Article
Make a Minecraft lodestone compass that points home
19 October 2026
Turn an ordinary compass into a handy pointer for your base, even when you are exploring the Nether or the End.
A normal compass becomes completely confused in the Nether. Its needle whirls around like it has forgotten every direction at once. A lodestone gives that compass one job: point back to the block you chose.
This works in current Java Edition and Bedrock Edition. It is brilliant for marking a Nether portal, a distant base, or another place that is easy to lose.
What you need
You need one lodestone and one compass.
Craft a lodestone with eight chiseled stone bricks around one iron ingot. You can craft chiseled stone bricks by placing two stone brick slabs on top of each other in a crafting grid.
For the compass, place four iron ingots around one piece of redstone dust. The redstone goes in the centre.
Link the compass
Put the lodestone somewhere safe at your base or beside your portal.
Hold the compass and use it on the lodestone. The compass gains a shiny glint to show that it is linked.
Walk away and watch the needle. It keeps pointing towards the lodestone, so turn until the needle faces forwards and follow it home.
Rename the compass at an anvil if you have several. Names such as “Nether Portal” and “Jungle Base” are much easier to understand than a pocket full of identical shiny compasses.
The dimension rule
A linked compass only works while it is in the same dimension as its lodestone. A compass linked to a Nether portal will point correctly while you are in the Nether, but it will spin if you carry it into the Overworld or the End.
Want a pointer in two dimensions? Make two lodestones and two compasses. Keep each compass clearly named so you grab the right one.
Java and Bedrock use the same basic recipe and linking steps. There are a few tiny technical differences in how disconnected compasses stack, but beginners do not need to worry about those for this build.
Do not break your marker
If the lodestone is broken, the linked compass loses its target and spins. Place the block inside a wall or a small shelter where an explosion is less likely to wreck it. Take a screenshot of the coordinates too. The compass is a useful guide, but coordinates are a great backup if something goes wrong.
Try hiding the lodestone under your base floor, then head out on a short practice trip. Seeing the needle swing towards home feels a bit like carrying your own blocky treasure detector.