What is crying obsidian?
Crying obsidian is a dark purple variant of obsidian that gives off light and “cries” cyan teardrop particles. It was added in the Nether Update and shares most properties with regular obsidian, including blast resistance, hardness, and the same diamond-or-better pickaxe requirement. The two differences that matter: it gives off light at level 10, and it’s the crafting ingredient for a respawn anchor. You can’t use crying obsidian to build a Nether portal frame.
If you’ve spotted a glowing purple block sitting in a ruined portal and wondered what it was, that’s crying obsidian. Here’s everything you need to know about getting it, what it does, and how to put it to use.
Where to find crying obsidian
Crying obsidian doesn’t generate as a regular ore. Instead, it appears in three specific places, all tied to the Nether or Nether-themed structures.
Ruined portals
Ruined portals spawn in both the Overworld and the Nether. Most contain a few crying obsidian blocks mixed in with the regular obsidian frame. Look for the purple blocks set into the broken portal shape. They’re easy to spot during the day because the glow is faint but visible.
Bastion remnants
Bastion remnants in the Nether contain the most crying obsidian per structure. You’ll see it built into the architecture, especially around the central courtyard and inside chest rooms. If you’re trying to gather a lot in a single trip, a bastion is your best target.
Piglin bartering
If you give a piglin a gold ingot, there’s about a 9% chance the trade returns crying obsidian. Each successful drop gives 1 to 3 blocks. This is the slowest way to gather it, but it’s the most reliable long-term source if you set up an automatic bartering farm. Piglins won’t barter while they’re hostile, so make sure you’re wearing at least one piece of gold armor before you try.
How to mine crying obsidian
Crying obsidian behaves like regular obsidian for mining. You need a diamond pickaxe or a netherite pickaxe. Mining time is about 9.4 seconds with a diamond pickaxe and slightly faster with netherite. It always drops itself when broken, so no Silk Touch is needed.
If you mine it with anything weaker than diamond, the block breaks but drops nothing. Bring the right tool the first time.
Tips for safer mining
- Bring a Fire Resistance potion if you’re working inside a bastion or near lava.
- Use Efficiency on your pickaxe to cut the mining time in half.
- Wall off active piglins before you start mining inside a bastion. Piglins go hostile fast if you mine gold blocks nearby, so stay focused on the obsidian.
- Place a block under your feet before swinging at any obsidian above lava. The pause between mining and the block dropping has dropped many players into the lava.
What crying obsidian is used for
The main use is the respawn anchor. There are a few smaller uses worth knowing.
Crafting a respawn anchor
The recipe is six crying obsidian on the top and bottom rows, three glowstone blocks across the middle:
- Top row: crying obsidian, crying obsidian, crying obsidian
- Middle row: glowstone, glowstone, glowstone
- Bottom row: crying obsidian, crying obsidian, crying obsidian
One respawn anchor takes 6 crying obsidian and 3 glowstone blocks. To charge it to the maximum, you’ll also need 4 more glowstone blocks (one per charge, up to 4 charges).
Using a respawn anchor
The respawn anchor lets you set your spawn point in the Nether, which you can’t otherwise do. Beds explode in the Nether and the End, so the respawn anchor exists to give you a respawn option in the Nether.
To use one:
- Place the respawn anchor where you want to respawn.
- Right-click it with glowstone to add a charge. Each glowstone adds one charge, up to four.
- Right-click the charged anchor with an empty hand to set your spawn.
- When you die, you’ll respawn at the anchor and lose one charge. Once charges hit zero, the anchor still works as a decorative block, but you’ll need to recharge it before it can save your spawn again.
One critical warning: a respawn anchor only works in the Nether dimension. If you try to set spawn or use a charged anchor in the Overworld or the End, it explodes with a force similar to a bed in the wrong dimension. The blast is large enough to kill you in survival, so don’t experiment.
Light source
Crying obsidian gives off a light level of 10. That’s enough to keep most hostile mobs from spawning on or directly next to it, but not as bright as a torch (14) or glowstone (15). It works well as a decorative light block in builds where you want a dim, moody glow.
