Beds explode in the Nether, so a respawn anchor is how you set a spawn point down there. Feed it glowstone to charge it, and each charge buys one respawn. Tap it below to charge it.
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Empty, a respawn anchor does nothing.
The recipe
Crying obsidian top and bottom, glowstone through the middle.
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Respawn Anchor
Charging and using it
1
Place it in the Nether
Set the respawn anchor down where you want your Nether spawn, such as by a portal or base.
2
Charge with glowstone
Right-click it holding glowstone to add a charge. It takes up to four, glowing brighter each time.
3
Set your spawn
Right-click the charged anchor with an empty hand to set your spawn point there.
4
Respawn and recharge
Each death in the Nether spends one charge. At zero you return to your world spawn, so top it up.
Mind the dimension
A bed explodes if you try to use it in the Nether or End, and a respawn anchor explodes if you charge or use it in the Overworld. Each is tied to its world: beds for the Overworld, respawn anchors for the Nether. Use the right one for where you are.
Getting the parts
6 Crying Obsidian
Barter with piglins by giving them gold ingots, or loot it from bastion and ruined-portal chests.
3 Glowstone
Mine glowstone blobs from the Nether ceiling. You will also want spare glowstone to recharge the anchor.
Quick answers
How do you make a respawn anchor?
Fill the top and bottom rows of the crafting grid with crying obsidian and the middle row with glowstone: six crying obsidian and three glowstone.
How do I charge it?
Hold glowstone and right-click the placed anchor. Each glowstone adds one charge, up to four, and it glows more strongly each time.
Why did my bed explode in the Nether?
Beds only work in the Overworld. Sleeping, or even using one, in the Nether or End makes it explode. Use a respawn anchor to set a Nether spawn instead.
Does a respawn anchor work in the Overworld?
No. It only sets spawn in the Nether. Charging or using one in the Overworld or End makes it explode, so keep it Nether-only.
How many times can I respawn?
Once per charge. A full anchor holds four charges, so four deaths, then it stops working until you feed it more glowstone.
Where do I get crying obsidian?
Mostly from bartering with piglins using gold ingots, and from chests in bastion remnants and ruined portals.
The anchor holds up to four charges and burns one every time you respawn at it. An uncharged anchor is not a spawn point, it is a block, so setting your spawn and forgetting to recharge is the classic way to wake up in the Overworld with your gear on the other side of a portal.
Glowstone is the only fuel
Only glowstone blocks charge it, which ties the anchor to the Nether it lives in. Glowstone clusters in the Nether roof and in basalt deltas, and a silk touch pickaxe returns the full block instead of dust, which is the difference between one charge and needing four drops to rebuild a block.
It explodes in the Overworld
Use a charged anchor outside the Nether and it detonates like a bed does in the Nether. That is not a bug to work around, it is a hard restriction: the anchor exists so the Nether has a spawn point, and the Overworld already has beds for that.
Gold Ingot
Obsidian
Basalt