Torches are an essential light source in Minecraft, allowing players to illuminate their builds and prevent hostile mobs from spawning. This article will provide a step-by-step guide on how to craft and ignite both regular and soul torches in Minecraft.
Table of Contents
Gathering Materials
The materials needed to craft torches are relatively easy to obtain:
- Sticks – Obtained by placing wood planks in the crafting grid. Make sure to have at least one stick for each torch you want to craft.
- Coal/Charcoal – Coal can be mined from coal ore found underground. Smelt wood logs to produce charcoal. You need at least one coal or charcoal for each torch.
- Soul Soil/Soul Sand (for soul torches) – Found in the Nether. Used instead of regular coal/charcoal to craft soul torches.
Once you have the required materials, you can start crafting torches.
Crafting Regular Torches
Follow these steps to craft regular torches:
- Open your crafting menu and add one stick in the center square.
- Add one piece of coal or charcoal in the square above the stick.
- This will yield 4 regular torches that you can collect from the output box.
- Repeat as needed to craft more torches. Each set of ingredients makes 4 torches.
Tip: Have multiple stacks of sticks and coal/charcoal to quickly craft many torches at once.
Crafting Soul Torches
To craft soul torches instead of regular ones, substitute soul soil or soul sand for the coal/charcoal:
- Place a stick in the middle square as before.
- Add soul soil/soul sand in the square above the stick.
- Collect the 4 soul torches created from the output box.
Soul torches emit a light blue flame instead of the regular torch’s yellow/orange flame.
Using and Placing Torches
Follow these instructions to effectively use torches:
- Equip the torches in your hotbar. Make sure they are selected.
- Position your crosshair where you want to place the torch. The side of a block or wall generally works best.
- Use/Interact with the block to place the torch. The control varies by Minecraft version:
- Java Edition – Right-click
- Bedrock Edition – Tap screen
- Consoles – Press LT, L2, ZL button
- Repeat to rapidly place multiple torches and light up an area.
Pro Tip: Holding down the use button will automatically place torches quickly.
Torch Spacing
When lighting up large areas, follow these torch spacing guidelines:
- For lighting long tunnels, place torches every 12-15 blocks.
- For lighting flat builds, use a grid pattern with ≤12 blocks between torches.
This ensures sufficient light coverage to stop mob spawns. Place additional torches if mobs still spawn.
Conclusion
With this guide, you should now be able to reliably craft and ignite both regular and soul torches for lighting in Minecraft. Proper torch placement prevents mob spawns and lets you brighten up any build. Use this knowledge to illuminate your structures and mine safely!
