How to Make Obsidian in Minecraft
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How to Make Obsidian in Minecraft
Tips
Obsidian is one of Minecraft’s most important late-game materials — you’ll need it for your Nether Portal, Enchanting Table, and eventually a Beacon. The most efficient approach is to carry a bucket of water at all times when caving deep underground. Any lava pool you encounter becomes free Obsidian with almost no effort, and those blocks add up fast once you start needing them in bulk.
Frequently Asked Questions
⚡ Quick Answer
How to Create and Mine Obsidian
Obsidian forms when flowing Water meets a Lava source block. Pour a bucket of water onto lava or direct water flow over it — the lava source converts instantly into Obsidian. You need a Diamond or Netherite Pickaxe to mine it (no other tool works). Each block takes about 10 seconds to mine.
1
Get a Diamond Pickaxe — it’s the minimum tool required to mine Obsidian. Any other pickaxe will break the block without dropping anything. If you don’t have one yet, check our guide on how to get Diamonds fast.
2
Find a Lava pool — common underground from Y=0 downward, and in lava lakes. You need lava source blocks, not flowing lava. Source blocks are flat on top; flowing lava has a sloped surface.
3
Fill a Bucket with Water and pour it onto the lava source blocks from above or the side. The water flow converts each lava source it touches into Obsidian instantly. One bucket of water can convert multiple blocks — just scoop the water back up after.
4
Mine the Obsidian with your Diamond Pickaxe. Each block takes roughly 9.4 seconds — use Efficiency V enchantment to cut this down to about 2.5 seconds per block, making large-scale collection much faster.
5
Collect the Obsidian blocks. You need 10 for a basic Nether Portal (the minimum frame) or 14 for the full 4×5 frame. An Enchanting Table requires 4 Obsidian, and a Beacon base uses 3.
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The fastest Obsidian farm: find a large underground lava lake, place water at one end, and let it convert the entire surface layer. You can collect dozens of blocks in a single trip this way.
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Crying Obsidian is a different block — it generates in Ruined Portals and can be obtained by bartering with Piglins in the Nether. It cannot be used for Nether Portals but is used to craft a Respawn Anchor.
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If water flows onto flowing lava (not a source block), it creates Cobblestone instead of Obsidian. Make sure you’re converting actual source blocks for the right result.
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The Silk Touch enchantment has no effect on Obsidian — you always get the standard Obsidian block regardless. Save Silk Touch for glass, ice, and ores instead.
Can you mine Obsidian with an Iron Pickaxe?
No — only a Diamond or Netherite Pickaxe can mine Obsidian and drop the block. Iron, Stone, Gold, and Wood pickaxes will break Obsidian but drop nothing. You’ll lose the block entirely if you use the wrong tool.
How many Obsidian blocks do I need for a Nether Portal?
A minimum of 10 blocks for the corners-excluded frame, or 14 for the full frame including corners. The portal activates either way — the corners are optional. See our Nether Portal guide for the exact layout.
Does TNT destroy Obsidian?
No — Obsidian has an extremely high blast resistance and cannot be destroyed by TNT, Creeper explosions, or Ghast fireballs. This makes it ideal for blast-proof structures and Nether-safe builds.
What is the fastest way to mine Obsidian?
Use a Netherite Pickaxe with Efficiency V and drink a Haste II Beacon effect — this reduces mining time to under 1 second per block. Without a Beacon, Efficiency V on a Netherite Pickaxe mines each block in about 2 seconds.