How to make a 3x3 piston door in Minecraft Java Edition

Piston doors are an excellent way for Minecraft players to secure their bases while simultaneously showcasing their in-game abilities. There are several ways players can build a piston door, and one of the most popular is the 3x3 piston door.

This configuration leaves a 3x3 space for Minecraft players to enter and exit from. This kind of piston door uses relatively few materials and is pretty simple to build.

Here’s a simple guide on how to build a 3x3 piston door in Minecraft.

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Step-by-step 3x3 piston door build for a Minecraft base

Materials

To build a 3x3 piston door, you will need several materials in-game:

• 10 Observers
• 10 Sticky pistons
• 1 Piston
• 6 Redstone dust
• 12 Quartz blocks
• 7 Terracotta blocks
• 2 Droppers
• 2 Redstone repeaters
• 1 Lever

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Building your 3x3 piston door

Once you've gathered your materials, it's time to build your 3x3 piston door by following these easy steps. Please make sure all single redstone dust are in a cross pattern, not a line.

• Construct the outline of your door. Leave the corner blocks empty

You will need to place pistons carefully throughout this build. (Image via Mojang)

• Place sticky pistons around this outline. Leave out a portion of the top, bottom, and right-hand sides. Make sure the sticky side of each piston is facing towards the blocks that you want to move.
• On the upper right-hand side of your build, place a block of terracotta with a lever on it.

Although you will need a dropper, there's no need to place anything in it. (Image via Mojang)

• Put a dropper underneath the terracotta. Leave one block of space between them. Add an observer.
• Lay down some observers, all facing the left-hand side of your build. If done correctly, this will activate certain pistons. Do not reset them.
• Place a redstone repeater on top of two of these observers. One repeater should sit next to the terracotta and lever; click this repeater until it is on the final setting.

Done correctly, this should activate several pistons and 'reset' the process. (Image via Mojang)

• Put redstone dust on top of the dropper from the earlier step.

Redstone is a key component of this build, so it is important to place it carefully. (Image via Mojang)

• Lay down more observers and terracotta. Place redstone dust on top of the terracotta and one block of your door's frame.

In this instance, the observer should be facing down. (Image via Mojang)

• Go to the lower right-hand corner of your build. Place an observer, terracotta, and a regular piston. Put redstone on top of the terracotta.
• Moving towards the other side of your build, place an observer and a dropper. Leave a terracotta block between them.

Players do not need to place anything in this dropper. (Image via Mojang)

• Place another observer and terracotta block. Put redstone on this terracotta, then place an observer above it. Mine the block in the lower center of your build's frame.
• Place two more observers. This will activate some pistons.

Players will need to destroy and replant several blocks from their build's frame. (Image via Mojang)

• Make sure the frame is in its initial configuration.
• Pull the lever and activate your door.

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After following these steps, you should easily be able to build a piston door to secure their base and valuables.