Thanks to the abundance of different blocks inMinecraft, players might sometimes find themselves a bit confused about what exactly to do with a specific block. Luckily, ice blocks won’t be a problem, since a block type that has a surprisingly good number of uses when it comes to utility.
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Ice blocks can be found most commonly in a variety of snowy biomes, especially when water is involved. Look for rivers and beaches by snowy biomes to find some. However, in order to actually extract a block of ice, players will need a pickaxe with the Silk Touch enchantment applied to it. Otherwise, the block will be destroyed. There are also several types of ice blocks: regular ice blocks, packed ice blocks, and blue ice blocks, all naturally generated, and the last two are also craftable. Each of them has slightly different properties inMinecraft, which will be detailed below.
5Melt It For A Water Source Block
The cool thing about regular ice blocks is that they interact with any sources of heat or fire nearby. If players ever come across an igloo, for example, there’s a good reason why the inside area has a redstone torch instead of a regular torch next to the ice window. Otherwise, the window will melt.
Players who need a water source block for one reason or another can simply place a torch next to an ice block. After a while, the ice will turn into water. This is also a good interaction to know for players who plan on surviving in snowy biomes and buildinga crop farm, as the water in these farms tends to turn to ice unless a torch is placed nearby.
4Use It Under Flowing Water To Move Items Quickly
Redstone expertsand farm builders rejoice because ice can make farms that transport items with the help of water even faster and more efficient. A good example is a crop farm where a wave of water will push the crops out of the farmland and into hoppers, which will transfer them into chests.
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This same principle is used in many other contraptions. If players can afford to place a few ice blocks down, they should place them underneath the flowing water, which will cause any items in the water to move faster towards their destination.
3Change The Slipperiness And Slowness Of Certain Blocks
It’s not the ice block itself that is slippery to walk on. As mentioned above, it can modify how quickly water flows, but it can also modify just how slippery a block placed above it is to walk on. This only works for half-blocks, such as slabs, but is a fun little trick to pull off.
Ice blocks, particularly packed ice blocks, also have a surprising effect on soul sand. Placing packed ice underneath a soul sand block actually makes the slowing effect of soul sand slightly more potent. This can be quite useful when makingelaborate mob farmsor traps for enemies, or just to trick some friends inMinecraft. For more information on packed ice, keep reading.
2Build Speed Roads
The most popular use for ice is of course the famous speed road. InMinecraft, players will travel long distances, and this can be pretty tedious without an Elytra. Cutting through the Nether is a good option, but even in the Nether, it can be a good idea to build speed roads made entirely out of ice and secured on the side with walls.
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Hopping and running on ice makes the player go much faster and helps them save time. However, the superior way is to get in a boat and ride on ice with it, which is an extremely efficient way of getting aroundboth in the Netherand the Overworld.
Note that using blue ice is the best way to build speed roads. For information on blue ice, keep reading.
1Craft It Into Packed Ice And Blue Ice
Regular ice blocks can also be used in a crafting recipe to make packed ice. Packed ice is a bit different from regular ice blocks, and is considered a “stronger” version. It doesn’t melt near light or heat sources, making it absolutely fantastic for any builds that require the slippery feature of ice.
Packed ice can also be crafted into blue ice, which is the most slippery type of ice inMinecraft.While boatson packed ice travel at 40 m per second, boats on blue ice travel at a speed of 72 m per second. This is a significant speed increase and is perfect for quickly traveling around.
Blue ice is also used to make basalt, for those who would like to set up a basalt generator in their world and who can’t seem to find a basalt delta in the Nether.
Minecraftis available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, and many other platforms.
