Overview
A soul lantern is the blue-flamed version of the lantern and trades brightness for a property no ordinary light source has: it repels piglins within 8 blocks. A piglin will not approach one, which makes a line of soul lanterns the tidiest way to secure a nether portal, a bastion approach or a bridge across a crimson forest without building walls or fighting anything. The cost is light level 10 rather than 15, which is still enough to prevent hostile mob spawns on the block it lights but not enough to cover a wide area, so a soul-lit corridor needs more of them than a normal one. It shares every other property with the ordinary lantern: it hangs from ceilings and chains, it can be waterlogged, and it costs eight iron nuggets plus one soul torch. Aesthetically the cold blue flame is one of the most distinctive light sources in the game and the standard choice for anything meant to look haunted, spectral or ancient — ancient cities generate them throughout, which is where most players first see one. Chains and soul lanterns together are the standard ancient city lighting kit.
Repelling piglins within 8 blocks so a Nether camp or portal stays safe without walls, and providing cold blue lighting for spectral and ancient-themed builds.
Soul Lantern is a light-emitting block in Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.4. A crafting table turns its ingredients into Soul Lantern. A hardness of 3.5 makes it slow going without the right tool.
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. Light passes through it, so it will not darken the space behind it.
Sixty-four fit in one inventory slot. The recipe calls for Iron Nugget and Soul Torch. It is not used in any crafting recipe.
How to get it
Craft it from 8 iron nuggets and 1 soul torch, which needs soul sand or soul soil from the Nether. Soul lanterns also generate throughout ancient cities in the deep dark.
Tips
- Piglins will not come within 8 blocks of one, which secures a portal more cheaply than any wall.
- At light level 10 it is dimmer than a normal lantern, so space them closer to keep an area spawn-proof.
- It can be waterlogged and hung from chains exactly like an ordinary lantern.
- Soul torches, soul lanterns and soul campfires all repel piglins, so pick whichever fits the build.
How long it takes to break
Hardness 3.5 puts Soul Lantern at 5.3 seconds a block bare-handed, or 0.6 seconds with the right tool at netherite tier.
Iron manages 0.9 seconds and diamond 0.7, which makes iron the tier that changes how this block feels.
The drop does not depend on the tool — bare hands work as well as anything — so the table below is purely about speed.
The Efficiency formula is level² + 1 added to tool speed — at V that is about 4 times the unenchanted rate.
| Tool | No enchantment | Efficiency III | Efficiency V |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand | 5.3 s | 5.3 s | 5.3 s |
| Wooden | 2.7 s | 0.45 s | 0.2 s |
| Stone | 1.4 s | 0.4 s | 0.2 s |
| Iron | 0.9 s | 0.35 s | 0.2 s |
| Diamond | 0.7 s | 0.3 s | 0.2 s |
| Netherite | 0.6 s | 0.3 s | 0.15 s |
| Golden | 0.45 s | 0.25 s | 0.15 s |
Properties
Blast resistance on Soul Lantern is 3.5, so an explosion nearby will usually take it out. It lets light pass and gives off light level 10. Stack size is 64 — the standard full stack. The fastest tool for it is a pickaxe; any other kind of tool mines it no faster than a bare hand does, because the speed bonus only applies to the tool class the block is tagged for.
- Transparent
- Yes
- Required tool
- Any
Crafting recipe
Crafting Table
Soul Lantern
Drops
Mined with any, Soul Lantern drops itself.
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you get Soul Lantern in Minecraft?
Soul Lantern is crafted from Iron Nugget and Soul Torch.
What tool do you need to break Soul Lantern?
No specific tool is required — Soul Lantern can be broken by hand.
Is Soul Lantern blast resistant?
Soul Lantern has a blast resistance of 3.5, so an explosion nearby will destroy it.
How many Soul Lantern fit in one stack?
A stack is 64, and a double chest of them comes to 3,456.
How long does Soul Lantern take to break?
About 0.6 seconds if you bring the correct netherite tool; 5.3 seconds with your fists.
