TNT.

And while we are talking about deserts, they are a premium way to get Minecraft TNT. Not only can you find it in the temples mentioned above, deserts also house the aptly named desert pyramids. These buildings always have a whopping 9 TNT blocks inside. They serve as a trap to destroy the ancient treasures found within the pyramid, but you can use it to fuel your desire for big kabooms.

Fire in the Hole: How to Prime Minecraft TNT

Once you have some Minecraft TNT, you probably want to blow something up with it. To do so, you first have to prime the block. The easiest way to do that is fire. Be it a weapon enchantment, like flame for arrows or lava; even a lighting bolt from a trident will do. All in all, enchantments are a very useful way to make things explode. Magicians in Minecraft really seem to enjoy explosions, but then again, who doesn’T? Once primed, the Minecraft TNT takes 4 seconds to explode, destroying all blocks around it and damaging any player who is staying too close. If you want a giant explosion, you can construct a building entirely out of Minecraft TNT blocks, prime one of them and watch the chain reaction of destruction ensue. This is especially useful if you want to kill a boss. Simply lure a difficult boss like the wither or the warden into your construct, light the fuse and watch the symphony of destruction ensue.

Fun Fact: Have you ever wondered why the sound TNT makes when primed is the same as the creeper’s? Well, that’s because creepers have a box of TNT inside them that explodes when you come too close!

What Minecraft TNT can Do for You

Similar to its humble brother, dynamite, Minecraft TNT has a lot of applications, especially when combined with a redstone circuit. Using the countless possibilities provided by pistons and rails, you can build large contraptions to eliminate mobs with high precision. Or you can just build a Minecraft TNT cannon and launch the primed blocks at your enemies. A TNT launcher, if you will. So let your creativity run free!

After all, Minecraft TNT can be used in a lot of ways, but its utility is pretty narrow. TNT can really only do one thing, but it excels at it: Blowing stuff up. So, if your sword or axe doesn’t have enough firepower to satisfy your destructive needs, craft or loot some Minecraft TNT and blast the opposition away. If you don’t want to risk your own life as a player and want unlimited TNT, check out creative mode to be safe. For testing different uses for TNT, get onto a Minecraft server from G-Portal and bombard some of your friends! (Warning: Please do only use TNT in Minecraft, as using TNT outside of it is dangerous as it is cost-inefficient.)