Why is my conduit not working?

Check the basics: the frame must use only prismarine-family blocks or sea lanterns, the conduit must float in the exact center, and the structure needs to be in water. Start from the 16-block ring and expand once it activates.

How do you fully power a conduit?

Build the complete 42-block frame — two crossing rings joined by blocks at the midpoints. That gives the maximum 96-block range and unlocks the ability to damage hostile mobs within 8 blocks.

Where do you find a heart of the sea?

Only in buried treasure chests. Get a treasure map from a shipwreck or ocean ruin, follow it to the marked spot, and dig — every buried treasure chest contains one heart of the sea.

Do conduits kill guardians?

Yes, at full power. A maxed conduit automatically damages any hostile mob within 8 blocks that is in water or rain, guardians included.

How to Make a Conduit in Minecraft

Underwater in Minecraft is hostile territory: limited air, murky darkness, slow mining. The conduit fixes all of it at once. Think of it as an underwater beacon — a crafted power block that, once activated, lets you breathe water, see clearly and mine at full speed inside its range, permanently. It is one of the most useful blocks in the game and one of the least built. Let's change that.

Crafting the Conduit

Item	Amount	Where to Get It
Heart of the Sea	1	Buried treasure chests (from treasure maps found in shipwrecks and ruins)
Nautilus Shell	8	Fishing treasure, drowned drops, wandering trader sales

Place the heart of the sea in the center of a crafting table and surround it with the eight nautilus shells. Conduits never generate as loot and cannot be traded for — crafting is the only way to get one. The good news is that once made, you can break and move it freely.

What Conduit Power Gives You

Within range of an active conduit you receive a bundle of effects rolled into one status:

Water breathing — your air meter never drains
Night vision — clear visibility even in dark water
Haste — you mine blocks at normal land speed instead of the sluggish underwater rate

Unlike potions, the effect never runs out while you stay in range; step outside and it fades within seconds. The conduit also glows brightly, brighter than a torch, which makes it a handy landmark for an underwater base.

Activating It: The Frame

A conduit only works at the center of a frame built from prismarine, dark prismarine, prismarine bricks or sea lanterns — mixing types is fine. There are three tiers:

Frame Size	Range	Extra Effect
16 blocks	32 blocks	Conduit power only
30 blocks	63 blocks	Conduit power only
42 blocks	96 blocks	Also damages hostile mobs within 8 blocks

Start with a hollow 5x5 vertical ring (16 blocks). Add a second ring crossing it at a right angle to reach the middle tier. For full power, connect the rings with extra blocks at the middle of each side to complete the 42-block shell. Build the conduit last: place it on a temporary block in the exact center, then remove the support so it floats and opens. The whole structure must be in or touching water to work.

Full Power: A Guardian of Its Own

At maximum tier the conduit fights back. Any hostile mob within eight blocks that is touching water or rain takes damage automatically — guardians, drowned and elder guardians included. A couple of maxed conduits can keep an underwater base or a drained ocean monument perimeter permanently clear while you work.

Moving a Conduit

When you relocate, mine the frame with a pickaxe first (16 blocks is all an active conduit strictly needs, so you can shrink a big frame before moving it), then mine the conduit itself. Stand back a little — conduits pop with a small explosion when broken. Rebuild the frame at the new spot, and it lights up again.