Navigation · Waypoints · 1.21

How to Make a Lodestone

Bind a compass to a lodestone and its needle will always point back to that exact block, even from another dimension. It is the cleanest way to never lose your base. Watch the needle lock on below.

The recipe

One netherite ingot, ringed by eight chiseled stone bricks.

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Lodestone

Need the compass first? See how to make a compass.

Binding a compass

Place the lodestone where you want your waypoint, hold a compass and right-click the lodestone. The compass binds to it and now points there forever, across any distance or dimension, until the lodestone is broken. Bind a fresh compass to each lodestone for multiple waypoints.

Lodestone compass vs normal compass

Lodestone compass

Bound to a lodestone, it always points to that exact spot, even from another dimension or thousands of blocks away, and gains a faint shimmer. It only stops if the lodestone is destroyed.

Normal compass

Unbound, it only points to your world spawn in the Overworld, and the needle spins uselessly in the Nether and the End.

What it is good for

Mark your baseFind a portalReturn to a mineSave a build site

Quick answers

How do you make a lodestone?

Surround one netherite ingot with eight chiseled stone bricks in the crafting grid. The netherite ingot makes it an end-game block.

How do I bind a compass to it?

Place the lodestone, hold a compass, and right-click the lodestone. That compass becomes a lodestone compass locked to it.

Does it work across dimensions?

Yes. A lodestone compass keeps pointing at its lodestone from anywhere, including across the Nether, the End and huge distances.

What happens if the lodestone breaks?

The bound compass loses its target and the needle just spins, like a normal compass in the Nether. Rebind it to a new lodestone to fix it.

Do I need netherite?

Yes. Each lodestone needs one netherite ingot, so you need to have reached netherite gear from ancient debris first.

Can I have more than one?

Yes. Bind a separate compass to each lodestone to keep several waypoints, such as one for base and one for a mine.

Why do I need chiseled stone bricks, not normal ones?

The recipe is specific. Eight chiseled stone bricks only, not plain stone bricks, cracked, or mossy. Craft chiseled stone bricks by putting two stone brick slabs one above the other.

Does the lodestone compass stack?

No. A bound compass has its own target stored on the item, so each one stays a separate stack of one. A plain unbound compass still stacks to 64.

Can I pick the lodestone back up?

Yes. Mine it with any pickaxe and it drops itself. You do not get the netherite ingot back as a separate item, the whole block just comes back as one lodestone.

Do bound compasses survive death?

The item does if you collect it, like any other item. The binding is stored on the compass, so as long as the compass and the lodestone both exist, the link holds.

Can I bind a compass on Bedrock?

Yes. The recipe and right-click bind work the same on Bedrock 1.21. On a controller or touch it is the use button on the lodestone while holding a compass.

Tips and common mistakes

Small things that trip people up the first time.

Right-click the lodestone with the compass in hand, not the other way around. Clicking air or the block beside it does nothing.
The recipe wants chiseled stone bricks, not plain stone bricks. Mixing them up gives no result in the grid.
Two stone brick slabs stacked vertically craft one chiseled stone brick, so eight bricks means sixteen slabs, or eight blocks of stone bricks worth.
You only spend the netherite once per lodestone. Rebinding the same compass to a different lodestone is free, it just overwrites the target.
Place the lodestone somewhere you will not accidentally mine it. If it breaks, every compass bound to it spins like a broken compass until you rebind.
It is not a teleport. The compass only points the direction, you still walk or fly back. Pair it with a map if you want exact coordinates.
Lodestone is not blast proof, its blast resistance is only 3.5, so a creeper or a ghast fireball can break it. Place it where explosions will not reach it.

First →

Make a compass

You need one to bind to the lodestone.

Database →

Lodestone & netherite

Look up the lodestone, compass and netherite ingot.