Light is very important for survival in Minecraft. Lights prevent monsters from appearing in your buildings, help you find your way home, and make exploring underground easier. Torches can also prevent you from dying from falls or other dangerous things at night because you can see them.
Step
Part 1 of 4: Gathering Materials
Step 1. Process the wood into planks and sticks
As you probably already know, you can split a tree to make wood. You'll need to convert it to a number of other ingredients with the following steps:
- Drag the wood to the crafting area in your inventory. Shift+click the board in the crafting box to complete this recipe.
- Place one board on top of the second in the crafting area. Shift+click the wand in the crafted box.
- Note - all of the crafting instructions in this article are for the computer edition. Just open the crafting menu and select the recipe name if you're using a console or Pocket Edition.
Step 2. Make a craft table
Place four planks in the crafting area to make a crafting table if you don't already have one. Place it on the ground and right-click the table to use in the next step.
Tap the crafting table if you are using Pocket Edition. If using a console, open the crafting menu when you are standing near the crafting table
Step 3. Make a wooden pickaxe
Make a pickaxe right now if you don't have one. The simplest pickaxe is the wooden pickaxe. Here's how to make it:
- Place the sticks in the center of the crafting table containing the 3 x 3 squares.
- Place the second stick just below it.
- Place three boards in the top row.
Part 2 of 4: Making Torches
Step 1. Mine for coal
Coal ore looks like rock with black spots on it. You can find them easily on cliff slopes, shallow caves, and anywhere with lots of rock. Mine this place using a pickaxe and break it to get coal.
Skip to the charcoal method at the bottom if you can't find any coal
Step 2. Combine coals and sticks to make a torch
You can make four torches by placing coals directly on top of one stick in the crafting area. Make as many as possible because torches are very useful objects.
Making Torches from Charcoal
Step 1. Make a furnace
There is another method of making a torch if you can't find coal ore. You can start by making a furnace made of eight cobblestones. Place the stone in the crafting area, filling all the squares except the center. Place the stove on the ground.
Step 2. Place the wood in the top slot of the stove
Use the furnace to open the interface. Place the wood in the top slot, above the line of fire. Once you light the stove, the wood will burn and turn to charcoal.
Step 3. Place the boards in the slots at the bottom of the furnace
The slot at the bottom of the furnace is the fuel slot. The furnace will light up as soon as you put a flammable object in here. Insert some boards in these slots as they burn more efficiently than wood.
Step 4. Wait for the charcoal to form
The furnace will burn the wood fairly quickly, which produces charcoal in the crafting slot on the right. Put the charcoal into your inventory.
Step 5. Make a torch out of sticks and charcoal
Place the charcoal just above one stick in the crafting area to make a torch. Each pair of materials produces four torches.
Part 3 of 4: Using Torches
Step 1. Place the torch on the floor or wall
Move the torch to the quick slot, select the torch, then click on the floor or wall. The torch can be plugged into any solid, opaque surface, and will burn continuously. You can retrieve the torch by "breaking it", or by breaking the block the torch holds.
Step 2. Light up the entire area so the mobs can't appear
Most mobs (enemies) cannot spawn in a brightly lit area, although they can enter a torch-lit area unharmed. Here are some examples of minimum torch placement to keep monsters from appearing:
- In a tunnel one block wide, place a torch at eye level in every 11th block.
- In the tunnel that is two blocks wide, place a torch at eye level in every 8th block.
- If the room is large, place torches in a row on the ground in every 12th block. At the end, walk along the row for 6 blocks, then walk left or right for 6 blocks, and start another row. Repeat until you've covered the floor with the torch.
Step 3. Plug in the torch to guide you on your way home
Place the torch as a guide on your way home when you are exploring a cave or going on a long journey at night. In the cave, stick the torch just to the right as you walk deep into. This way, when you make your way home, you will know that you are indeed heading to the surface if the torch is to your left.
Step 4. Create a landmark
Torches don't always shine brightly, but they can still be seen from a considerable distance. Make a tall tower made of clay or other material, then cover the top with a torch. Now you can use this tower as a marker in case you get lost far from home or from other important locations.
Part 4 of 4: Making a Redstone Torch
Step 1. Make a redstone torch for the redstone circuit
This red torch can produce light but not bright enough to prevent mobs from appearing. Redstone is an electric version of Minecraft, so redstone torches are often used as part of a circuit. These torches also create a spooky atmosphere, so you can use them when building a haunted house.
Step 2. Look for redstone
You can look for it deep underground. You need at least an iron pickaxe to mine redstone.
Step 3. Place the redstone on top of the stick in the crafting box
The recipe is the same as for a regular torch, but you use redstone instead of coal.
You can also make a flashing Redstone torch
Tips
- You can't put torches on translucent blocks like stairs, cacti, and leaves. The torch can be placed on the top of the glass but cannot be placed on the side.
- Torches can melt blocks of snow and ice. When using it in a snow biome, use it with extreme care, as it can cause flooding.
- Torches can't burn anything.
