Offbeat Inventory
Pixel illustration of soul lantern
Overlooked Building Blocks

Soul Lantern

A soul lantern brings cool blue light to a build and can repel ordinary piglins.

SurvivalJava & Bedrock

What is Soul Lantern?

Soul lanterns are standing or hanging light fixtures with a blue-green flame. They emit light level 10. They are useful when you want the silhouette of an iron lantern with a subdued light level that matches darker floors or cool-toned blocks.

Why players overlook it

A standard lantern is brighter and needs no soul soil or soul sand in its production chain. For a utility room, that can settle the choice before a player ever visits a soul sand valley. The soul version earns its space when the appearance or piglin interaction matters.

How to get it

  • Surround one soul torch with eight iron nuggets at a crafting table.
  • Soul lanterns also generate in ancient cities. Collect an existing lantern with a pickaxe if the area is safe to work in.

Crafting recipe

Shaped crafting

  1. Iron Nugget
  2. Iron Nugget
  3. Iron Nugget
  4. Iron Nugget
  5. Soul Torch
  6. Iron Nugget
  7. Iron Nugget
  8. Iron Nugget
  9. Iron Nugget
  • 8×Iron Nugget
  • 1×Soul Torch
1× Soul Lantern

What is it used for?

  • Place one on top of a suitable support or hang it underneath. Use a chain or an overhead beam to lower a light closer to an entrance.
  • Ordinary piglins avoid soul lanterns, which can help direct their movement.

When it comes in handy

Put the blue fixtures near portals or along one branch of a Nether hub. The color helps distinguish routes even when the walls use the same palette, and the lantern is easy to spot as you approach.

Limitations

The light level is lower than that of a standard lantern. Piglin avoidance has exceptions and does not make a hostile area safe. A lantern costs eight nuggets in addition to the torch.

Editorial recommendation

Is it worth using?

Use lanterns where the fixture should be part of the architecture. Craft soul torches for a cheaper route marker if most of the lights will be temporary.

Alternatives

Use normal lanterns for more light or lichen when you want illumination without a projecting fixture.

Java and Bedrock

The item is available in both editions. The guide covers the uses checked for the listed releases.

Sources

Checked for Java 26.3 and Bedrock 26.60 series (including 26.63 where available).

Related items

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