Fireworks, the perfect decor for events, or simply a pyromaniac's way of exploding your base in spectacular fashion without senseless destruction of all you hold dear, the uses of such pyrotechnic devices in Minecraft are limited only to your imagination. This guide goes over the principles of crafting your next firework, and a few useful tips regarding them!
The Firework Star
While not needed to craft Firework Rockets, it's an essential step for the production of fireworks that go BOOM! So how do we craft one?
The answer is pretty simple. Want a basic colored fireball? Just smash some Dye with Gunpowder inside any Crafting Grid. For such basic fireworks, you can do this in any crafting grid, even your inventory's!
In this case, I've created a basic Red colored Firework. When it goes boom, it'll create a small, red ball in the sky once the rocket's fuel runs out.
The Firework Rocket
The Firework rocket is the delivery source of the Firework star. On their own, they're quite mundane (but not without their uses, keep reading for that in Other Uses!). You can make a simple dud firework rocket by simply placing a piece of paper and gunpowder inside the crafting grid.
This rocket, however, will do nothing on its own!
Now, we've got a Star, but that's frankly useless on its own. We need a way to blow this thing up. Thankfully, you can just shove your Firework Star inside along with the Paper and Gunpowder to make a Firework Rocket with an explosion!
We can place up to 3 Gunpowder inside this recipe, each extending the Flight Duration. The Flight Duration determines for how long the Firework will fly before it explodes!
Look at them! So basic, and yet so pretty. I wonder if we can do more with them...
Advanced Stars
Of course, we can! Firework stars can be augmented with various items to invoke special effects upon detonation. Of course, these are mainly for your special fireworks shows, as some of the items required can be somewhat expensive. But if you have the budget and the means to blow it (literally), it can be a nice touch of spice for everything nice.
Shape Effects
Shape Effects change the shape of the blast itself from the default Small Ball configuration. Only one of these effects can be applied to a Firework Star at a time, so choose wisely!
Burst (Feather)
The Feather will create a Burst effect, sort of like a burst of confetti! The particles will travel upwards rather than dispersing in a ball, creating a conical burst of the chosen colors!
Creeper Face (Any Mob Head)
A classic, the Creeper Face is obtained through the use of any Mob's head. Doesn't matter how you've obtained it or which mob it came from, as long as it's a head, it'll turn into a Creeper's face when it explodes!
Large Ball (Fire Charge)
Like the Small Ball, but much bigger. Comes packaged with a louder boom as well!
Star (Gold Nugget)
Add in a Gold Nugget for a Star pattern! Perfect for adding more lights to the night sky!
Particle Effects
You may also cause the particles themselves to be modified by using the items shown below. Unlike Shape Effects, you can put as many of these in a Firework Star as you wish!
Fade (Any Dye)
Adding a dye to an already crafted Star will make the particles fade to the color you've given it!
Multicolor (Any Dyes)
Add in Multiple Dyes while crafting a Star to make its particles have multiple colors!
Trail (Diamond)
Adding a Diamond to the mix will let your firework's particles have a trailing effect! This can be rather performance intensive on older machines if used in excess!
Twinkle (Glowstone Dust)
While it is hard to capture in a still picture, adding Glowstone Dust while crafting a Firework Star will create a flickering effect when it detonates. It also adds in a crackling sound as an added bonus!
Multi-Star Rocket (Multiple Firework Stars)
While not exactly a particle effect on its own, you can slap multiple stars into one rocket, maxing out at 7! If you truly want to show off in one rocket, make an abomination like this one! A quick spoiler: this will be important to note later!
Other Uses
Fireworks aren't just good for looking pretty, either! We have a couple more useful tips so that you can get the most out of your newly crafted goodness!
Offense
Yes, you heard me right. Fireworks can be used offensively to attack other mobs, including players! To do so, you'll probably want a Crossbow and a hefty amount of Fireworks.
Fireworks will deal damage to those near its explosion. This is normally harmless, as fireworks will almost always go upwards, away from yourself and those who are around you. But with a Crossbow...
Even better, the Firework will deal more damage the more Firework Stars you've put in it.
And even better than that, a fully loaded Firework can nearly one-tap an unarmored player if you land the hit directly, dealing around a whopping 19 damage!
So if you have a lot of Firework Stars left over from a previous show, or simply have the resources to make them, you can easily weaponize them to effectively contend with an Enchanted Bow! That, and you get a free firework show with each shot!
Transport
Alright, now to a more practical option. Fireworks can be used for powered flight with the Elytra, giving you a massive boost of speed and keeping you in the air for longer! A must for long-distance travel, but keep an eye on your Elytra's durability, or you may be in for a nasty fall!
It is recommended to use Flight Duration 1 rockets for this purpose, as the benefits for durations 2 and 3 are minimal at best. Duration 1 will give you the best bang for your buck!
Q: How do you make fireworks last longer?
A: The more gunpowder you add when crafting a firework rocket, the longer its flight duration will be.
Q: Can fireworks damage players in Minecraft?
A: Yes. Fireworks with a firework star can deal damage when used from a crossbow.
Q: Do you need a firework star to make fireworks?
A: No. You can make basic fireworks with just paper and gunpowder, but they will not have colorful explosion effects.