Talk:Pointed Dripstone

Does the game or its code refer to them officially as stalactites, stalagmites, and so forth, or is it just an unofficial term? Blockofnetherite ^{Talk Contributions} 18:20, 26 November 2020 (UTC)

The developers called them stalactites and stalagmites at Minecraft Live, which are real-world terms, so maybe they should be kept? Not certain however. – Unavailablehoax (talk) 19:38, 27 November 2020 (UTC)

Update, the death message for falling pointed dripstone calls them stalactites. – Unavailablehoax (talk) 17:51, 3 December 2020 (UTC)

In contrast to stalactite and stalgmite, the word "stalagnate" is not found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary or Britannica Online article on Stalactite and stalagmite. Wikipedia has an article for it, but it's just a stub, and looking deeper it doesn't cite any reputable sources. It also doesn't turn up in a general web search other than on Wikimedia projects; it appears to be a neologism. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time Mojang used a novel or misspelled word ("wart" instead of "wort", "sculk" instead of "skulk"), and they can call it anything they want, but I don't have Java and it's not in Bedrock yet, so I can't say definitively that the word isn't used in the game and therefore doesn't belong here; I'll rely on others to verify that. If they do, the redirect "Stalagnate" should be deleted as well. Incidentally, the term that is in common use for these floor-to-ceiling cave deposits is "sinter column" or, less technically, "pillar". --Auldrick (talk) 15:13, 10 January 2021 (UTC)

Per Auldrick's comment, I think that "stalagnate" should be renamed to "pillar", because the devs called them like that sometimes, or to "sinter column", because is more technical, accurate and looks more appropiate, as this is a wiki. If we don't find anything on the code, "sinter column" would be the best option and "pillar" would be a redirect. Supeika (talk) 14:06, 11 January 2021 (UTC)

All I see in the scholarly literature are the terms pillar, column, and stalagnate, but not "sinter column" in the context of cave formations (which by the way are called "speleothems"). Stalagnate seems to be the least common term, but it is a valid term. The fact that Webster's and Britannica omit the term just means its more obscure.

There is no longer a Wikipedia article on stalagnates. I changed it to a redirect and merged it into existing text in the stalactite article.

"Pillar" would be best, particularly if that's how the devs referred to them. Amatulic (talk) 17:48, 11 January 2021 (UTC)

The 6ᵗʰ sound button for "When the block lands when falling" in the Java Edition section of Sounds does not work when clicked and will not light up. Awesomedragon29 (talk) 19:01, 27 November 2020 (UTC)

Thanks for pointing that out. I accidently added an extra sound parameter, there isn't a sixth land sound. – Unavailablehoax (talk) 19:14, 27 November 2020 (UTC)

I have a few questions about how filling cauldrons with water works. Does dripping water under the right conditions fill the cauldron straight to full, or does it fill it in phases? I am also wondering if it fills at a consistent or a random rate, as well as the details of whichever one it is.PegasusDust (talk) 23:03, 10 December 2020 (UTC)

Based off this comment on MC-206583 by User:Sonicwave, which describes 20w48a stalactite mechanics, and my testing on 20w49a, if the topmost stalactite gets random ticked and there is a lava or water source 2 blocks above, it'll attempt to find the tip of the stalctite up to 9 blocks downward, then checks for a non-obstructed cauldron below. – Unavailablehoax (talk) 05:16, 11 December 2020 (UTC)

Interesting. I guess it wouldn't make a reliable water clock in that case, though if it does fill in phases there may still be some interesting uses for it redstone-wise.PegasusDust (talk) 05:33, 11 December 2020 (UTC)

Update: confirmed by Sonicwave to be accurate, it also only checks for a cauldron within 10 blocks below the tip. – Unavailablehoax (talk) 05:40, 11 December 2020 (UTC)

The article currently says the damage from falling stalactite increases by 2 per block the dripstone falls. But I find the length of the stalactite affects the damage.

In Java edition 1.17.1, the damage seems to follow the formula: ("Length of stalactite up to a maximum of 6") * ("Y position of tip" - "Y position of floor block" - 2).

Except for a single dripstone where ("Y position of tip" - "Y position of floor block") > 35. Then it deals 1 less damage than the above formula predicts.

After that calculation, the damage is capped at a maximum of 40 as the article already says.

JNCressey (talk) 21:54, 12 July 2021 (UTC)

According to the text, when you place a pointed dripstone between a stalagmite and stalactite without sneaking, they connect. What happens when you it while sneaking? Nothing? --JimTheOtter (talk) 10:29, 2 October 2023 (UTC)

Made an account for this - their growth does trigger observers, I tested it in creative myself- do we want to put that on this page? RubyDragonborn (talk) 16:35, 17 July 2024 (UTC)

In The One It was Showed In It Had A Dif Texture More Of A Pale Less Skin 👁 Image
MinecraftFan1000 (talk) 02:16, 26 October 2024 (UTC)

Before my recent edit, I have tested in latest version of Java Edition about stalactite falling damage and got a different result: after 2 blocks' falling, the amount of damage increases 1 hp per pointed dripstone in former stalactite (less than 6 will be counted as 6) per block of falling distance. Expressed by the formula, it is ( = lowest pointed dripstone's height from ground, = the number of pointed dripstones).

To verify this: ① Place 7 blocks of pointed dripstone from the ceiling, with 4 air blocks between the stalactite point and the ground. This step makes . ②Summon any mob with enough health point under it and record its health point. ③Break the supporting block so that they will fall and deal damage, and then record the mob's health point again. ④If new formula is correct, the health point loss will be 21, or it will be 18. --Don Trueno T/C 17:26, 21 December 2025 (UTC) (Last edited on 17:28, 21 December 2025 (UTC))

~2026-CamelSkeletonQuartz18068 (talk) 17:05, 26 June 2026 (UTC)

I think this is correct.

For damage sources in the #minecraft:damages_helmet tag (all falling blocks, anvils, and stalactites), the helmet gets a full hit first. Then the usual damage handling happens with 75 % of the damage value. -- mschae23 (M_S_72 | talk) 16:32, 27 June 2026 (UTC)