If you’re looking to see further in Minecraft, you might wonder how do you make a telescope in Minecraft. This handy item lets you zoom in on distant terrain, mobs, and builds, making it a fantastic tool for both survival and creative players. It’s a relatively simple craft, but getting the materials requires a bit of adventure. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from finding the ingredients to using your new optic tool effectively.
How Do You Make a Telescope in Minecraft
Creating a telescope requires just two specific items. The recipe is straightforward, but obtaining the components involves exploring different parts of your world. You won’t find this item in a dungeon chest; you have to craft it yourself at a crafting table. Let’s break down exactly what you need and where to find it.
Required Materials for Crafting
You only need two things to make one telescope:
- 2 Amethyst Shards
- 1 Copper Ingot
That’s it! The recipe places them in a vertical line in the crafting grid. The challenge, of course, is tracking down these materials, especially the amethyst shards.
Finding Amethyst Shards
Amethyst shards come from amethyst clusters, which grow only inside geodes. Geodes are large, spherical structures that spawn underground. Here’s how to locate and harvest them:
- Listen for sounds. Geodes make a distinct, subtle ringing or chiming sound when you are nearby. Keep your volume up while caving.
- Look for their structure. Geodes have a layered shell: a smooth basalt outer layer, a middle layer of calcite, and a hollow inside lined with amethyst blocks and budding amethyst.
- Only the amethyst clusters on budding amethyst blocks will grow and yield shards. You can mine the final, fully-grown cluster stage with any pickaxe (or even your hand) to get shards.
- Use a pickaxe with the Fortune enchantment to get more shards per cluster. A Silk Touch pickaxe will not work; it will harvest the cluster itself, which cannot be replanted.
Obtaining Copper Ingots
Copper is much more common than amethyst. You can find copper ore in the Overworld, typically between Y-levels 0 and 96, with the highest concentration around Y-level 48.
- Mine copper ore with a stone pickaxe or better to get raw copper.
- Smelt the raw copper in a furnace or blast furnace to create copper ingots.
- You can also sometimes find copper ingots in buried treasure chests or shipwrecks.
The Crafting Recipe Step-by-Step
Once you have your materials, making the telescope is easy.
- Open your crafting table menu to access the 3×3 grid.
- Place the Copper Ingot in the center square of the middle row.
- Place one Amethyst Shard in the center square of the top row, directly above the copper ingot.
- Place the second Amethyst Shard in the center square of the bottom row, directly below the copper ingot.
- The telescope will appear in the result box. Drag it into your inventory.
Remember, the items must be in this exact vertical alignment. A horizontal line or other pattern will not work.
How to Use Your Telescope
Using the telescope is simple. Hold it in your hand (it doesn’t matter which hand in Java Edition, but in Bedrock, you might need to hold it in your main hand for best results). Then, use the secondary action key (right-click on PC, left trigger on consoles, tap and hold on mobile). Your screen will zoom in, showing a circular view of the distance.
While zoomed, you can look around normally. Release the button to exit the zoom view. It’s perfect for scouting out villages, pillager outposts, or distant mobs before you engage. It’s also great for admiring the details of your large-scale builds from afar.
Practical Uses in Survival Mode
The telescope isn’t just a novelty; it has real survival applications.
Scouting and Navigation
Before venturing into unknown areas, use your telescope from a high vantage point. You can spot key landmarks like villages, temples, or ocean monuments without risking travel. This helps you plan safer routes and avoid unexpected threats.
Mob Detection and Safety
Is that a dark spot in the distance a cave or a creeper? Use your telescope to identify mobs from a safe distance. You can check if a woodland mansion has patrols outside, or see what type of mobs are guarding a Nether fortress. This gives you time to prepare your gear and strategy.
Building and Terraforming
For large construction projects, the telescope is invaluable. You can zoom in on a specific section of a wall you’re building from your ground-level position to check for block placement errors. When terraforming, you can view the overall shape of a hill or mountain you’re modifying to ensure it looks natural from a distance.
Fun Uses in Creative Mode
In creative mode, the telescope shifts from a tool of survival to a tool of precision and fun.
- Detail Work: When adding intricate details to a massive statue or pixel art, zoom in to place blocks with pixel-perfect accuracy from a comfortable distance.
- Adventure Maps: Map makers can use telescopes as part of puzzles or storytelling. Place one in a chest at a lookout point with a note, guiding the player to zoom in on a hidden clue in the landscape.
