Lava
Lava forms lakes deep underground in newly explored terrain, just above bedrock. Explore carefully: touching it burns you, and dropped items that touch it are destroyed.
Naturally generated deep cave pools reach Y = −240, sixteen blocks above the bedrock base at Y = −256. Their floors follow the cave shape. Bring blocks to build a safe ledge and an empty Bucket before approaching.
Previously generated chunks keep their original terrain. Explore ungenerated chunks for current world content; existing chunks are never rebuilt to add lakes or rooms. Lava buckets also work in older terrain.
Craft an iron Bucket at a workbench. Hold it and right-click a lava source within reach to obtain a Lava bucket. Flowing lava cannot be scooped up.
Right-click a block face with the filled bucket to place a lava source. The empty bucket returns to the same slot, so these actions also work with a full inventory. Lava held in a bucket does not burn you or other inventory items.
Lava advances once per second and spreads up to three blocks horizontally on level ground. It prefers downward routes and recedes when its supplying source is removed. Water advances four times as often and reaches seven blocks.
Lava cannot renew sources. Putting two sources beside an empty space never creates another source. The renewable 2×2 water-pool arrangement does not work with lava.
When flowing water reaches a lava source from above or beside it, the source turns into Lava Rock. The resulting dark volcanic-glass block is stable and requires a diamond pickaxe to harvest. Water sources alone do not trigger this reaction, and flowing lava does not become Lava Rock.
This reaction capture is from the September 19, 2026 Alpha review player, using a controlled surface basin.
- Touching lava immediately costs two hearts, then another two hearts every half second. Ordinary armor does not reduce this damage.
- After leaving lava, you remain on fire for four seconds, losing half a heart each second. Step into water to extinguish the fire.
- Any dropped stack touching lava is destroyed completely, including items dropped on death. Collect valuables from a safe ledge.
- Creative mode prevents damage and extinguishes fire. Respawn also clears burning.
Saving preserves remaining fire time, health, placed lava and filled buckets. Pausing or closing the game grants no extra burn time.
A compatible multiblock tank can store lava through its bucket controls, ten litres at a time. Different liquids cannot share its contents. Water pumps, boilers and small water buffers retain their existing water requirements.
These captures are from the September 13, 2026 lava review player. The stone deck is a verification setup; the underground lake is generated terrain.
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For automatic source collection, craft a Ranged Liquid Pump from a Pump and Floater Rock, then pipe the lava to a tank.