TNT is one of the most well-known blocks in the world of Minecraft, used to destroy large areas. It is an explosive block that, once ignited, explodes after a short moment, destroying the terrain around it and dealing damage to mobs as well as players. Therefore, it can be both helpful and dangerous if we use it carelessly. Most often, it is used for quickly mining large areas, for example when searching for Ancient Debris in the Nether. With its help, you can also create traps, such as hiding it under a pressure plate or connecting it to redstone. However, to enjoy all the possibilities of this block, you first need to know how to craft it and how to obtain the necessary resources.
Crafting TNT in Minecraft
To craft TNT in Minecraft, you need two resources: regular sand or red sand, and gunpowder. Sand is one of the easiest blocks to obtain, since you can find it on beaches, near rivers, and in deserts. Red sand is rarer, but it works exactly the same in the recipe. Gunpowder is harder to collect – it most commonly drops from Creepers. You have to be careful, though, because if a Creeper explodes, you won’t get any loot.
Once you gather 5 pieces of gunpowder and 4 blocks of sand (or red sand), place them in the crafting table to create TNT.
How to get Sand or Red Sand in Minecraft
Sand is quite easy to obtain, as it appears in many biomes and can be found near water – on beaches, along riverbanks, and around lakes. Very large deposits of sand can also be found in deserts, where it can be collected quickly. Red sand is harder to obtain, since it generates only in the Badlands biome, and it is easy to confuse it with red terracotta. Once you find either regular or red sand, you can mine it with a shovel.
How to get Gunpowder in Minecraft
Gunpowder can be a bit harder to obtain, but its most obvious source is Creepers – the green monsters that spawn at night or in dark places. When you kill a Creeper, it can drop 0–2 pieces of gunpowder, but if you use the Looting enchantment on your sword, the drop amount increases. It’s important to make sure the Creeper doesn’t explode, because then it won’t drop anything.
Another source is Ghasts, the fireball-shooting mobs that spawn in the Nether. After defeating them, you can receive 0–2 pieces of gunpowder as well as a Ghast Tear. The last mob is the Witch, which in addition to potions and alchemy ingredients has a small chance to drop gunpowder, in amounts ranging from 0–6 pieces.
If you don’t feel like fighting mobs, you can also look for gunpowder in chests found in various structures such as desert pyramids, shipwrecks, or woodland mansions.
