How To Get Lanterns In Minecraft

Minecraft has added a bunch of new things in the 1.16 Nether update, and one of those is the Soul Lantern. This is a new Lantern type that requires some resources from the Nether. Lanterns are an alternative to Torches when it comes to lighting. You can place Torches onto walls, but you can't hang them from the ceiling. That's where Lanterns come in, they give you the ability to hang them and present a bit more of a design element to work with for your creative builds.

How-to Make a Soul Lantern

To create a soul lantern, we're going to need to venture into the Nether and gather up some soul sand or soil, craft a soul torch, and then get some iron nuggets. We've got everything you need to know on how to accomplish this in the steps below.

Step 1: Go to the Nether

You will need to make a Nether Portal to get to the Nether. This generally requires you to harvest obsidian, make a 4x5 rectangle, and light it with a Flint and Steel. Jump into the purple portal and you will find yourself in the Nether.

Step 2: Look for a Soul Sand Valley Biome

Example of soul soil

The Soul Sand Valley Biome is a new biome type that you can find in the Nether. Soul Sand has existed for a while, but now there's new resource called Soul Soil that can be found in the same areas. Soul Sand is kind of creepy looking and slows you down when you walk through it. Soul Soil has a similar color, but is wavy and doesn't slow you down. You'll know you are in the right place if you see some blue flames coming off the soil. Harvest some of the Soul Soil, you will need one for every four Soul Torches you want to create.

Step 3: Craft Soul Torches

Now that you have the Soul Soil, you'll just need to gather some Coal or Charcoal and a stick. Throw them into your Crafting Table and you will get 4x Soul Torches for each batch of ingredients you put in!

Crafting recipe for soul torch

Step 4: Craft Iron Nuggets

You will need an Iron Ingot to craft Iron Nuggets. Stick the Iron Ingot into your Crafting Table and it will give you 9 of them! If you don't have an Ingot, you can throw any Iron tool, armor, or weapon into a Furnace and you will get an Iron Nugget for your troubles.

Step 5: Craft the Soul Lantern

Now that you have the Soul Torches, stick one of those in the middle of your Crafting Table. Surround it with Iron Nuggets and you will have yourself a Soul Lantern!

Crafting recipe for soul lantern

Lighting Comparison

So, how do these compare to the regular Lanterns? Well, they emit less light than regular Lanterns, so if you are just looking for general lighting then you are better off going with the originals.

Light comparison between lantern and soul lantern

However, Soul Lanterns have one particular use other than looking cool. Soul Lanterns do not melt snow or ice when they are next to it. So, if you're building a snow base or igloo and are looking for some lightning that doesn't melt it all down, then you can use these!

If you're starting a new world in the update, check out our Minecraft 1.16 Nether Seeds post!