How to Make a Conduit in Minecraft and Power It Up
To make a conduit in Minecraft, craft it from one Heart of the Sea surrounded by eight nautilus shells on a crafting table. Here is how to make a conduit in Minecraft, step by step, including how to gather the rare ingredients and build the prismarine frame that switches it on underwater.
A conduit is a block that grants Conduit Power when activated by a frame of prismarine. That power gives you water breathing, night vision, and faster mining while you are near it in the sea.
Collect a Heart of the Sea
The Heart of the Sea is the centerpiece, and you can only find it in buried treasure. There is no way to craft this item.
Buried treasure is marked on explorer maps you get from ocean ruins and shipwrecks. Follow the map to the marked X, then dig straight down from that spot to reach the chest.
Each buried treasure chest holds one Heart of the Sea, so a single successful dig gives you everything you need for the core of one conduit.
Tip: Loot several shipwrecks first. They often carry buried treasure maps, so a short raid can point you at multiple hearts to collect.
Gather Eight Nautilus Shells
Nautilus shells are the second ingredient, and you need eight of them for one conduit. They come from a few different sources, so you can mix methods.
The most reliable source is fishing. Keep casting in open water and nautilus shells appear among the treasure catches over time, especially with a rod enchanted for luck of the sea.
Drowned sometimes spawn holding a nautilus shell and drop it when killed. Wandering traders also sell them, so check their stock whenever one visits your base.
- Fish in open water for a steady, passive supply.
- Hunt Drowned that spawn holding a shell in the off hand.
- Buy from wandering traders when they offer shells for emeralds.
Craft the Conduit Block
With one Heart of the Sea and eight nautilus shells ready, open your crafting table and fill the grid.
Place the Heart of the Sea in the center slot. Then surround it with the eight nautilus shells, filling every other slot in the three by three grid.
The output is a single conduit block. That finishes the crafting half of how to make a conduit in Minecraft, but the block does nothing until you build a frame around it.
Note: The conduit is inactive on its own. It only grants power once placed inside a frame of prismarine blocks underwater.
Build the Activation Frame
The conduit activates when it sits at the center of a frame built from certain sea blocks. These are prismarine, prismarine bricks, dark prismarine, and sea lanterns.
Build the frame as a cross or cage that passes through the conduit’s position, leaving a water gap so the block floats in the center. The frame blocks must be within a short distance of the conduit, not touching it directly.
As you add valid blocks, the conduit opens up, animates, and begins to pulse. A partial frame gives partial benefits, while a full frame unlocks the maximum range.
| Frame size | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Small (minimum blocks) | Activates the conduit with a short effect radius |
| Medium | A wider area of Conduit Power |
| Full (all frame slots filled) | Largest radius plus the conduit’s attack on hostile mobs |
Use Conduit Power Underwater
Once active, the conduit grants Conduit Power to any player inside its range while they are in water or rain. The effect refreshes as long as you stay close.
Conduit Power combines water breathing, so you never drown, night vision for clear sight in dark water, and a mining speed boost for underwater builds. This makes ocean monument raids and underwater bases far easier.
A fully framed conduit adds one more trick. It damages hostile mobs such as Drowned that come near, acting as an automatic guard for your underwater space.
The effect also reaches you briefly on land near the water, which helps while you build the frame itself. Stand in the shallows as you place blocks and the growing Conduit Power keeps you breathing and seeing clearly through the whole setup.
Place your conduit at the heart of any big sea project. It turns the ocean from a hostile, suffocating place into a comfortable work zone.
Once you have done it once, how to make a conduit in Minecraft becomes a repeatable routine: find treasure, gather shells, craft, and frame it wherever your next underwater build begins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you craft a Heart of the Sea? No. A Heart of the Sea only comes from buried treasure chests, so you must find and dig up treasure using an explorer map to get one.
How many nautilus shells do I need for a conduit? You need exactly eight nautilus shells to surround one Heart of the Sea. Collect them by fishing, killing armed Drowned, or buying from wandering traders.
Does the conduit work on land? No. Conduit Power only applies while you are in water or rain inside its range, so the block is built for underwater and coastal use.
What blocks can I use for the frame? Prismarine, prismarine bricks, dark prismarine, and sea lanterns all count. Any mix of these within the frame positions will activate the conduit.
Why is my conduit not turning on? The frame is likely incomplete or too far away. Make sure enough valid blocks sit at the correct positions around the conduit and that it has open water in the center.
Can I build more than one conduit? Yes. Large bases often use several conduits so their power ranges overlap and cover a bigger area. Each one needs its own Heart of the Sea and eight nautilus shells, so plan your material runs accordingly.