Decoration
The dark purple color and animated teardrop particles make crying obsidian a popular accent block in Nether-themed builds, dark fantasy castles, and shrine structures. It pairs well with blackstone, basalt, and soul fire for a consistent Nether aesthetic.
Crying obsidian vs regular obsidian
The two blocks share most properties but differ in a few important ways:
| Property | Crying obsidian | Regular obsidian |
|---|---|---|
| Light level | 10 | 0 |
| Builds Nether portal | No | Yes |
| Crafts respawn anchor | Yes | No |
| Mining tool | Diamond+ pickaxe | Diamond+ pickaxe |
| Hardness | 50 | 50 |
| Blast resistance | 1200 | 1200 |
| Particles | Cyan drips | None |
Mining time and blast resistance are identical, so crying obsidian is just as good as regular obsidian for blast-resistant walls. The reason to choose between them comes down to whether you need a portal frame, a respawn anchor, or a glowing accent block.
Common mistakes to avoid
A few traps to watch out for. First, never use a respawn anchor in the Overworld or the End. It explodes, and the blast can kill you. Second, don’t mine crying obsidian with a stone or iron pickaxe. The block breaks but drops nothing, so always use diamond or netherite. Third, don’t try to build a Nether portal with crying obsidian. The portal won’t ignite if even one frame block is crying obsidian. And finally, an uncharged respawn anchor doesn’t save your spawn point. You need at least one glowstone charge for it to do anything.
Frequently asked questions
Can you craft crying obsidian in Minecraft?
No. There’s no crafting recipe for crying obsidian. You can only get it from ruined portals, bastion remnants, or piglin bartering. You also can’t make it by pouring water on lava or through any cauldron trick.
What’s the fastest way to farm crying obsidian?
An automatic piglin bartering farm. Build a setup that funnels gold ingots to piglins and collects whatever they drop. The barter chance is low per trade, so it works best as a passive farm running in the background. For a one-shot haul, raid a bastion remnant. A single bastion usually gives you 30 to 50 blocks of crying obsidian if you strip it.
Can crying obsidian be used in a Nether portal?
No. The portal won’t ignite if any frame block is crying obsidian. The frame must be plain obsidian. You can decorate around a finished portal with crying obsidian, but the corners and frame have to be regular obsidian.
How many charges does a respawn anchor have?
Four. Each glowstone you right-click on the anchor adds one charge, up to a maximum of four. Each death uses one charge. When charges hit zero, the anchor stops saving your spawn until you recharge it.
Why does crying obsidian “cry”?
It’s a visual effect with cyan teardrop particles, similar to how dripstone makes water particles. There’s no in-game lore explanation that’s been confirmed by Mojang. The effect is purely decorative and doesn’t affect anything else. No water spawns, no mob attraction, no damage.
Does crying obsidian fill cauldrons or melt ice?
No. The teardrops are particles only. They don’t fill cauldrons, melt ice, or interact with any other blocks. The block itself is dry.
Is crying obsidian rare?
Not really, but you have to know where to look. Ruined portals and bastion remnants both contain it, and you’ll usually find at least a few blocks per structure. Piglin bartering gives steady (small) drops over time. Once you know where to look, gathering enough for several respawn anchors takes maybe an hour or two of focused exploration.
Does crying obsidian work the same in Bedrock as in Java?
Yes, with one minor difference. The block, the respawn anchor recipe, the charging system, and the Nether-only restriction all behave the same on both editions. The piglin barter loot table is slightly different between Java and Bedrock, but crying obsidian appears on both lists at similar drop rates. Mining requirements and blast resistance are identical. If you’ve used a respawn anchor on one edition, the workflow carries over to the other without any surprises.
Worth knowing
Crying obsidian has one real job: setting up respawn points in the Nether. If you’re planning a long Nether trip, building a bastion looter, or running a piglin trading hall, set up a respawn anchor near your operation and keep a stack of glowstone in reserve. It beats hiking back from your Overworld bed every time something goes sideways.