- Screenshots and Cinematics: Create dramatic, focused screenshots or machinima shots by using the telescope’s unique circular frame for a cinematic effect.
Enchantments and Durability
A common question is whether the telescope can be enchanted or if it has durability. The answer to both is no. The telescope cannot currently be enchanted in an enchanting table or anvil. It also does not take damage or wear out with use, so you never need to repair or replace it. This makes it a worry-free, permanent addition to your inventory once crafted.
Telescope vs. Spyglass: Naming Clarification
You might here some players refer to the item as a “spyglass.” In Minecraft, the official in-game name for the item is “Spyglass.” However, because it functions exactly like a real-world telescope, the term “telescope” is universally understood and commonly used by the community. The crafting recipe and function are identicle. So, whether you call it a spyglass or a telescope, you’re talking about the same handy zooming device.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Sometimes things don’t go as planned. Here are solutions to common problems.
Recipe Isn’t Working
If the telescope won’t craft, double-check:
- You are using a crafting table, not just your 2×2 inventory grid.
- The copper ingot is in the exact center slot.
- The amethyst shards are directly above and below it, forming a straight vertical line.
- You are using amethyst shards, not amethyst blocks or crystals.
Can’t Find Amethyst Geodes
Geodes can be tricky. Try these tips:
- Explore underwater. Geodes often generate in ocean biomes, and their round shape is easier to spot against the seafloor.
- Mine at the correct height. Geodes are most common between Y-levels 30 and -30.
- Use spectator mode if you’re in creative and just want to find one quickly to learn their location for survival worlds.
Telescope Zoom is Too Jarring
The sudden zoom effect can be disorienting. Unfortunately, there’s no in-game slider to adjust the zoom level. It’s a fixed magnification. You’ll get used to the effect over time. Some texture packs or mods (if you use them) might offer alternatives, but in vanilla Minecraft, the zoom level is fixed.
FAQs About Making and Using Telescopes
Can you dye a telescope in Minecraft?
No, you cannot dye or change the color of a telescope. It always retains its default appearence: a copper tube with amethyst lenses.
Is there a way to make a telescope zoom more?
No, the zoom level is fixed in the vanilla game. The magnification is part of the game’s code and cannot be increased without mods or data packs that alter the game’s behavior.
How do you make a telescope in Minecraft if you lost yours?
You make a new one the same way you made the first! Just gather another copper ingot and two more amethyst shards and use the crafting recipe. Since they don’t break, losing one is usually just a matter of misplacing it in a chest.
Can you put a telescope on a tripod or stand?
Not directly. There is no built-in block to mount a telescope. However, you can be creative! Use item frames on walls or lecterns to display your telescope. You can also build a decorative stand using fences, walls, and pressure plates to create the illusion of a mounted telescope at a lookout post.
Do telescopes work in the Nether or End?
Yes, telescopes work in all dimensions. They can be particularly useful in the Nether for spotting fortresses across lava lakes or in the End for observing the central island from a distance. Be careful not to zoom in while a mob is approaching you, though!
What’s the difference between a telescope and optifine zoom?
They are completely different. The telescope is a vanilla Minecraft item you craft and hold. Optifine Zoom is a feature of the Optifine mod that adds a customizable zoom key to your keyboard. The telescope’s zoom has a circular vignette and is an in-game item, while Optifine’s zoom is a full-screen, mod-assisted feature.
Advanced Tips and Tricks
Once you’re comfortable with the basics, try these advanced ideas.
- Quick-Swap Scouting: Keep your telescope in your hotbar next to your weapon or blocks. You can quickly right-click to scout, then press a number key to switch to your sword if you see a threat.
- Elytra Navigation: While flying with elytra, you can use the telescope to spot your landing target from high in the air, allowing for more precise and safe landings.
- Redstone Curiosity: While the telescope itself doesn’t interact with redstone, you can build redstone-powered hidden doors or lights that are activated when a player stands at a specific lookout point you’ve designed with a telescope in a chest.
Making and using a telescope is one of the more enjoyable additions to Minecraft. It encourages exploration to find amethyst geodes and adds a layer of strategy to both survival and creative play. The process of learning how do you make a telescope in Minecraft is a small adventure in itself, leading you deep underground to find its crystalline components. Once you have it, you’ll find yourself using it constantly to bring the distant world a little bit closer. Now that you know all the steps and tips, it’s time to start your search for that telltale geode chime and craft your own lens to the horizon.