Overview
A sea lantern is the ocean's light source, a pale blue-white block giving light level 15 that generates in ocean monuments and can be crafted from prismarine shards and crystals. Two things make it more than decoration. It counts as a valid conduit frame block, which means a conduit's prismarine ring can be built from sea lanterns instead — the conduit works identically and the whole structure lights itself, which is genuinely useful 30 blocks underwater where nothing else illuminates anything. And it is one of the few full-brightness light sources that looks at home in a modern or underwater build, where torches and glowstone both look wrong. Broken without Silk Touch it drops 2 to 3 prismarine crystals rather than the block, and the recipe needs 5 prismarine crystals plus 4 shards, so mining monument lanterns without Silk Touch is a net loss. Both ingredients come from guardians and elder guardians, which means a monument raid supplies its own lighting. Prismarine, prismarine bricks and dark prismarine complete the family for building. It is also unaffected by water, so it can sit as an underwater floor light with no waterlogging tricks, and it never needs a support block beneath it.
Light level 15 in underwater and modern builds where a torch would look wrong, and doubling as a valid conduit frame block so the activation ring lights itself while it works.
Sea Lantern counts as a light-emitting block in Minecraft 1.21.4. Sea Lantern has a crafting recipe, so it is renewable as long as you can source its ingredients. With a hardness of 0.3 it gives way immediately under almost any tool.
Any tool works, and so do bare hands. What you actually collect is Prismarine Crystals. At light level 15 it lights a room as well as a torch does.
With a blast resistance of only 0.3 it will not survive an explosion. Sixty-four fit in one inventory slot. The recipe calls for Prismarine Shard and Prismarine Crystals.
It is not used in any crafting recipe.
How to get it
Craft it from 4 prismarine shards and 5 prismarine crystals, both dropped by guardians and elder guardians, or take one from an ocean monument with a Silk Touch pickaxe to keep the block intact.
Tips
- Use sea lanterns for the conduit frame: they count as valid frame blocks and light the build at the same time.
- Without Silk Touch a lantern drops only 2 to 3 crystals, which is fewer than the 5 the recipe needs.
- Guardians drop both shards and crystals, so a monument farm supplies unlimited lanterns.
- It is unaffected by water, so it can be placed as an underwater floor light with no waterlogging tricks.
Properties
Blast resistance on Sea Lantern is 0.3, so any explosion nearby takes it out. It stops light entirely and gives off light level 15. Stack size is 64 — the standard full stack. It renews, so a single world will never run out. Broken normally it drops Prismarine Crystals rather than itself; Silk Touch is what returns the block, and Fortune raises the ordinary drop instead.
- Transparent
- No
- Required tool
- Any
- Renewable
- Yes
Where it generates
- Found in
- Ocean Monument
Crafting recipe
Crafting Table
Sea Lantern
Drops
Sea Lantern drops Prismarine Crystals.
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you get Sea Lantern in Minecraft?
Sea Lantern is crafted from Prismarine Shard and Prismarine Crystals.
What tool do you need to break Sea Lantern?
No specific tool is required — Sea Lantern can be broken by hand.
Is Sea Lantern blast resistant?
Sea Lantern has a blast resistance of 0.3, so an explosion nearby will destroy it.
How many Sea Lantern fit in one stack?
Sea Lantern stacks to 64, so a single double chest holds 3,456 of them.
Is Sea Lantern renewable?
Yes. Sea Lantern can be obtained again and again in one world, so building with it does not exhaust the supply.
