Overview
Crying obsidian is obsidian that weeps purple particles and gives off light level 10, and its one mechanical purpose is the respawn anchor — six of them plus three glowstone blocks make the only block that can set a spawn point in the Nether. It shares obsidian's blast resistance and its hardness, so it needs a diamond pickaxe and shrugs off explosions, and that makes it a genuinely useful decorative block as well: it is one of very few light sources that a creeper cannot destroy. It does not generate in ordinary terrain. The reliable source is piglin bartering, where it appears in roughly 9 percent of trades, which is generous enough that a stack of gold ingots usually produces the six blocks an anchor needs. Ruined portals also generate with crying obsidian mixed into the frame, and those are common in both the Overworld and the Nether, so a few ruined portals will cover a first anchor without any bartering. It cannot be crafted from ordinary obsidian and there is no way to convert one into the other. It is worth stockpiling once you find a source, because it has no other route into your inventory.
The respawn anchor, which needs 6 blocks, and blast-proof decorative lighting at light level 10 — one of the few light sources a creeper explosion cannot remove.
Minecraft classifies Crying Obsidian as a stone-family block. It is gathered by mining rather than crafted. At hardness 50 this is one of the tougher blocks in the game.
It needs at least a diamond pickaxe to drop anything; a weaker tool destroys it for nothing. Mining it returns the block itself, so it is safe to relocate. Light level 10 is decorative rather than functional — mobs can still spawn beside it.
Its blast resistance of 1,200 shrugs off creeper explosions. Sixty-four fit in one inventory slot. The one thing it makes is Respawn Anchor.
How to get it
Barter with piglins, where it appears at roughly 9 percent per gold ingot, or take it from the frames of ruined portals in either dimension. It needs a diamond pickaxe to collect.
Tips
- Ruined portals are the cheapest source: several generate with crying obsidian already in the frame.
- It gives light level 10 and is blast-proof, which makes it the best lighting for a creeper-exposed wall.
- 6 crying obsidian plus 3 glowstone blocks make a respawn anchor — the only Nether spawn point in the game.
- It cannot be made from ordinary obsidian, so barter or explore rather than looking for a recipe.
How long it takes to break
Hardness 50 puts Crying Obsidian at 250 seconds a block bare-handed, or 8.4 seconds with the right tool at netherite tier.
An iron tool takes 42 seconds and a diamond one 9.4, so the jump that actually matters for this block is the one to diamond.
The block still breaks with a weaker tool, but below diamond it yields nothing at all — the time is spent and the drop is lost, which is the single most common way players waste a vein.
Efficiency adds its level squared plus one to the tool speed, so Efficiency V is about 3.9 times faster than the same tool unenchanted.
| Tool | No enchantment | Efficiency III | Efficiency V |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand * | 250 s | 250 s | 250 s |
| Wooden * | 125 s | 21 s | 9 s |
| Stone * | 63 s | 18 s | 8.4 s |
| Iron * | 42 s | 16 s | 7.9 s |
| Diamond | 9.4 s | 4.2 s | 2.3 s |
| Netherite | 8.4 s | 4 s | 2.2 s |
| Golden * | 21 s | 11 s | 6.6 s |
Properties
With 1,200 blast resistance Crying Obsidian holds up to a creeper or TNT at point-blank range. It is fully opaque and glows at light level 10. One inventory slot holds 64, the normal full stack. It is renewable, so a single world can supply an unlimited amount of it. A pickaxe is fastest here; any other class mines it at bare-hand speed, because the bonus only applies to the class the block is tagged for.
- Transparent
- No
- Required tool
- Diamond Pickaxe
- Renewable
- Yes
Where it generates
- Found in
- Bastion Remnant
Drops
Mined with Diamond Pickaxe, Crying Obsidian drops itself.
Used to craft
Crying Obsidian is an ingredient in 1 recipes, producing Respawn Anchor.
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you get Crying Obsidian in Minecraft?
Mine Crying Obsidian with Diamond Pickaxe and it drops itself.
What tool do you need to break Crying Obsidian?
Diamond Pickaxe or better is required; anything weaker destroys the block without dropping it.
Is Crying Obsidian blast resistant?
Crying Obsidian has a blast resistance of 1,200, so it survives creeper and TNT explosions.
How many Crying Obsidian fit in one stack?
Crying Obsidian stacks to 64, so a single double chest holds 3,456 of them.
Is Crying Obsidian renewable?
Renewable: one world will supply Crying Obsidian indefinitely.
How long does Crying Obsidian take to break?
With the correct tool at netherite tier it takes 8.4 seconds; by hand it takes 250 seconds.
