Alongside maps, one of Minecraft's oldest features, we'll see how to use a compass. Previously, these items only had a very specific use in the overworld, but recent updates have also given this neat little item a new feature to look into as well.
How to use a compass
First, you'll need to craft or find a compass before you can use one. Luckily they have a fairly simple crafting recipe, just take a single piece of red stone and surround it with four iron ingots in a crafting table, you'll have your own compass. And to use it, all you have to do is hold it in your hand and the red pointer on it will redirect you to the world spawn point. In fact, they always point that way, no matter how they are perceived. Whether in a chest or in an object frame, they always all point to that destination. However, when taken to the Nether or the End, compasses will cease to function and simply spin in circles.
You might think this is a bit of a limited feature, especially if you have no reason to return to the world spawn point. And you'd be right, it would be pretty limiting if there hadn't been an honestly quite expensive way to change where they point. To do this you will need a block called Lodestone. Lodestones can be crafted by surrounding a netherite ingot with eight chiseled stone bricks in a crafting table, a fairly steep price. But if you pay that bill and do one of those blocks, then you're ready to change the direction your compass is pointing. Just place the Lodestone and right click on it with the compass of your choice, and it will become the new compass focal point. It even works in the Nether and the End, giving compasses a way to work in those dimensions.
Minecraft is available now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and mobile devices.
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