How to make a water elevator in Minecraft 1.18 update

Over the last ten years, Minecraft players have figured out how to build a ton of different contraptions using the materials provided in the game. Things like TNT bombers, automatic resource farms, sorting systems, and super smelters allow players to carry out their daily activities in the game with ease. And one of the most creative and commonly used contraptions in the game is the water elevator.

Water elevators in the game offer the same use as modern-day elevators; they are used to transport players to places at a high altitude and then return to a lower level. They're easy to construct and immensely useful when trying to transport building materials or escape hostile players and mobs.

This article will guide players on how to build a water elevator.

---

Minecraft players need to follow these steps to build a water elevator

Materials required for a water-elevator build:

• Solid blocks
• Two water buckets
• One soul sand block
• One magma block
• Four fence gates

Players can go through the following steps to build a water elevator.

1) Place down four blocks and leave a one-block space between them right in the middle.

Step one of the water elevator build (Image via Minecraft)

2) Extend the four blocks into a tower. One can choose the height of the tower depending on their requirements. The top of the tower will serve as the top of the elevator.

The initial four blocks need to be stacked up to make a tower-like structure (Image via Minecraft)

3) Remove two blocks on one of the four sides of the structure and place two fence gates in their place.

The structure with fence gates (Image via Minecraft)

Fence gates are used instead of doors because doors don’t let the water fill the entire structure.

4) Replicate the structure beside the first one.

One way up, one way down (Image via Minecraft)

5) Put water down both structures using a water bucket. Water only needs to be poured once per structure.

Fill both structures with water (Image via Minecraft)

6) Place kelp on the bottom of both structures.

Kelp on the bottom block (Image via Minecraft)

7) Use bonemeal to allow the kelp to grow and reach the top of each structure.

The kelp plant needs to reach the top (Image via Minecraft)

8) Break the whole kelp plant in both structures. This is done in order to make each block in the structure a water source block.

Breaking the kelp makes water source blocks (Image via Minecraft)

A water source block is created at the location where water is placed. So, in this example, the original water source block would be at the top of the structures, where the water was initially placed. Planting and breaking kelp, however, makes every single block within that vertical distance of the structure a water source block.

9) Replace the bottom block of each structure with two unique blocks, one with soul sand and the other with a magma block.

A magma block on the left and soul sand on the right (Image via Minecraft)

When soul sand is placed at the bottom of a structure with water source blocks above it, it creates an upward thrust. This thrust sends players and other objects to the top of the structure.

Similarly, magma blocks can pull objects towards them when placed inside water, thereby creating a downward thrust. When coming down and landing on a magma block, players must remember to stay crouched, or else they run the risk of taking burn damage from the magma block.

10) The water elevator is complete.

A water elevator (Image via Minecraft)

Water elevators are a popular choice among gamers as a convenient mode of transportation for both players and other living entities like villagers and animals. However, these elevators can also be used to transport blocks, food, and other resources.