Water is the most familiar liquid block found in the Overworld. When it is allowed to flow freely, it flows seven blocks horizontally from its source, but it can flow downward infinitely. When water hits still lava, the lava block is turned into obsidian. On the other hand, when flowing water hits flowing lava, cobblestone is created, whereas when still water is touched by flowing lava, stone is created. Players can utilize this to make "cobblestone/stone/obsidian generators", and make their blocks. If water is placed in the Nether via bucket, it will instantly be removed, making a black puff of smoke, though there is a glitch where one can place water in a cauldron in the Nether.
Some mobs can be drowned in water. This can be utilized strategically in traps. Water traps are most noted to be used against zombie pigmen. However, this trap can work on creepers. This is because water can also be used to prevent creepers from destroying any land or building. After all, explosions do not destroy blocks in water (they still damage entities). Certain mobs show an odd fondness towards the water, these mobs being the general peaceful mobs, such as pigs and chickens. Groups of pigs can be found bobbing in water, and the occasional chicken is seen floating in the water as well.
Water is also an important part of farming, considering that wheat, sugar cane, pumpkins and melons all require water to grow.
Bodies of water[]
A player can swim through the water when it is in the form of a large entity, such as an ocean or lake. When a player enters a body of water and submerges completely, a row of small bubbles will appear just above their hunger bar (beside the health bar in PE). This signifies a player's oxygen level. If a player stays underwater too long and the oxygen meter runs out, they will begin to drown. When drowning, a player steadily takes damage, and it is more difficult to surface, so this makes drowning a very irritating way to die. A player is slower to mine blocks in water: if floating, it takes 5 times longer, and if submerged, it also takes 5 times longer; when both of the aforementioned penalties apply, it is a 25x mining speed penalty.
Squids, dolphins, fish and drowned are often found in bodies of water, and fish can be eventually caught while fishing from any mass of water, big or small.
Water's effect on players (and mobs) can be affected by enchantments and status effects:
- Respiration (on helmets) will delay the decrease of the oxygen bar, and reduces drowning damage.
- Aqua Affinity (on helmets) removes the penalty for breaking blocks underwater, but not from floating.
- Depth Strider (on boots) can negate the speed penalty; at level III, a player is as fast in water as out.
- Water Breathing will keep a player's oxygen bar from depleting.
- Conduit Power will give players haste (increases the mining speed underwater), Night Vision (easier to see while underwater) and water breathing.
Destruction resistance[]
Water resists all types of explosions, including blasts from TNT. However, when TNT detonates underwater, the ground below it will be destroyed. This will cause the water to fall in and create unfilled areas, otherwise creating a vortex above-water that can be difficult to escape.
Trivia[]
- When water is above another block, droplets will fall from the block below it. These are visible if a player stands under it.
- A bucket of water can be emptied on a solid block, causing a large amount of water to flow outwards from the block the bucket was dumped on.
- Glitches and bugs can occur on the water since water slows a player and mobs down.
- When water is flowing downwards past the bottom layer of bedrock, the water will appear to flow downward, but never actually go into the Void.
- Players can create infinite amounts of water by digging three blocks in a line and placing two buckets of water in the corners. This will not work with lava.
- Or a 2 by 2 square and filling 2 corners
- Water is considered a deadly block because players can drown in it if they run out of air.
- If a player is between water and a Slab, a player will constantly keep jumping.
- Water can be used as an elevator too. To descend a vertical face such as a cliff, make two or three blocks (preferably cobblestone, but any solid block aside from sand and gravel will do), then on the last block furthest away from the cliff, pour a bucket of water. The water should flow down forever, and this can be used to swim upwards or downwards. (In 1.13, this is not the case because a player or enderman can place soul sand underwater causing any mob (except endermen and nether mobs) to swim up very quickly.)
- However, this is not very safe as unless there is a pool of water below, as if a player falls, they can die from fall damage. If going up the waterfall and being chased by a Skeleton, the arrows shot by the skeleton can still hurt, and potentially push a player out of the waterfall, causing them to fall and die.
- Any body of water can also save a player when they jump or fall from a high place. This is often used under a ladder, which can easily be fallen off of. However, do keep an eye on the oxygen meter, as drowning is possible.
- Water will occasionally be generated as a source block at the edge of a Ravine or vertical cavern without flowing into it, despite the lack of any solid block to keep the water out. This can be fixed by causing a block update (placing or removing a neighboring block, changing such a block's Redstone power state or a neighboring liquid block being affected by a block update).
- Because flowing water makes a distinct sound it can help in finding caves if a player is underground.
- Farm blocks can be fertilized by nearby water which speeds up the growth of crops planted on them. Water will fertilize all farm blocks within 4 blocks of it. This distance extends diagonally which means a single water source block will fertilize an entire 9x9 farm when placed in the center.
- When water is placed in the Nether on Bedrock Edition, it will turn red (creative mode only).
- In the Bedrock edition, the color of the water varies by biome.
- After 1.13 this is also true in Java but only for the new ocean biomes