What is soul soil?
Soul soil is a Nether block added in the 1.16 Nether Update. It looks like a darker, browner cousin of soul sand, but it behaves differently. Where soul sand slows you to a crawl, soul soil lets you walk on it at normal speed. That single difference makes it one of the more useful blocks to know if you spend any time in the Nether.
It generates naturally in the soul sand valley biome, mixed in with soul sand, bone blocks, and basalt pillars. You’ll mostly use it for two things: lighting blue soul fire and triggering the Soul Speed boots enchantment.
Soul soil is one of the blocks that defines what a soul sand valley feels like. Once you understand the differences between it and its very similar neighbor soul sand, you’ll know exactly what to use each one for.
Where to find soul soil
Soul soil only generates in one biome: the soul sand valley in the Nether. These valleys are easy to spot. The ground is covered in soul sand and soul soil, basalt pillars rise out of the floor, and the air is hazy with white ash particles. If you see ghasts or skeletons drifting around what looks like a fog-filled canyon, you’re in the right place.
Soul soil generates as part of the floor and walls of the biome, in big patches mixed with soul sand. You can also find it generated under the ground in the same area, so it’s worth checking just below the surface if you don’t see enough at floor level.
If you can’t find a soul sand valley, you’ll need to keep exploring the Nether. There’s no other way to get soul soil naturally in Survival. It doesn’t generate in any other biome, and there’s no villager trade or mob drop that gives it to you.
How to mine soul soil
Mining is straightforward. You can break soul soil with any tool, including your fist. A shovel is the fastest option. The block drops itself when broken, and Fortune has no effect on the drop.
Soul soil doesn’t need any special tool to drop. That said, bringing a shovel cuts your mining time considerably. With a netherite shovel and Efficiency V, you can chew through a soul sand valley floor at the pace you’d dig sand back in the Overworld.
If you’re heading to a soul sand valley specifically for soul soil, a netherite shovel with Efficiency and Unbreaking is the right kit. You’ll mine a lot of it for soul fire builds or for crafting soul lanterns to light up a base, and stacks add up faster than you’d expect.
One thing to watch for: ghasts. The soul sand valley is open and exposed, and ghasts have clear sight lines. Mine with a block over your head, or wall yourself in with cobblestone first.
Soul fire: turning flames blue
Place fire on top of soul soil and you get soul fire instead of regular orange fire. Soul fire burns blue, and it does twice as much damage to mobs that walk through it (2 damage per tick instead of 1).
To light soul fire, place a soul soil (or soul sand) block, then use flint and steel on the top face. The flame that appears is the blue soul fire variant. It looks great in builds, especially for spooky or Nether-themed bases.
One important catch: soul fire does not repel piglins. Regular fire works fine for piglin-proofing, but if you build a soul fire perimeter, piglins will still walk right up to it. If you’re trying to keep piglins out of a base, stick with regular fire.
Soul Speed: faster movement on soul blocks
The Soul Speed enchantment makes you move faster on both soul soil and soul sand. Without it, soul sand slows you to about 40% of normal walking speed. With Soul Speed III, you actually move faster on soul sand than you do on regular blocks.
Soul Speed is rare. You can’t get it from a regular enchanting table. It only shows up by bartering with piglins (throw gold ingots near them and see what they hand back) or as random loot in bastion chests.
The trade-off: Soul Speed damages your boots faster than normal wear. Every block you walk on while the enchantment is active has a chance to take a durability point. Unbreaking III is basically required if you plan to use Soul Speed for long trips.
Soul torches, lanterns, and campfires
Soul soil is one of the two ingredients you can use to craft the soul versions of light blocks. The other is soul sand. Either works.
To craft a soul torch, place a stick, then coal or charcoal above it, then a soul soil or soul sand block above that, all in a vertical column. The recipe makes four soul torches at once. Soul torches give off a dim blue light (level 10, compared to regular torches at level 14).
Soul lanterns are crafted from a soul torch surrounded by eight iron nuggets, the same recipe as a regular lantern but with the soul torch swapped in. They give off light level 10 instead of 15.
