Bedrock

Bedrock is a block that is normally indestructible in Survival mode.

Obtaining

Breaking

Bedrock cannot normally be broken in Survival mode with any tool.

However, it can be broken using glitches involving a piston.

Natural generation

Bedrock comprises the five bottom-most layers of the Overworld in a rough pattern, although the top four layers are predominantly flat bedrock with only rare gaps, rendering the lowest, completely flat fifth layer (at Y=-64) mostly inaccessible.

In the Nether, bedrock comprises both the top and bottom four layers in a rough pattern. In both Java and Bedrock Editions, the patterns of bedrock are consistent in the Nether. At the top of the Nether, bedrock prevents the player from ascending above Y=127 without exploiting glitches, although in Java Edition the build limit extends to Y=255 in the Nether like the End.

In the End, a single block of bedrock generates on top of each obsidian pillar, each topped with an end crystal. The bedrock remains after the destruction of the crystal (because it is indestructible), and is lit on fire indefinitely. Bedrock additionally comprises part of the exit portal at the center of the central island. In Bedrock Edition, if one manages to break the bedrock in the exit portal, it reappears when the portal regenerates. Placing an end crystal on bedrock in the End sets it on fire.

An end gateway is generated upon the death of each ender dragon, each containing 12 blocks of bedrock. A total of 20 of these portals generate in a circle around the central island in set positions. The dragon must be killed once for each new gateway. A corresponding end gateway is generated in the inner edge of the outer islands after an end gateway on the main island is activated. Additional end gateways also generate randomly across the outer end islands.

Usage

Bedrock's primary usage is as a solid unbreakable block. For example, it prevents players from falling into the void.

Mobs do not spawn on bedrock. Endermen are unable to place the block they are holding onto bedrock.

In The End, any fire on bedrock never extinguishes naturally, similar to netherrack.

Trapping the wither

Since bedrock is indestructible in Survival, it can be used against the wither. Certain configurations of bedrock (Such as that found under the end exit portal) can be cleverly used to securely trap the wither (or even multiple of them) by spawning them below the bedrock. The wither can then either be easily killed, utilized to break blocks automatically, or used to farm wither roses.

End crystal

Bedrock is one of the two only blocks on which end crystals can be placed, the other being obsidian.

Note Blocks

Note blocks can be placed above Bedrock to produce "bass drum" sounds.

Piston interactivity

Bedrock is unable to be pushed or pulled by either of the piston variants (regular or sticky).

Sounds

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Block states

In Bedrock Edition, bedrock uses the following block states:

Bedrock Edition:

History

Java Edition Classic
0.0.12a		May 18, 2009			Notch showed bedrock.
		release			Added bedrock.
					The world boundary is lined with a bedrock textured barrier. It is completely unbreakable.
0.0.20a					Bedrock no longer can be placed or destroyed, except by players on servers with operator permissions.
					Operators can now destroy bedrock like any other block.
					Operators can now use /solid, which now toggles stone placing itself or turning into bedrock shortly.
					If any player attempts to place bedrock using an item edited into their inventory, the server now kicks them, even if they are an operator.
0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST					The bedrock at the bottom most layer of the world has been replaced with an infinite lava sea. Between this version and Infdev, the bottom of the world would repeatedly switch between bedrock and lava. The reason for this is unknown.
Java Edition Indev
0.31		?			The bedrock at the bottom most layer of the world has been re-added.
		20100130			The bedrock at the bottom most layer of the world has been replaced with an infinite lava sea once again.
		20100131			The bedrock at the bottom most layer of the world has been re-added once again.
Java Edition Infdev
20100227					The bedrock at the bottom most layer of the world has been replaced with an infinite lava sea once again.
20100616-1					Bedrock now generates at the bottom 5 layers of the world. The infinite lava sea still generates below it.
20100617-2					The infinite lava sea under the world has been removed and replaced with an additional layer of bedrock.
Java Edition Alpha
v1.2.0		?			The Nether has been added, with bedrock at the top and bottom.
Java Edition Beta
1.3					Bedrock can no longer be destroyed by planting a wheat seed below it on tilled dirt.
1.6		Test Build 3			A bug has been fixed in which the player could fall into the void. Destroying a boat or rails with a minecart on the lowest bedrock block caused this to happen.
August 10, 2011					Notch tweets that he had accidentally done something to the bedrock layer, but didn't specify what.
1.8		Pre-release			Creative mode has been added, in which bedrock can be placed and destroyed instantly, as can any other block.
Java Edition
1.0.0		Beta 1.9 Prerelease 6			The particle effect for bedrock can now be turned off or lowered.
					When the ender dragon dies, it now leaves behind a fountain-like bedrock structure with the dragon egg sitting on top. It has another end portal to return to the player's spawn point.
					Added end crystals, which are entities that sit atop a block of flaming bedrock.
					Bedrock in the End now burns forever if set on fire, similar to netherrack. It can still be put out by the same methods, as well.
1.1		12w01a			Bedrock now generates in the superflat world type.
1.2.1		12w07a			As the max world height of the Nether has been increased to 256, but Nether world generation is unchanged, mobs and mushrooms are still spawning on top of the bedrock ceiling.
		12w07b			Mobs can no longer spawn on bedrock.
1.8		14w27b			The texture of bedrock now rotates randomly, giving a more natural look to the bedrock layer.
1.8.2		pre5			Bedrock no longer obstructs beacon activation or beacon beams.
1.9		15w31a			The ender dragon no longer creates the exit portal upon death, with it instead generating with the world.
					Bedrock now forms as part of the end gateway portal.
		16w02a			Bedrock can no longer drop itself as an item.
1.14		November 27, 2018			JAPPA tweets an image of the updated bedrock texture.
		18w50a			The texture of bedrock has been changed.
1.16.2		Pre-release 1			Endermen no longer place their held blocks onto bedrock.
1.17		21w06a			With the expansion of the underground by 64 layers, Bedrock in the Overworld now generates at y levels -64 to -60.
		21w15a			The bedrock layer has been moved back to y levels 0 to 5 due to generation changes being reverted.
1.18		Experimental Snapshot 1			The Overworld's bedrock layer once again generates between Y=-64 and Y=-60.
		21w40a			The generation of the bedrock layer is now dependent on the world seed.
		21w43a			Upgrading worlds from before 1.18 replaces the Overworld's old bedrock layer with deepslate.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.1.0					Added bedrock.
					Bedrock appears at the bottom of the world, but is unobtainable even in Creative mode.
v0.8.0		build 3			Added bedrock to Creative mode.
v0.9.0		build 1			Added bedrock fog.
v0.12.1		build 1			Bedrock now generates in the Nether.
Pocket Edition
1.0.0		alpha 0.17.0.1			Bedrock now generates in the End.
					Bedrock in the End now burns forever if set on fire, similar to netherrack in the Nether.
Bedrock Edition
1.10.0		beta 1.10.0.3			The texture of bedrock has been changed.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1	CU1	1.0	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added bedrock.
TU14		1.04			The bedrock on layer 0 can now be broken in a world. However, the player still cannot fall out of the world.
		1.90			The texture of bedrock has been changed.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0					Added bedrock.

Data history

Java Edition
1.8		14w11b			Bedrock with numerical metadata variants 1 through 15, which are inaccessible through normal gameplay, now have no model rather than appearing identical to bedrock.
		14w26a			Block metadata has been completely removed from this snapshot onwards with the introduction of block states. As this block never used block metadata at all prior to this version, fifteen unused, inaccessible metadata variants of it have been completely removed from the game: DV Description 0 Bedrock 1-15 Inaccessible "boring" variants of bedrock
1.13		17w47a			Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 7.

Issues

Issues relating to "Bedrock" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Trivia

• Strongholds can override generated bedrock.
• The End Portal can break Bedrock.
• The bedrock texture, regardless of the current default resource pack (Programmer Art or Default), is basically the stone block with really high contrast.
• Vexes and the ender dragon can fly through bedrock. Additionally, the ender dragon cannot break bedrock.
• Outside of Minecraft, "bedrock" just means any solid rock beneath the soil layer (So everything below the dirt, sand, or gravel surface). In real life, bedrock is breakable.
• In Java Edition, the texture of bedrock is randomly rotated or flipped. When the sides line up correctly, a pattern similar to a wither skull might appear.

Gallery

• 

  A mineshaft that generated at bedrock level.

• 

  Three of the five bedrock barriers of a Classic map visible, with a stone block for comparison.

• 

  Below the Overworld's bedrock layer, with an added source of light out of view. Naturally, the light level would be 0 here.

• 

  Below nether's last layer of bedrock.

• 

  Above nether's last layer of bedrock.

• 

  The correctly lined up wither head image

External links

• Bedrock on Wikipedia

References

External Links

• Block of the Week: Bedrock – Minecraft.net on February 15, 2018