In the Chaos Cubed update, Minecraft introduced a brand new way to create geysers using Potent Sulfur and Magma blocks. These structures produce realistic steam eruptions and particle effects that look amazing in builds, survival bases, or adventure maps. You can make simple periodic geysers or even continuous ones for dramatic effects.

This guide covers everything you need in vanilla Minecraft for both Java and Bedrock editions.

 

Materials You Will Need

  • 1 Magma Block (for periodic eruptions) or 1 Lava source (for continuous eruptions)
  • 1 Potent Sulfur Block
  • 1 to 4 Water Buckets (for different geyser strengths)
  • A pickaxe (to mine Potent Sulfur safely)
  • Optional: Redstone components for controlled activation

How to Get the Key Blocks

Magma Block

Find them naturally in the Nether, underwater Overworld caves, or craft them using 4 Magma Cream in a crafting table.

Potent Sulfur Block

  • Explore Sulfur Caves biomes or surface Sulfur Springs to find them naturally.
  • Craft one by placing 9 Sulfur Blocks in a 3x3 grid in your crafting table.
  • Sulfur Blocks come from crafting 4 Sulfur Spikes or mining them in sulfur-rich areas.
  • Mine Potent Sulfur with any pickaxe. Without one, it drops nothing.

Lava (for permanent geysers)

Easy to obtain with a bucket in the Nether or Overworld.

Step-by-Step: Build a Basic Periodic Geyser (Level 1)

This is the simplest version and works great for decoration.

  1. Pick your spot and dig a hole exactly 3 blocks deep.
  2. Place the Magma Block at the bottom of the hole.
  3. Place the Potent Sulfur Block directly on top of the Magma Block.
  4. Fill the top space with one water source block (use your water bucket).

The geyser activates automatically. You will see steam particles and periodic eruptions. The effect looks like a natural hot spring geyser.

Stronger Geysers with More Water (Levels 2-4)

The amount of water stacked above the Potent Sulfur controls the eruption power, height, and frequency.

  • Level 2 Geyser: Dig 4 blocks deep. Place Magma Block at bottom, Potent Sulfur on top, then stack 2 water source blocks above it.
  • Level 3 Geyser: Dig 5 blocks deep. Use 3 stacked water source blocks.
  • Level 4 Geyser (Maximum): Dig 6 blocks deep. Use 4 stacked water source blocks.

More than 4 water blocks above the Potent Sulfur will stop the geyser from working. The higher levels create taller and more intense eruptions with longer dormant periods between bursts.

How to Make a Continuous (Permanent) Geyser

For nonstop eruptions instead of random bursts:

  1. Dig the hole as usual (3 blocks deep for basic size).
  2. Place a Lava source block at the bottom instead of Magma.
  3. Place Potent Sulfur directly on the Lava.
  4. Add your water source block(s) on top.

The geyser now erupts constantly with steady steam output. This version works perfectly for dramatic builds like fountains or steam-powered contraptions.

Redstone-Controlled Geysers (Advanced)

You can turn geysers on and off using Redstone:

  • Place a dispenser facing the spot where the "heat" block should go.
  • Load the dispenser with Lava buckets.
  • Use a button, lever, or clock to dispense Lava under the Potent Sulfur when you want the geyser to activate.
  • Retract the Lava to turn it off.

This lets you create interactive geysers that only erupt when powered.

Tips for Best Results

  • The blocks around the geyser do not affect its function, so you can hide the underground parts with stone, glass, or custom builds.
  • Geysers can launch players and entities upward during strong eruptions. Great for elevators or fun parkour elements.
  • Test in Creative mode first to perfect the look and height before building in Survival.
  • Sulfur biomes can apply nausea if you stand directly on Potent Sulfur under shallow water without the Magma setup. Be careful when exploring.
  • Combine multiple geysers of different levels for varied effects in one area.
  • For even more immersion, add sound effects with note blocks or particle commands if using command blocks.

Geysers are one of the most exciting new building features in recent updates. They bring natural beauty and functional steam effects to your worlds with very simple materials. Start with a basic Level 1 version and experiment with water height and Lava for continuous flow.

Build your first geyser today and watch the steam rise!