How to Make a Soul Campfire in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Craft a soul campfire with 3 sticks, 1 soul sand (or soul soil) and 3 logs: stick on top, two sticks flanking the soul sand in the middle row, logs along the bottom. It burns with a blue flame and scares piglins away.

What you need

3 sticks
1 soul sand or soul soil
3 logs, stems or wood (any type)

Step by step

Craft 3 sticks from planks.
Get 1 soul sand or soul soil in the Nether (soul sand valleys are full of it).
Collect 3 logs, stems or wood of any type, including Nether stems.
Open a crafting table.
Place 1 stick in the top-center, soul sand in the center, sticks on either side of it, and the 3 logs along the bottom row.
Take the soul campfire and place it; it burns blue and never spreads fire.

Java vs Bedrock

The soul campfire recipe mirrors the regular campfire with soul sand or soul soil instead of coal, and it is identical in Java and Bedrock. Soul fire deals double damage per second compared to normal fire, the blue flame gives light level 10 instead of 15, and piglins flee from it, which makes soul campfires the cheapest piglin defense for Nether bases. Crafting one with soul sand and breaking it (drops soul soil) is the only renewable way to farm soul soil. It cooks up to 4 food items at once just like a regular campfire, with no fuel cost. Snow golems are not harmed by it, and bees ignore it unless it is directly under a hive.

Versions: javabedrock

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a campfire and a soul campfire?

Soul campfires burn blue, give light level 10 instead of 15, hurt twice as much when you stand in them, and repel piglins. Regular campfires burn orange with light 15. Both cook 4 food items at once and neither spreads fire.

Do soul campfires keep piglins away?

Yes. Piglins avoid soul fire, so soul campfires, soul torches and soul lanterns around a Nether base keep them at a distance without a fight.

How do you get soul soil without a soul campfire?

Mine it directly in soul sand valley biomes, or craft a soul campfire with soul sand and break it: it drops soul soil, the only renewable conversion.