Java Edition:Unbreakable Block Removal Methods
Unbreakable block removal is a collection of methods that allow for normally indestructible blocks to be broken. These include bedrock, end portal frames, barriers, end portals, nether portals, end gateways,command blocks, structure blocks, and jigsaw blocks. There has almost always been a method to remove indestructible blocks throughout Minecraft's versions. This can be used to create discontinued features because you can replace the blocks in locations that are supposed to be indestructible, creating seed-block mismatches, such as with bedrock. Since glitches still allow this feature in the present, this is a future discontinued feature.
All Blocks
To do: Many bug references can be added, "bedrock" can be replaced with "unbreakable block" in many cases.
Seed Placement
From Indev 20100206 to Beta 1.1_02, you could plant seeds on farmland under a block. The placed seeds would take the place of whatever block was above the farmland. This method is limited because it can only be used to destroy blocks in the upwards direction.
Step 1: Place dirt underneath the block to be destroyed
Step 2: Till dirt underneath the block with a hoe
Step 3: Place seeds on the farmland in order to replace block above
Infdev Door/Sign Placement
From Infdev 20100607 to Infdev 20100630-2 (also known as Alpha v1.0.0), placing a wooden door or sign underneath a block could remove it. Doors will replace any block in its upper half when placed during this version range. In Infdev 20100607 only, doors can also be placed on a half slab, farmland, torch, or other incomplete block to destroy two blocks above the block that the door was placed on. Signs will replace the location that they are placed in when placed on top of a incomplete block. This method is limited because it can only be used to destroy blocks in the upwards direction.
Large Oak Tree
From Alpha[test] to 1.7.10, large oak trees were able to replace any blocks directly adjacent to the trunk with logs.[1] (Incorrect fix version listed in bug report, should be 14w02a) The logs could destroy any block adjacent to the trunk in an 8 block high area, starting 3 blocks above the sapling. If there was a block above the tree, the highest branch could spawn 4 blocks below it, which prevents this method from being able to break bedrock vertically.
Beta 1.7 Pistons
From Beta 1.7 to Beta 1.9 Prerelease 5, a particular piston set up using water and quasi-connectivity could break any block with enough space above it and one breakable block level with it. As seen in the image below, a set up like this will work (note: there must be water under the second piston, and the top piston must be sticky). After powering both pistons, the block will be destroyed.
The setup to break bedrock in Beta 1.7
Video by LukeisStuff This video is recorded on Beta 1.7.3
Original video showing off the method discovered by Jan
Half Doors
In at least Beta 1.7.3 (test version range[test]), top (test bottom[test]) half doors broke any block underneath them when powered. The door can also remove the block under a button, lever, or tripwire (test more blocks [test]) if the door is on top of those blocks when powered.
Large Mushrooms
In Beta 1.8 Pre-release, growing mushrooms into large mushrooms could be used to break bedrock. The method works by placing a red or brown mushroom on top of any block and then using bone meal to turn it into a large mushroom. After the mushroom is grown, the block the mushroom was on top of turns into dirt. This method has a few limitations. The method only works in the downwards direction because the mushroom must be placed on top of the desired block. Due to this, it can only be used to make holes in the bedrock floors and not the nether bedrock ceiling. Additionally, there must be room for the mushroom to grow, so a confined area with lots of unbreakable blocks will not be possible to break using this method unless one first breaks those blocks as well. Finally, this method only works on full blocks that the mushroom can be placed on.
Step 1: Place the red or brown mushroom on top of the block to be destroyed.
Step 2: Bone meal the mushroom to grow it into a large mushroom and replace block with dirt.
End Portal Creation
In Beta 1.9 Prerelease 3, the end portal frame item was obtainable. The item can be used to build end portals anywhere in the world in versions Beta 1.9 Prerelease 4 and later. When a portal activates, it destroys every block within the 3x3 area inside of it. This only works in the cases where you can build the portal. This method requires the creation of 12 indestructible blocks (the end portal frames) and 9 portal blocks, but portal frames and portal blocks have their own exclusive methods for removal as well in many versions.
