In Minecraft, there are tons of different types of blocks that players can create and build with. One of the many Minecraft blocks that has been added to the game is basalt and its two counterparts, smooth basalt and polished basalt.

Currently, basalt, smooth basalt, and polished basalt have no special uses in Minecraft except for building. But when players build their Nether-based homes with these, their blast-proof properties and durability protects them against ghast fireballs and other hardships found in the underground. Also, these three stone blocks can add a different look and aesthetic to any build and can be made or found fairly easily in the game. Players just need to head to the Nether in order to find these dark gray blocks.

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Basalt can be found just about anywhere in the Soul Sand Valley Nether biome in Minecraft and can be farmed with any kind of pickaxe. Players can also find basalt in basalt deltas and can also farm both regular and polish basalt in bastion remnants. Smooth basalt cannot be found in the Nether, so players will have to either make their own from plain basalt or find an Amethyst Geode in the Overworld.

Amethyst Geodes are new structures that appear below ground in the Overworld, and on rare occasions, just above the surface near water. They contain calcite, amethyst items, and are surrounded by smooth basalt. These giant geodes are commonly found between Y level 70 and the bedrock layer and appear 1/53 blocks. But if players are having a hard time finding a geode in their game, they can make smooth basalt instead.

In order to make smooth basalt, players will need a furnace or a Minecraft blast furnace first. Unlike polished basalt, players will not need a stonecutter to make smooth basalt. Using any fuel in the furnace or blast furnace, players just need to cook their regular basalt, turning it into smooth basalt. While furnaces are easy to build, a blast furnace will cut down on smelting time by about half, giving players even more of this interesting-looking stone to build with.

With the continuation of Caves and Cliffs update 1.17, players can expect to see new blocks and perhaps even changes to current blocks. Although smooth basalt can only be naturally found in the wild around geodes now, this may change in future updates.

Minecraft is available for all major platforms.

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Source: Wiki