How to Get Crying Obsidian in Minecraft

If you’ve ever come across broken pieces of Nether Portals in your Minecraft world, you may have noticed a new block in the wreckage. It looks like Obsidian, breaks like Obsidian, but cannot be used for a Nether Portal like Obsidian. Here’s how you can find Crying Obsidian and the few uses that it actually has.

Related: How to Make Obsidian in Minecraft and What Y-Level to Mine

Where to Find Crying Obsidian in Minecraft

Crying Obsidian may not have a lot of uses, but it is a pretty material that can be used as decoration and for the one use that it does have. So where do you actually find it? This block can spawn naturally in the overworld at destroyed Nether Portals. It can spawn as many as one to three Blocks that will be generated around the Portal and act as Portal supports but don’t be fooled. While Obsidian this may be, it won’t actually help you activate the portal. It will need to be replaced by actual Obsidian in order to operate again. 

Crying Obsidian also has the chance of falling off Piglins, but not in the way you’d expect. There’s a way to barter with Piglins to get specific items. Be sure to wear a golden piece of armor before approaching Piglins, and when offering them Gold Ingots, you may get the chance to receive 1-3 Crying Obsidian whenever they trade with you. It can also be found while looting chests at Bastion Remnants in the Nether, occasionally spawning around one to five depending on where you find the chest within the Bastion.

What is Crying Obsidian Used For in Minecraft?

Pretty it may be, what’s it used for? While it can be used for very, very, very low-lighting, it can also produce a Bass sound when placed underneath a Note Block. More importantly, it is used in the recipe for a Respawn Anchor. Combined with Glowstone Blocks, using this block in the Nether will allow the player to Respawn at its placed point whenever a Player is in the Nether and happens to die. It’ll prove to be a lot easier to get your things without having to travel from your bed all the way back to your portal or wherever your portal may be placed. 

Though setting it may not be as easy, your Respawn Anchor will need to sit in a location that cannot be damaged by other Nether Mobs and will also need to be charged with Glowstone Blocks. Using Glowstone Blocks on a Respawn Anchor will Charge it, and once it is fully charged, it will indicate on the side in the form of a full Yellow-Gold Circle. Whenever the player dies in the Nether, you will respawn in the Respawn Anchor space, and the block will lose a Charge. So while it may be a temporary solution for digging around the Nether, it can be useful as insurance to have a space close by whenever you are farming in a dangerous area. You’ll have a way to get back to your stuff quickly, and as Glowstone can be quite the easy find, you’ll have plenty of room to charge up your station as needed.