An end portal that will replace the bedrock inside with end portals upon completion
End Obsidian Platform
If you create an end portal in the nether, traveling through it will create an obsidian platform at your Nether coordinates. This allows you to break the bedrock on the end pillars, the end fountain, end gateways, or any other unnatural unbreakable block placed within the End.
B Creative Mode
In snapshot 11w49a (1.1 snapshot), the button B toggled the player between creative and survival mode. In creative mode, the player will have the ability to destroy any block by just punching it. This will only work in singleplayer, as the gamemode change is only client sided.
Zombie Breaking Down Door
From 12w06a[test]to 24w20a (present)[test], zombies are capable of destroying any block in Hard difficulty. The zombie must first begin breaking down a door, and then the door should be broken and another block placed in the upper half location of the door. The zombie would begin breaking the block that was placed in the old location of the door, including indestructible ones. Obviously, the requirement that they must be placed makes this method rather useless to break pregenerated blocks and requires the player to have the indestructible block as an item. This method is more for fun than practical usage.
Jungle Tree
To do: Add growth dimensions for jungle tree
From 12w04a (1.2 snapshot) to 19w40a (1.15 snapshot), growing a big jungle tree with 4 saplings can break bedrock in the south and east directions by replacing unbreakable blocks with its branches. This method is limited because branches cannot grow above the maximum height of the tree, so bedrock can only be broken horizontally.
Iron Golem Creation
In 12w08a (1.2 snapshot), an extra block would be removed above the pumpkin when a valid golem spawning structure was completed. This method is limited because it can only be used to destroy blocks in the upwards direction.
Skull
From 1.7.6 pre1 to 1.8.1 pre1, skulls placed on non-full blocks, such as stairs or chests, would replace whichever block was beside it, including indestructible ones. This only works with certain non-full blocks, examples of blocks that do not work are torches or flowers. This method also does not provide block updates to the block replaced by the skull, allowing for portal slicing and other interesting behaviors.
Block Transmutation
Block transmutation can be used to get invalid data values on different unbreakable blocks. Any invalid data value will disappear when updated to 14w26a or later. Arrow, door and tripwire transmutation are the only methods which can be used on preexisting blocks.
Dark Oak Tree
From 13w43a to 1.8.2-pre3, you could grow a dark oak tree under another dark oak tree and its branches would grow downwards, replacing any block.
Door Placement
From 14w02a to 14w02c (1.8 snapshots), doors could replace the block they were placed under[2] (Incorrect fix version listed in bug report, should be 14w03a). The block above the location the door is placed gets set to the upper half of the door. This method is limited because it can only be used to destroy blocks in the upwards direction.
Step 1: Have a location that a door can be placed underneath the unbreakable block.
Step 2: Place the door.
Redstone Placement
In 1.8-pre1, redstone dust placed on a non-full block, such as stairs, would replace any block beside it.[3] This method can allow destruction in the sideways and downward directions. In order for the redstone dust to place, there must be a solid block underneath the unbreakable block. Because of that, this method cannot break the last layer of the bedrock floor in a world, nor through the bedrock roof.
Step 1: Have non-full block adjacent to unbreakable block
Step 2: Place redstone dust on side of non-full block that faces the unbreakable block
Bucket Usage
In 15w39a (1.9 snapshot), simply right-clicking with a bucket would remove any block.[4] This method is one of the easiest and quickest methods.
End Crystal
From 15w44a (1.9 snapshot) to 15w49a, end crystals could be placed on the bottom face of a bedrock block, and the fire it creates in the end dimension will destroy it.
Bed Placement on Replaceable Plant
From 14w34a (1.8 snapshot) to 1.8.2-pre3, the upper half (pillow part) of the bed can replace any block. This can be accomplished by placing a bed on the top face of a replaceable block (dead bushes, ferns, grass, or vines), facing towards the block to be removed.[5] This method only works horizontally.
Instant Falling Dragon Egg
From 1.8 to 1.12.2[test], if a dragon egg falls with instant falling, it will replace any block it lands on. If this block then has an air block below it, the egg can fall again, up until y=0, where the egg will simply disappear without breaking the block at y=0. The instant falling method is called when the falling dragon egg is either created in lazy chunks, or if the global instant falling flag is set to true.
