Tutorial:Breaking bedrock

Bedrock is a block that is intended to be an indestructible material in Survival mode. Despite this, it is still possible to break unbreakable blocks in Survival mode, such as bedrock, without the use of cheats. Bug exploits are used to achieve this, so these methods could be fixed in any update. Breaking bedrock is also more difficult than phasing through it, both of which are covered in this article.

Note that these methods can also be used to break other unbreakable blocks (though bedrock is the most useful) and regular breakable blocks (however, the player will not be able to collect any of the blocks broken, and they are much easier to break using tools).

It may seem pointless to go through the effort of bypassing or breaking bedrock, but these methods can actually prove to be quite useful. Many players use these mechanisms to travel large distances across the Nether by accessing the Nether roof. The most common use of these techniques is to make an easy access point to the top half of the Nether by phasing through the top layer of bedrock, and then breaking the bedrock to put up a ladder or elevator to the top. Breaking bedrock can also be quite useful if the player wants to reach the void in the Overworld or Nether for whatever reason, and can be utilized to break some of the blocks on the end gateways and the exit portal in the End. These same techniques can also be used to break the frames around the end portal in a stronghold.

This section is about going through the bedrock. The only logical reason to do this instead of breaking the bedrock is going up through the bedrock onto the Nether roof. It is recommended to bring the materials to build and light a Nether portal with you to get back safely, as most of these methods cannot be reversed.

In Bedrock Edition, the Nether build limit is 128 and above bedrock, so it is not recommended to phase through the bedrock. However, if you have already broken bedrock somewhere else, you can phase through the bedrock to return to a destination more easily.

This method works by placing a boat just below the Nether roof and jumping out. This video shows how to do it, with more information in the description.

To use this method, you will need some ender pearls.

The optimal strategy involves only one ender pearl if done correctly, though more may be brought just in case. Find a two block tall space to stand in just under the top-most block of the Nether, and make sure there is a two block wide (or one block wide, though it will be more difficult), one block tall space in front of you. Throw your pearl horizontally into this space and jump. Prior to jumping, you should be suffocating in the bedrock. It is very easy if you look at the left or right edge of the surface you are facing and hold forward when jumping (only requires a one block spaced crawl).

Pros:

• It is easy to acquire an ender pearl, which is the only material needed.
• This method is easier to do once you get the hang of it.

Cons:

• It may take many ender pearls to work.
• There is a possibility of death due to damage from ender pearls.

[Bug Used: MC-2164]

This method requires ender pearls. It was much easier to do in Java Edition 1.8, but is still possible in later versions.

Dig up to where the player would be "bumping" its head on the top layer of bedrock (on y = 127). Then look straight up and throw the ender pearls as quickly as you can. This is more difficult to do in versions 1.9 and above due to the item cool-down. It works by having one of the ender pearls glitch and teleport the player into the block such that when the next ender pearl is thrown, it goes above the block and teleports the player to the top of the block.

Pros:

• It is easy to get all the materials needed.
• It is easy to do once you get the hang of it.

Cons:

• It may take many stacks of ender pearls to work.
• There is a possibility of death due to damage from ender pearls.

This method is by far the easiest among all of them.

This variation uses the same resources and:

• 1 stairs block.
• 1 ender pearl.

Dig up to bedrock with Y being at least 126. Place the stairs block towards the side just under the bedrock, then throw the ender pearl above it and you will be teleported to the top of the stair. Just jump and you can go out.

Pros:

• If the bedrock is at Y=127, only fall damage is taken, not suffocation damage.
• It is easy to accomplish and get all the materials needed.
• You do not need to react quickly.

This method uses a slab instead of stairs, at least one ender pearl and some blocks (depending on how the player decides to make themself crawl).

Dig up to bedrock at Y=127. Place a slab to the bottom part of the block below the bedrock, then use any method to start crawling (teleporting to a one-block tall gap, flipping a trapdoor etc.), then throw the ender pearl onto the surface of the slab and hold jump.

Pros:

• It is easy to get the items needed.

Cons:

• If you fail, an endermite may spawn and attack you.

Place a piston down just below topmost bedrock layer so that it is pointing upwards. Place a rail on top of it, place a minecart on the rail and destroy the rail. Extend the piston so that it crushes the minecart slightly into the bedrock. Jump in the minecart and dismount. You should be suffocating inside the bedrock. Jump twice and you should end up above the bedrock. After that, use the glitched minecart to go down. This glitch is for 18w11a only.

This is by far the cheapest method.

To use this method, you will need the following materials:

• One Trapdoor of any variety other than Iron
• Any combination of blocks capable of getting you into a crawling state

Find a position on the topmost layer of bedrock and use any method to get into a crawling state, and position yourself into a one block tall gap against it. Place the trapdoor and clip yourself inside of it by opening it onto your hitbox. Disconnect and reconnect, you will be clipped into the ceiling. Jump out using the trapdoor that you clipped into. This method is colloquially known as a DC clip.

