How to Get Crying Obsidian in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Crying obsidian cannot be crafted. Get it by bartering gold ingots with piglins (about a 9% chance per trade for 1-3 blocks) or by looting ruined portals, where it generates as part of the structure and in their chests. You need a diamond or netherite pickaxe to mine it.

What you need

Gold ingots for bartering (or ruined portal loot)
Gold armor piece (so piglins stay neutral)
Diamond or netherite pickaxe (to mine it)

Step by step

Craft or find gold ingots: mine gold ore in the Nether or badlands, or smelt gold tools and nuggets.
Find piglins in the Nether: they live in crimson forests and Nether wastes, and crowd around bastion remnants.
Wear at least one piece of gold armor so adult piglins do not attack you on sight.
Throw gold ingots at piglins (or right-click them with an ingot). Each trade has roughly a 9% chance to return 1-3 crying obsidian.
Check ruined portals too: the structure itself is built partly from crying obsidian, and its chest can contain more. A diamond or netherite pickaxe is required to mine the blocks.
Use crying obsidian to craft a respawn anchor: 6 crying obsidian plus 3 glowstone blocks. It cannot build a Nether portal and it cannot be moved by pistons in Java.

Java vs Bedrock

Crying obsidian behaves the same in Java and Bedrock: uncraftable, bartering and ruined portal only, harvestable only with diamond or netherite pickaxes. In Bedrock, pistons can push it; in Java they cannot.

Versions: 1.16 (Nether Update)

Frequently asked questions

Can you craft crying obsidian?

No. There is no crafting recipe: it only comes from piglin bartering and ruined portals.

What is crying obsidian used for?

Its main use is the respawn anchor (6 crying obsidian + 3 glowstone), which lets you set your respawn point in the Nether. It is also a decorative block with purple drip particles.

What pickaxe do you need for crying obsidian?

Diamond or netherite. Anything weaker breaks the block without dropping it, same as regular obsidian.

Can crying obsidian make a Nether portal?

No. A portal frame built with crying obsidian cannot be lit. Only regular obsidian works for portals.