What is TNT in Minecraft?

TNT is one of the most iconic craftable blocks in Minecraft. It is one of the few blocks in the game that can be broken in one hit by any means, including any tools and the player’s hand. It can be used for a large number of reasons, including destruction, mining, traps, building, etc. In its basic form, you can simply explode TNT by igniting it. It can be ignited by using either a flint & steel, a flame source (including flame bow and arrows, a fire next to the TNT, fire charges, etc.), lava, or through a connection from redstone that has been activated.

Once TNT is ignited, it enters a primed state where it blinks white, and the player then has 4 seconds to move out of its blast radius. When it is primed it also becomes an entity that is affected by gravity and other forms of momentum. TNT itself also gives the player and entities momentum when it explodes, increasing the more TNT explodes at once.

How do you craft TNT?

TNT in general is a simple block to craft and requires relatively easy materials to gather. It requires 5 gunpowder and 4 sand to craft. In a crafting table, you’d place the gunpowder in an x formation and fill the rest of the slots with sand.

In order to find gunpowder, which is a key component in TNT, you can typically kill creepers and ghast who drop 0-2 gunpowder per kill and witches who drop 0-6 per kill. You can also find it in naturally-spawned chest loot in shipwrecks, dungeons, desert temples, and the woodland manor. You can also find it hidden in naturally spawned structures such as desert temples and woodland manors. Wandering traders also have a 1 in 6 chance of having gunpowder for you to trade in for emeralds. Sand blocks are a much easier material to find, easily being found on beaches or in deserts. Red sand can also be used for TNT, which is often found in the badlands biome or sold by wandering traders.

TNT can also be combined with a minecart to create a Minecart with TNT. You can simply black a minecart and a block of TNT anywhere together in the crafting grid.

How to use it?

TNT has essentially the same properties as an exploding creeper, which makes it very useful for multiple purposes in the game. They deal 32 1/2 hearts of damage to a player directly next to them, which is slightly more damage than a creeper in hard mode (at 32 hearts of damage). This makes it the perfect tool for trapping, griefing, and killing enemy players, especially when used in a minecart.

TNT is also very commonly useful for destruction, either controlled or mass spread. Examples of controlled destruction are redstone machines that primarily use dispensers to mass drop TNT in specific locations. This causes minimal damage to the surrounding area while keeping the explosions in a key area. It can also be used for mass destruction, either by placing multiple TNTs inside buildings or inside the land itself. 

Machines such as TNT cannons and TNT duplicators are great at causing mass destruction in an efficient manner. TNT cannons especially rely on the properties of TNT once it is primed in order to fire the TNT at fast speeds at a specific location. Such as using redstone to ignite it at the correct times so that the cannon may give the final primed TNT enough speed to hit its target.

The last and possibly most effective way TNT is used is through mining. While it is quite effective at mining in the overworld, TNT shines at mining in the nether for ancient debris. By mining a few pieces of netherack and placing a tnt inside then igniting it, it allows you to effectively get an area where you can scour for any blocks of ancient debris and mine them.

Facts about TNT

1. Explosions from TNT blocks are a common thing among most some mobs, including wither, ghasts, and creepers.
2. While TNT can be found in woodland mansions and desert temples, these areas are usually trapped and players should take a cautious approach when entering those areas.
3. If TNT detonates while in water or lava, it cannot damage the blocks surrounding it, but it will still cause damage to both players and mobs.
4. TNT will typically fall about 77 blocks before exploding during a free fall.