5 great Minecraft aerial build ideas

An example of a flying whale statue in Minecraft (Image via u/natureswrath2, Reddit)

Minecraft is an incredible game for those with artistic minds. The plethora of different blocks within the game allows players to make almost anything they can conceptualize. There are primarily two ways to build in the game: using creative, where resources are limitless, or survival, where players must manually collect resources for builds.

And while most bases and builds stand rooted firmly to the ground, that leaves the skyline above most bases quite empty. But this is not how things have to be. Detailed below are five amazing build ideas for Minecraft’s skies to help fill the open air and extend players' building abilities.

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5 incredible Minecraft builds to fill the skies near a base

5) Blimp

A blimp build (Image via Minecraft)

One of the first things that might come to a player’s mind when thinking of sprucing up their airspace is a blimp. These are large balloon-like builds, often colorful and customizable in nature. The ability to make them in almost any color makes them a good choice as they can fit in to nearly any block pallet.

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4) Flying Statues

For the more creative players looking for something that adds a bit of decorative flair without any concern if it serves an actual purpose, a bunch of flying statues can be used to fill up the airspace.

Some of the most common ones in the Minecraft community are builds of flying pigs, flying whales, flying turtles, or a recreation of the game’s Ender Dragon but on a larger, and more detailed, scale.

Due to how common these builds are, there is no shortage of inspiration available online, making it easy to come up with ideas or learn other strategies and tips for building.

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3) Floating mountains/floating ancient ruins

A staple of both the fantasy and sci-fi genres are floating mountains and islands. For instance, James Cameron’s sci-fi flick, Avatar, extensively features shattered floating mountains, and fantasy show Avatar: The Last Airbender features its own floating islands as well.

Players can replicate these floating features in Minecraft to fill the space above their bases and add a sense of age and excitement. There is also the potential for additional customization, with vines connecting the islands that give off more of a fantasy vibe, or chains connecting them for a more modern or sci-fi feel.

Players can also decorate their floating islands with remnants of an ancient civilization, such as ancient ruins, to take the fantasy and sci-fi atmosphere to the next level.

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2) Steve’s Moving Castle

Another common sight in fantasy media is a castle plucked from the ground and set to levitate in the sky. Serving as a safe space for those in power positions, these castles represent a status of being above all else.

This works perfectly in Minecraft as castles are already a classic build in the game due to their stone make-up and large round or square design aspects. However, these builds are definitely elevated esthetically by elevating them physically.

They act as the centerpiece and heart of a base for players with an elytra. They can have waterfalls flowing off of the island to hide water elevators.

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1) Steampunk Airship

While similar in concept to the previously mentioned blimp, a steampunk-style airship is a staple of the techno-fantasy genre. These airships are massive and imposing builds that blend the concept of a blimp with the esthetics of a historical wooden ship. Based on the player's investment, they can add optional wings and potential side sails to help with steering.

One of the benefits of this build is that it makes for an amazing base, with different levels of the airship holding different things. Players can have a dedicated farming level, enchanting level, or storage level. Alternatively, players can make a series of smaller airships to fly between, with each airship containing a different area of the base.