About a year ago, in the “Inventory” section, we discussed one of the most useful items in Minecraft — the compass. This tool assists players in finding their way back to the spawn point, even if they have wandered far away. We strongly advised taking a compass along when embarking on adventures, and I hope everything went well for you, allowing you to recover your items and remain at your original location.
However, compasses do have a significant drawback: they only function in the Overworld. The same mysterious physics of Minecraft that keep blocks suspended in mid-air disrupt our compasses in the Nether and the End.
To outsmart these nuisances, the latest update introduced new blocks called magnetites, which allow players to alter the direction in which compasses point. The advantage of magnetites is that they work across all three dimensions. So now you can confidently take your compass and venture anywhere, just don’t forget the magnetites! Magnetites in Minecraft Bedrock are often found in chests within bastion remnants, but if you prefer not to search, you can craft them yourself. For this, you’ll need a netherite ingot placed in the center of the crafting grid, surrounded by polished blackstone bricks. To create netherite, gather gold and netherite scraps, which are smelted from ancient debris. You will also require a diamond pickaxe to mine the ancient debris.
Once you acquire a block of magnetite, place it on the ground, take a compass in your hand, and right-click on the block. A magical glow will appear, indicating that the compass is linked to the magnetite. If the block is destroyed or moved to another dimension, this connection will break, and the compass will cease to function. In the real world, “magnetites” refers to natural magnets. These rare finds, composed of the mineral magnetite, attract both pieces of iron and curious onlookers.
Most magnetites are not actually magnetic, and even if you magnetize them, they won’t stay that way for long. However, sometimes their crystalline structure contains impurities that allow them to remain magnetized for a longer period. This raises the question of how they become magnetized in the first place? Science doesn’t yet have a clear answer to this query. The main theory suggests that magnetites capture extreme magnetic fields generated when lightning strikes the ground. This theory is supported by the fact that magnetites are only found on the Earth’s surface, with none existing in deeper layers.
Regardless of their origin story, humans have been utilizing these stones since at least the 6th century BCE, when the ancient Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus made a note about them. In the 4th century BCE, Chinese scholars independently authored the book titled Book of the Devil Master Valley. By the 2nd century BCE, magnetites were employed in geomancy (divination using the earth).
Magnetite artifacts created by the Olmecs have also been discovered in present-day Mexico, likely used several thousand years ago. While there is no definitive information on their purpose, one theory suggests they may have been utilized for orientation within temples, homes, and tombs.
