TNT is an explosive block in Minecraft that can be crafted and used in various ways. It is very useful to have on you while mining, trying to clear out areas, and even in combat for PVP and PVE.
It can be a little bit risky if you don’t know how to make TNT in Minecraft safely, though.
So, arm yourself with a good bow and let’s get started. Here’s a quick and easy TNT guide.
Minecraft TNT Recipe
- 5 gunpowder
- 4 sand blocks / red sand blocks
Getting sand blocks is easy, especially if you have water nearby. The tricky part is getting gunpowder.
Creepers, ghasts, and witches drop gunpowder when they die.
The easiest of these to hunt and farm are creepers. Creepers spawn in caves and at night and can very easily be taken care of from a safe distance if you have a bow or a crossbow.
Usually it takes about 3 shots with an arrow to take down a creeper and bolt shots from a crossbow.
Once you have all your materials, arrange the ingredients as shown below.
Where to Find TNT
TNT may be rare to come across in the Minecraft world, but it is extremely important to know where it does spawn.
Desert pyramids are structures that can provide good loot, but they can also be dangerous.
Every desert pyramid, at the very bottom of the structure, has a trap of TNT waiting for you to activate it. It is very easy to do so and lose all your progress in the process.
So be careful when entering a pyramid.
How to Use TNT
Now that you have TNT, you can place it pretty much anywhere just like you would any other block. It can be placed on solid surfaces or on the side of blocks, but be careful.
Once activated, TNT will fall from whatever block it’s placed on.
There are many ways to activate TNT and once activated you will have only 4 seconds to get away before it explodes.
There are many different ways to activate a TNT block, including:
- flint and steel
- fire charge
- arrows on fire
- a redstone signal
- lava or fire
- lightning
- other explosions
There are other things that can trigger TNT, but are not as common to come across or require a bit more work. These are some of the more basic ways to do so.
The explosion will deal damage to any entity around it, including the player. It will also destroy blocks in the explosion’s radius, depending on their blast resistance.
Blocks like dirt will certainly all be destroyed, while cobblestone and other stone blocks may not be.
There are also blocks such as obsidian, which can’t be damaged or destroyed by an explosion.
Water or lava can also prevent blocks from being destroyed if the TNT block is primed and inside them. It will still do damage to players, however.
Safely Launching TNT
TNT can also be used in a single crafting recipe to make a minecart with TNT. This simple recipe combines the two and allows you to send off the cart down the rails and detonate it safely.
It can be made in your crafting slot in your inventory or the crafting table.
There are several other different ways to set off TNT from afar and safely, without having to run from an explosion.
Building a TNT launcher is a perfect and fun way to set off your TNT.
There are several different designs, some using redstone mechanics, while others simply use obsidian and water. It’s a good way to get creative and practice your understanding of redstone.