Pros:

• Very cheap, requiring a single wooden trapdoor.
• Can be used with little to no preparation
• Works on more than just bedrock ceilings

Cons:

• Not doing this on the top layer will cause you to die of suffocation
• May cause you to take damage if you do not get out of the bedrock before connection immunity wears off
• Only works on 1.14+

Depending on the method, breaking bedrock can either be a simple build, or a complex process.

This is the simplest method.

Place a piston on top of the bedrock block you want to break, facing sideways. Place an explosion-proof block on top of the piston. Place a trapdoor on one side of the piston. Then, on the opposite side, a short distance away, place a block of TNT. Use the trapdoor to enter a crawling position next to the piston. To increase the chances of breaking the bedrock, rebind your Use/Place control to a keyboard key. Use levers and/or redstone dust to ignite the TNT and power the piston. Then, holding a second piston in your hand, look at the underside of the explosion-proof block and hold down your Use/Place key. After the TNT explodes, the bedrock block may have broken. If it didn't, try again.

Video by Fallen_Breath

(different orientations)

Needs

• 2 pistons
• 1 TNT
• 1 lever
• 1 trapdoor
• 1 explosion-proof block
• A 2×2×2 space

Pros

• Cheap, fast, and easy.
• Small contraption.

Cons

• Needs fast-paced clicking, an autoclicker, or rebinding controls.
• Will do around 3HP👁 ❤️
  👁 💔
  points of damage to the player.
• Only breaks 1 block per TNT used.

[Bug Used: MC-27056]

This method uses update priority and headless pistons to break bedrock. While it can seem needlessly complex to do this for one block of bedrock, it is the preferred method to destroy large quantities of bedrock.

Needs (mostly not counted, since there are many ways to use this method)

• Sticky pistons
• Pistons
• Redstone repeaters
• Redstone comparators
• Redstone blocks
• Redstone
• Blocks of any kind
• Obsidian^{[note 1]}
• Rails, 1 powered rail, 1 activator rail^{[note 1]}
• 1 minecart with TNT^{[note 1][note 2]}
• 1 lever^{[note 1]}

A video by EDDxample that shows how to break one block of bedrock in all directions:

This other video by EDDxample showcases a semi-automatic bedrock breaking flying machine:

This other video by EDDxample showcases a high-end automatic bedrock breaker:

Pros

• It can be done early in the game to clear a few bedrock blocks, since it does not require many resources.
• It can be done quickly after some practice.
• It can be easily extended to make some more automated machines.

Cons

• It is very complicated, and one mistake means you have to completely start over.

This method requires a one block deep 1×4 block trench in the bedrock directly above the Nether portal that brought you to the Nether. It only works with the ceiling of the Nether and requires that there are no other portals within 16 blocks in the Nether or 128 blocks in the Overworld. These are the materials you will need:

• A lot of transparent, non-spawnable blocks (glass, slabs, etc.) [note 1]

Note: This amount can change drastically depending on the situation.

1. Place the non-spawnable blocks on every top surface of every block within 16 blocks horizontally and all the way up and down between the bedrock barriers.
2. Break the Nether portal that brought the player to the Nether.
3. Build another Nether portal at least 16 blocks away and use it to travel back to the Overworld.
4. Go back to the original portal and use it to go back to the Nether. This portal should spawn at the Nether ceiling, breaking some more of the bedrock. Repeat this to break more bedrock.

This method works by removing all of the valid places for a Nether portal. It forces the portal to generate in the bedrock, replacing some of it with the obsidian frame.

Pros:

• It is incredibly easy to accomplish.
• It is very fast.

Cons:

• It requires a lot of work to prepare the area.
• It requires the player to have already used one of the methods above to break the bedrock needed to utilize this.

Revised method using portals:

This is similar to the exploding piston method. This method requires a number of pistons (for example, to break one bedrock, you need 2 pistons), a trapdoor, a lot of redstone, a lever, a full beacon powered with Haste II, a maxed out pickaxe and some temporary blocks. It also needs a mod called Tweakeroo.

First, place a lever and surround all sides of it with redstone. More redstone placed means the lag will last longer, but sometimes, the bedrock won't break if the lag is too long, so you would need to be precise. Set up a Haste II beacon, go to Tweakeroo settings, in the Generic tab, find "Fast Right Click Count" and set it to a number (in the tutorial it's 32), then in the Tweaks tab, find "Tweak Fast Right Click" and set it to true and optionally set a hotkey if you want. Then place a forward facing piston, a block on top, a redstone block on top of the block, a block beside the piston which would activate it, break the redstone block, place a trapdoor on the back of the piston, and right click on it, turn on the fast right click tweak and hold your right click, but make sure not to hold it too long. Then go to your piston, break the block beside the piston, enter crawl mode, break the piston (but make sure not to break the detached piston arm), and place down another piston, wait for a while and the piston should face forward again, break the piston and you would see it broke a piece of bedrock.

More information can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUfFWr9WCAs

Pros:

• You can repeat this process without losing any materials, unlike the method which uses pistons and TNT.
• You can break multiple bedrock blocks at once.

Cons:

• Quite expensive (needs a good pickaxe and a full Haste II beacon).
• Might take multiple attempts to successfully finish.
• Requires a mod.
• Because of the lag, if you have elytra on, you will behave weirdly if you open your elytra (minor issue).