How to make a compass in Minecraft?

A compass in Minecraft is an essential piece of equipment so that the player does not get lost when exploring new biomes, searching for villages, or navigating the game map.

The Minecraft compass is an important item for anyone who plays Minecraft survival mode, especially in the first few hours of the game. It helps the player navigate the map, as it always points to the same location — which is important for going back and forth. Learn how to make a compass in Minecraft and don’t get lost during your adventures.

How to Make A compass in Minecraft?

The Minecraft compass requires few materials to create. You will need:

• 4 iron bars
• 1 red stone dust

The Minecraft compass may be of limited use to more experienced players. If you want to make a base in a new and more distant biome, for example, it ends up not working so well, as it will continue to point to the original spawn. In this case, it is worth investing in other forms of orientation and navigation on the map, such as marking paths with torches or other items with good visibility.

Classic Compass

The classic compass can be made quite quickly in Minecraft. All you need is four iron ingots, which is not very hard to obtain, but also some Redstone powder, which you will need to arrange as in the image below.

You will then obtain a compass, but this is not a compass that indicates north. If not changed, it will indicate your spawn point. Even if you used a bed as a respawn point, the compass will still show you your initial spawn point. If you want it to indicate your base, for example, you will need to switch to a magnetized compass. Note that this compass can allow you to craft a map, to have a better overview of the world in which you are.

MAGNETIZED COMPASS

This compass will already be much more useful for finding your way since it can show you the location of your base. To do this, you must, in addition to having a normal compass, have a Magnetite block, which is obtained by combining sculpted stones and a Netherite ingot. The Magnetite block can then be placed anywhere (in your base, for example).

Despite its appearance as a minimalist game,  Minecraft is a very complete and complex game, as you probably know. To make your task easier, it is possible to obtain some tools and objects, such as compasses. These can help you find your way, but not only that, given that some have other virtues. A look back at the different compasses in Minecraft and how to make them.

RECOVERY COMPASS

This latest compass, introduced with Minecraft update 1.19, is another very useful item. Indeed, the recovery compass, as its name implies, will indicate the location of your last death. In fact, if you went exploring and died far from the base, you shall be able to find your stuff quite easily. Be careful though, if you die in the meantime, it will be the place of your last death that will be displayed on the compass. To craft it, simply mix echo shards and a normal compass, as shown in the image below. Note that Echo Shards can be found in chests in Abyss City. 

Last clarification regarding the recovery compass, it only works in the dimension in which you died, which is logical. 

What are compasses and what are they for in Minecraft?

In Minecraft survival mode, every new player starts from a random point on the map. This location is marked as the player’s original spawn location. No codes or cheats, it never changes. It is based on this that the Minecraft compass works. Its main use is that it always points to the player’s spawn location.

This way, when building your base close to your spawn, for example, when you want to venture out or look for resources in more distant places, you can use the compass to guide yourself better when returning home.

Where and when the compass works (or not)

The compass does not necessarily need to be in the character’s hand to work. The player can leave it on the quick access bar and it will work normally, pointing to the player’s spawn. Just look at the compass and follow the directions. Another important detail is that the compass does not work in the Nether. Inside “Minecraft hell”, the compass needle is spinning wildly in random directions, not being useful for navigation.

In the PC, Xbox, and PlayStation versions of Minecraft, the compass is also a component in creating blank maps. Therefore, it’s worth doing more than one, as both items are very useful for not getting lost on the game’s huge map. Sleeping in a bed does not change the direction the compass points. The changed spawn is only for respawning if the character dies.