Soul Sand
|
Type |
Solid Block |
|
Stackable |
Yes (64) |
|
Data Value |
88 |
Soul Sand is a mysterious sludgy silt attuned to the life-forms and necromantic energies of The Nether, with a texture etched with the faces of tortured souls. It is only naturally found there in large veins at any elevation. It can be extracted by hand to produce three Soul Sand Piles, or more efficiently with a Shovel of Gold or better to produce a complete block with no losses.
Soul Sand significantly slows the movement of any player or mob on top of it, more so than any block other than Cobwebs, and players sink slightly into the block while walking on it. It is only 7/8 the height of a normal block, which together with its slowing effect gives it unusual movement properties. Soul Sand is mostly used as Hopper filters for the creation of Soul Urns.
Uses
Crafting
| Name | Ingredients | Input » Output | Name | Ingredients | Input » Output | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pile of Soul Sand | Soul Sand |
|
Soul Sand | Pile of Soul Sand |
|
Movement
Soul Sand's slowing effect is much greater when it is placed in water and is useful for making drowning traps more effective against mobs. The slowing effect can also be used to stop large amounts of mobs at once, making them vulnerable to attacks with a Bow.
Soul Sand can be used to suppress the impact from Boats when colliding to it at the angle of approximately 6° to 174°, which made it an effective building material when creating a dock. When placed on the ground in front of a two-block high doorway, Soul Sand prevents players from going through it from that direction since it is 1/8 less in size than an actual block. This can be useful for building one-way passages or invisible barriers. This affects mobs too as they have to jump to get out of the slowing effects of the block, thus are unable to get through the door.
Because Rails can be laid on Soul Sand like most other block materials, the slowing ability can be exploited to create minecart-only gates (by placing Soul Sand on both sides of the doorway). This is one of the few ways to allow rails to go directly inside a secure area without risking wandering mobs getting in.
Due to its slightly lower top side, it is impossible to cross from a block of Soul Sand to a higher slab without jumping.
Farming
Nether Wart and Blood Wood Saplings will only grow on Soul Sand or Soul Sand Planters in the Nether. Nether Wart is a primary base ingredient for many varieties of Potions, and Blood Wood is a special variety of tree that grows infinitely. Both plants can be placed directly on Soul Sand like a seed, and Nether Wart at full maturity produces multiple Nether Wart plants when harvested.
Piles of Soul Sand can be right clicked when held to scatter them into the air, permanently losing them. If a Nether Fortress is within range (an extremely long distance), the resulting particles will drift towards the nearest one for a few seconds.
Hardcore Spawn
In multiplayer, after someone has died, Piles of Soul Sand can be right clicked in a similar manner to finding a fortress. Within 1 Minecraft day of the player's death, the soul sand particles will drift towards their respawn location.
