Block of the Month: Gilded Blackstone

In the darkest corners of the Nether, where ancient bastons once stood and are now slowly crumbling to dust, you’ll find one of the finest building materials known to both human- and piglinkind. It’s called gilded blackstone – and it’s our block of the month.

When we wrote about blackstone, we noted that it’s basically the Nether equivalent of cobblestone – and therefore a little dull. Gilded blackstone, on the other hand, is different. It’s very special stuff, containing sparkling veins of gold that shine brightly against the oppressive darkness of the Nether.

You’ll need a pickaxe to collect it – but be careful when you’re mining because the veins of gold make it pretty fragile. When you break a block, there’s a chance that it’ll drop itself, but also a small chance that it’ll shatter and you’ll get 2-5 gold nuggets instead. 

If you want to be sure that doesn’t happen, bring along a pickaxe that’s been enchanted with silk touch. If, on the other hand, you’re on the hunt for gold nuggets and want it to shatter, then bring along a pick enchanted with fortune instead – that’ll increase the chance substantially.

Gilded blackstone is primarily for decoration, but it’s highly valued by the piglins that live in the remnants of the ancient bastions that it’s found within. If you break some within sight of a piglin, they’ll be most upset and likely attack.

But you can use the piglins’ love of the stuff to your advantage – to lure them towards or away from other places. A piglin who spots gilded blackstone lying on the ground will immediately run towards it and look carefully at it for a few seconds before putting it in their inventory. That can be just the opening you need to escape a tricky situation.

Whether you employ it for trickery, decoration, or just plain gold lust, keep an eye out for gilded blackstone as you’re traversing the Nether. You midas well pick it up!

I'll see myself out...