Double Tall Plant
From 17w47a to 18w19a (1.13 snapshots), using bonemeal on a single tall plant will replace any block above with the top half of a double tall plant.[6] This works with the growth of tall grass and ferns into double tall grass and large ferns. This method only works in the upwards direction.
Step 1: Obtain tall grass or a fern underneath the indestructible block
Step 2: Bonemeal the plant
Large Oak Tree
From 20w17a[test] (1.16 snapshot) to 1.16 Pre-release 2, any block 7 blocks above ground level can be removed by logs grown from a large oak tree and its branches.[7]
Small Dripleaf
From 21w05a (1.17 snapshot) to 21w05b, if you place a small dripleaf below a block and then bonemeal it, when it grows it will replace the block above with the grown plant.
Sapling on Invalid Block
From 21w41a[test] (1.18 snapshot) to 24w20a (present), a sapling can replace any block with dirt once grown.[8] However, this requires using Update Suppression or similar methods, as saplings cannot normally be placed onto non-dirt blocks, so this method will not work on pregenerated blocks.
Mangrove Propagules
In 22w16b[test] (1.19 snapshot) there is a chance for mangrove propagule to remove any block above it when it grows into a mangrove tree.[9] - Private issue.
Pickaxe Block
In the April Fools' version 23w13a_or_b, the pickaxe block will break any block in front of it when powered, including unbreakable blocks. The pickaxe block is crafted from 6 cobblestone, 1 redstone dust, and 1 pickaxe (any type). The pickaxe block can only be crafted after approving the "Add Pickaxe Block" vote (minecraft:pickaxe_block).
The pickaxe block can be put onto a flying machine to remove large sections of unbreakable blocks automatically.
Full Block Exclusive
Enderman
From Beta 1.8 Pre-release to Beta 1.8 Pre-release 2 ;), enderman could pick up most full blocks including bedrock. After the enderman picks the bedrock up, it is removed and the enderman can be killed, used to move that bedrock, or upgraded to obtain bedrock as an item.
Nether Portal Generation
From Alpha v1.2.0 to 24w20a (present), a nether portal has been able to remove 4 blocks at its base when it generates. All valid locations for a nether portal to appear in the opposite dimension in a 22x22 area besides the location of the 4 blocks must be blocked to force the portal's generation to replace them. This can cause any full block to be replaced with obsidian. This method is usually quite difficult to perform for so few blocks removed, but has the benefit of lasting the longest time out of any other method.
Non Full Block Exclusive
Large Red Mushroom
By growing a red mushroom spaced two blocks from the portal frame, some non-full cube blocks, such as End Portal Frames, End Portals, and End Gateways that collide with the mushroom growth will be deleted and replaced by mushroom blocks. Works from version 12w27a (a 1.3 snapshot) until 24w20a (present).
Water Bucket
By placing a water bucket inside of an End Gateway or End Portal (by placing it against a block smaller than 1 block, for example, a chest), the portal will break with the glass shattering sound (much like nether portals). This works from version Beta 1.9 Prerelease 3 (for end portals), or 15w31a (for gateways), until version 19w34a (1.15 snapshot).[10] - Private issue.
Pistons
Pistons are one of the most versatile methods of unbreakable block removal, with several methods available throughout the majority of their existence.
Block Transmutation
Block transmutation can be utilized to artificially create headless pistons in directions they should normally not be able to face, allowing for unbreakable block removal.
Liquid Transmutation
An example of utilizing liquid transmutation to break bedrock can be found here.
Moving Piston Merge Transmutation
An example of utilizing moving piston merge transmutation to break bedrock can be found below:
An example of how to break bedrock from below
Arrow Transmutation Transmutation
Headless Piston Chaining
Headless pistons allow for a variety of unique interactions that allow for piston actions to be chained in such a way that the following occurs:
- Piston is scheduled to retract
- Piston is removed and replaced before the update is processed
- The scheduled update executes, fetching the new piston block's rotation, which results in the block in front of the piston being replaced with air.