Soul campfires use a soul soil or soul sand block in place of the regular coal in the standard campfire recipe (three logs, three sticks, and the soul block in the center). Soul campfires do 2 damage per tick instead of 1, and they scare piglins away from a wider radius than regular campfires.
Soul soil vs. soul sand: what’s actually different?
This trips people up. The two blocks look similar and share some uses, but they behave differently:
- Soul sand slows entities walking on it. Soul soil does not.
- Soul sand creates upward bubble columns when placed under water. Soul soil does not.
- Soul sand grows nether wart. Soul soil cannot grow nether wart.
- Soul sand can summon the Wither (in the standard T-shape with three wither skulls). Soul soil cannot.
- Both blocks can be used to make soul fire, soul torches, soul lanterns, and soul campfires.
- Both blocks trigger the Soul Speed enchantment.
If you’re building, soul soil is the better floor block, because you can walk on it normally. If you’re farming nether wart or summoning a Wither, you have to use soul sand. For decoration, both work, and soul soil’s slightly browner, more uniform texture is a useful contrast when you want a different look from soul sand.
Tips and common mistakes
- You can’t grow nether wart on soul soil. This is the single biggest mix-up. If your nether wart farm isn’t producing, check that the floor is soul sand, not soul soil.
- You can’t summon the Wither on soul soil either. The summoning structure must be soul sand.
- Soul fire on soul soil makes a great underwater-themed light source for builds, because the blue color reads as cold or magical. It also pairs well with prismarine.
- Wither skeletons spawn in soul sand valleys, in addition to their normal nether fortress spawn. If you spend time mining soul soil, expect to fight a few.
- You can use a piston to push soul soil around, but pistons cannot pull it (it’s a normal solid block, not sticky). Useful for some redstone builds.
- Endermen cannot pick up soul soil. It’s safe to use as a floor in builds where you don’t want endermen rearranging your terrain.
Java vs. Bedrock differences
The block behaves the same way on both Java and Bedrock for almost everything. The Soul Speed durability calculation differs slightly between editions, but the practical effect is similar; in both cases you’ll wear out boots faster. Soul fire damage values match across editions in current versions. For most players, soul soil works identically on Java and Bedrock.
Frequently asked questions
Can you grow nether wart on soul soil?
No. Nether wart only grows on soul sand. Soul soil looks similar but cannot grow it. If your farm is failing, this is the first thing to check.
Does soul soil slow you down like soul sand?
No. You walk on soul soil at normal speed. This is the main mechanical difference between the two blocks and the reason soul soil is more useful as a floor.
How do you make soul fire?
Place a soul soil or soul sand block, then use flint and steel on the top face. The fire that appears will be the blue soul fire variant. The same trick works with any ignition source, including fire charges and lava flowing onto the block.
Does soul fire repel piglins?
No. Regular fire works as a piglin deterrent, but soul fire does not. Use regular fire if you want to keep piglins out of an area.
Can you get soul soil outside the Nether?
Not in Survival. Soul soil only generates in soul sand valley biomes, which only exist in the Nether. You’d need to use the /give command in creative mode (or a command block) to spawn it elsewhere.
Does soul soil work for Soul Speed?
Yes. Soul Speed makes you faster on both soul soil and soul sand. If you have Soul Speed III boots, you’ll move faster across soul soil than across regular ground.
What’s the best tool for mining soul soil?
A shovel. Any shovel works, and a netherite shovel is the fastest. You don’t actually need a tool at all; soul soil drops itself when broken with bare hands. A shovel just makes it quicker.
Can you summon a Wither with soul soil?
No. The Wither only spawns from a structure built out of soul sand. Soul soil might look close enough to fool you on first glance, but the spawn check is specific.
Final thought
If you’re heading to the Nether, plan a stop in a soul sand valley specifically to grab a stack or two of soul soil. The block is useful, the biome looks great, and once you have Soul Speed boots, walking across it feels weirdly fast in a way that’s worth experiencing at least once.