5 best uses for compass in Minecraft (2023)

Minecraft has numerous items that players can use, including utilities that can be further crafted into new objects or used with other blocks. A compass is one such utility item that is simple to craft and can help players in several ways. Four iron ingots and one redstone dust item are required on a crafting table to make a compass.

Though most experienced players don't always require the compass in their worlds, it is still essentially used for specific tasks and crafting recipes. Here are a few of the best uses of a compass in Minecraft.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinion.

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Top 5 uses of a compass in Minecraft in 2023

1) Craft maps

Compass can be used to craft various kinds of maps in Minecraft (Image via Sportskeeda)

Players can rely on in-game craftable maps since the game does not have a minimap or a main map system. Various kinds of maps can be crafted using a compass. First, users can craft an empty map using eight papers and one compass placed on the crafting table.

They can also take any empty map and craft it with another compass to make a map with a locator to add the location marker to the map.

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2) Connect it to a lodestone block

A compass connects to a lodestone to point only towards the block in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

A lodestone is a block with which a compass can connect to point toward that block. This block is crafted using eight chiseled stone blocks and one netherite ingot. Once a compass is used on the block, it will have a purple glint as if it is enchanted and will only point towards the block, no matter where players are in the realm.

If players switch realms, the lodestone compass will spin randomly. This is a perfect way to find a particular location, even if players are lost.

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3) Trading for explorer maps

Players can obtain explorer maps from cartographer villagers by giving them a compass in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

When players progress further in the game, they would love to explore new, rarer structures in the Overworld, like Ocean Monuments and Woodland Mansions. They can get an explorer map through a cartographer villager at the journeyman level.

Players need to give them a compass and 12 emeralds to get one of the explorer maps from them. This is where the compass comes in handy.

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4) Crafting recovery compass

Crafting recipe for the recovery compass in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

With the 1.19 update, Mojang added a brand new variant of the compass that can point to a player's last death location. This makes it extremely easy for players to grab the compass after respawning and find where they died.

To craft a recovery compass, players need eight echo shards found only in ancient city chests and one regular compass. Of course, several mods do the job of a recovery compass, preventing players from going down several ancient cities to find echo shards.

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5) Locate world spawn

Compass' main feature is that it locates the world spawn in the Overworld realm in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

The most basic use of a compass is that it points toward the world spawn as soon as it is crafted. A regular compass does not work in any other realm, like the Nether or End, and spins randomly. Those who have forgotten where their world spawn is can craft a compass and locate it.

World Spawn is a brilliant place to make automatic farms since that chunk never unloads, regardless of where a player is in the world.