The very first method was discovered by Myren Eario, whose original contraption works from 1.8 until 1.12.2. With some slight timing modifications, this method still works until 24w20a (present).
Blowing Up The Piston
The process of creating multiple headless pistons to chain piston updates can be skipped from 1.10 to 24w20a (present) by simply blowing up the power source and piston with TNT, and using an autoclicker to place the piston back before it can be processed. Setups for breaking unbreakable blocks in all directions can be found in a video by Fallen_Breath.
Piston Instant Mine
Pistons, when they were given a specific tool in 20w06a (1.16 snapshot), gained the ability to be instantly mined. This can be accomplished with either a diamond/netherite pickaxe with Efficiency 5 and Haste 2, or a golden pickaxe with Efficiency 5 and Haste 1. The ability to instantly mine pistons allows the following method to work:
- Place a piston facing away from the block you wish to remove. Power it with an instantly mineable power source, e.g. a redstone torch.
- Lag the game. Common methods include using an autoclicker combined with a lever updating lots of redstone dust, exploding many TNT entities in a single game tick, or even disconnect from the internet (packets will be queued and sent all at once upon reconnecting, but reconnection must occur within ~15 seconds, or the player will be timed out).
- Break the power source.
- Break the piston.
- Place another piston facing into the block you wish to remove.
If everything works, then the block in front of the piston will be replaced with air.
Headless Piston Item
In 22w13oneBlockAtATime, it was possible to obtain the headless piston as an item. After picking up the headless piston block in oneBlockAtATime and force loading the world into another version, upon placing the item, it will immediately break any block in front of it and retract into a normal piston. To determine what direction the headless piston will break the block, you must pick it up in that direction when you are in oneBlockAtATime.
Wither
Any Block
From their introduction in 12w34a until 1.4.2, withers were able to destroy any block besides bedrock.[11] This includes end portals, end portal frames, and command blocks.
1.4.3 End Portal Patch
From 1.4.3 onward, end portals and end portal frames were no longer able to be destroyed by the wither.
1.7 Command Block Patch
From 1.7.10[test] onward, command blocks were no longer able to be destroyed by the wither.
1.8 Barrier Patch
14w05a introduced the Barrier Block. From 14w20a to 1.8, withers were no longer able to break barrier blocks. Release 1.8 re-introduced the ability for withers to break barriers, and was again removed in 1.8.1 pre3.
1.11 Structure Block & Structure Void Patch
15w31a (1.9 snapshot) introduced the Structure Block, and 16w20a (1.10 snapshot) introduced the structure void. From 16w38a onward, withers were no longer able to break structure blocks or structure voids.
1.12 End Gateway / Block 34 Patch
15w31a (1.9 snapshot) introduced the end gateway. From 1.12 pre3 onward, withers were no longer able to break end gateways and piston extensions.
1.19 Light Block Patch
21w13a (1.17 snapshot) introduced the light block. From 22w11a onward, withers were no longer able to break light blocks.
End Portal Frame Exclusive
Explosion
In Beta 1.9 Prerelease 3, end portal frames could be broken by explosions. The end portal has a chance of dropping as an item from the explosion, 33% for creeper explosions and 25% from TNT.
Timeline
Bedrock Breaking timeline, outdated
Gallery
A Giant Red Mushroom grown next to an Overworld end portal
A 3x3 hole in the Nether ceiling done in survival with a headless piston method.
References
- ↑ MC-10176. bugs.mojang.com.
- ↑ MC-44606. bugs.mojang.com.
- ↑ MC-68718. bugs.mojang.com.
- ↑ MC-89222. bugs.mojang.com.
- ↑ MC-71163. bugs.mojang.com.
- ↑ MC-123351. bugs.mojang.com.
- ↑ MC-183809. bugs.mojang.com.
- ↑ MC-239082. bugs.mojang.com.
- ↑ MC-250138. bugs.mojang.com.
- ↑ MC-11944. bugs.mojang.com.
- ↑ MC-1243. bugs.mojang.com.