How to utilize the lightning rod in Minecraft

The lightning rod was added in the most recent Minecraft update, the 1.17 Caves & Cliffs part one update. The rod is an extremely interesting block that has some unique interactions with a few different items and weather events. Many players may wonder what all of the uses of the lightning rod are.

Minecraft players should also be aware that the lightning rod works differently on both the Java and Bedrock editions, which will be explained in detail below. Players should be aware of all of the features of the lightning rod so that they can take advantage of it when desired.

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What are the uses of the lightning rod in Minecraft?

Lightning rod uses

Intercepting a lightning strike (Image via fr-minecraft)

The image above showcases a lightning rod potentially saving a village from disaster, which is one of the most useful features of the lightning rod.

More specifically, the lightning rod will intercept any lightning strike within a pre-determined radius. This interception has the chance to save flammable buildings from being completely engulfed in flames due to the heat of the lightning strike.

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As stated above, the radius of these lightning rods varies in both of the Minecraft Editions. The Java Edition lightning rod covers a larger area, with a spherical radius of 128 blocks. The Bedrock Edition lightning rod covers the square area of 64x64x64 blocks. It is unclear why the sizes differ between these two versions.

Lightning rods will emit a redstone signal upon being struck by lightning, which is another extremely useful feature.

Lightning rods will also intercept the lightning caused by a trident with the channeling enchantment. Since the lightning rod emits a redstone signal, this feature can be utilized to create some interesting contraptions and effects. Many Minecraft players have not utilized this feature yet, so a player who creates a cool invention will likely be the first to do so.

While it is quite a rare scenario, lightning strikes intercepted by the lightning rod do not allow skeleton trap horses to spawn.

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Lightning strikes will also remove the oxidation from oxidized copper blocks, which can also be used in adventure or creative maps.

The YouTube video above showcases all the features of the lightning rod in great detail. Minecraft players can utilize this video to come up with some unique building ideas that involve the lightning rod.