Minecraft: How To Make Fireworks

When fireworks were first added to Minecraft, they were used purely for aesthetic purposes. However, since update 1.11, they have proven to be one of the most useful items in the game to mass-produce, as players can use them in conjunction with elytra wings to fly. Fireworks can be made in all sorts of different colors and patterns, and can even be fired out of a crossbow to deal loads of damage against mobs.

Fireworks can be launched directly from a player’s hand, which is done when using them to fly, or can be fired from dispensers when making elaborate timed firework displays. Much like potions, fireworks can be rather complicated to learn, as there are loads of unique ingredients with different effects that players will have to memorize. For players just looking for flight fuel, not pretty firework displays, they are quite simple.

How To Craft Minecraft Fireworks

In order to create a firework in Minecraft, players will need to combine a firework star, a single people of paper, and up to three pieces of gunpowder on a crafting table. The more gunpowder used, the longer the fuse on the firework will be. For players looking to make lots of fireworks, they are going to want to mass-produce paper using a sugar cane farm, as well as gunpowder from a mob farm.

If players are only looking to make fireworks for flight fuel, then the firework star is not necessary. The star is used to customize the colors and patterns of the firework explosion, and not having one will mean the firework will not explode. However, when players are using fireworks to fly, they will not want them to explode as it deals damage.

Crafting the firework rockets is the easy part. It’s the firework star where things get more complicated. The base crafting recipe for a firework star is a single piece of gunpowder plus a dye of any color. This will create a firework star that will explode with that dye color when crafted into a firework. Multiple dyes can be added to a firework (up to a maximum of eight), creating fireworks that explode into many colors.

So that covers colors, but what about different patterns? Here’s where things get a bit more expensive. A standard firework will explode into a small ball, but if players want to make it bigger, or have it create a cool pattern, they can add additional items to the crafting table when making the firework star:

Only one of those ingredients can be added to a given firework star, however, there are some additional effects that can be added, and are stackable:

Diamonds and glowstone dust do not affect the shape of the pattern, just the behavior of the particles. That means that they can be mixed with the aforementioned ingredients, and can even be added to induce both effects.

When players complete their firework stars and begin to add gunpowder and paper to them to make fireworks, they can actually add numerous stars to the same rocket. A total of up to seven firework stars can be added to paper and gunpowder when making firework rockets, where all firework stars will go off at around the same time. When crafting, players will always receive three fireworks from crafting, regardless of the number of stars or gunpowder used.

How To Use Minecraft Fireworks

Fireworks can be launched in a handful of different ways. When a player is holding one, they may interact with a block to launch the firework immediately from there. When doing so, the firework will always travel straight up. If players want to launch fireworks in other directions, they can use dispensers. Load up some fireworks into a dispenser that faces in the desired direction, and trigger the dispenser with a Redstone pulse to launch it. If players place nine unique firework rockets into a dispenser, it will randomly select one to launch.

Players can also launch fireworks from a crossbow, doing tons of damage to enemies, provided it was crafted with a firework star. To load one into the crossbow, players need to hold the firework in their off-hand while loading the crossbow. This will load a firework instead of an arrow. It can then be fired in any direction. When it lands, it will explode and deal damage to all mobs within a four-block radius, with less damage being done to the farther mobs. With one firework star, a direct hit will deal up to three hearts of damage. With seven, it will do up to nine and a half!

For players looking to fly with their fireworks, this is luckily very easy to pull off. All players need to do is have their elytra wings equipped, and hold a firework in their hand. Double-jump to start gliding and quickly use a firework to take flight. While gliding, players can continue to use fireworks to keep themselves airborne. Players should be careful doing this, as colliding with a surface at high speeds can be fatal.