Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Lodestones in Minecraft: Make a Compass Point Anywhere
A lodestone is a block you craft from chiseled stone bricks and an iron ingot. Use a compass on it and that compass points to the lodestone from anywhere in the same dimension, even in the Nether or the End where normal compasses spin. Ruined portal chests sometimes hold lodestones too.
How do you use a lodestone?
- Craft or find a lodestone and place it at your base or a portal.
- Use a compass on it: the compass gets an enchantment glint and now points to the lodestone.
- It works in the Nether and End, where a normal compass does not.
- If the lodestone is broken, or you are in a different dimension, the compass spins.
Compasses and maps: maps and compasses.
How do you make a lodestone?
Chiseled stone bricks and an iron ingot (the recipe used to need a netherite ingot, which is why older guides call it expensive). Mine a lodestone with a pickaxe or it drops nothing. Ruined portal chests have a chance of 1-2 lodestones; see ruined portals.
What are good uses for lodestones?
- Find your way back to a Nether portal in the Nether; see Nether portals.
- Mark a far-off base or farm.
- Several compasses linked to different lodestones make a set of signposts.
- Pistons cannot move a lodestone, but explosions can destroy it.
Is there a compass to find where you died?
Yes, the recovery compass; see the recovery compass.
How do you find your way on ArtemisPvP?
Frequently asked questions
Does a lodestone compass work in the Nether?
Yes, as long as the lodestone is in the Nether too.
How do you craft a lodestone?
Chiseled stone bricks and an iron ingot.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.