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Beacons should reward you for using expensive materials

Let’s discuss beacon balance. Currently, the status effects of a larger pyramid will last longer and have greater ranges, which is excellent. However, I am disappointed by the fact that neither the ‘fuel’ used in a beacon nor the type of blocks used to build it have any effect on its performance. As a result, beacons are rather boring and one-dimensional. Here’s how I would fix that.

  • Give beacons a QP (Quality Point) score that is based on its composition. Iron blocks would contribute 1 QP each; gold and emerald 2; diamond 3; and netherite 5.
  • Replace the current weird fuel options with a single, unified one. I would use magma cream because it's not used very much and it is thematically connected to heat and the Nether.
  • Rework the GUI completely. Below is an example sketch I made for this

I don't have room to discuss the details of balancing this concept, but the general idea here is to introduce more interesting trade-offs when deciding how to build your beacon(s). If all you want are some low-level speed or haste, then you could get away with using fewer or cheaper materials. Alternatively, if you want regeneration and strength, then you might need to invest some diamonds to make it work.

Thank you very much for reading my idea!

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  • 1
    Registered User commented
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    I have to agree with you on rarer blocks offering better abilities. But you seem to have forgotten fuel in your post, as you talked about wanting that a bit.

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    I originally wanted fuel quality to be tied to the length of time the beacon would run, but since the current system lets you run your beacon indefinitely after fueling it just once, I was afraid that it would not be a popular idea :( Do you have any alternative options?

  • 3
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    The type of fuel (or maybe catalyst since it doesn’t run out) used could similarly contribute to the effects available, perhaps.  Like maybe if you sacrifice a diamond to the beacon rather than an iron ingot it would give you access to stronger effects using a smaller pyramid, and stronger effects than would normally be available on a full pyramid.

  • 1
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    @ClayGoddessSari That's an option but I'm afraid it would disincentivize making a pyramid out of expensive blocks. Maybe fuel should be dispensed with altogether? Or maybe we make a completely different item work as a catalyst, like redstone dust or something?

  • 2
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    Except they would work hand in hand.  Like you could get haste II from a level 3 pyramid made of expensive blocks and using an expensive catalyst, but only a combination of the two.

     

    Although my main worry with reworking beacons is making the whole system too complex.  I can just imagine needing a comprehensive wiki page to be able to figure out how many diamond blocks I need to include in my beacon to unlock a specific special effect.

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    @ClayGoddessSari Now I see. You're saying that the better quality the beacon, the more premium the fuel required. I like that.

    And as for complexity - the wiki page for beacons is already pretty complex :P

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    I’m actually not sure what I’m proposing.  Just that the better fuel and the better blocks would both add to the benefits you could get.

    The most nebulous is they would both contribute to the level of the effects available, but it would take using both a good block and a good fuel to get the best effects.

    A more concrete version is that better blocks increase the level of effects available and better fuel lets you choose more effects per beacon, or visa versa.

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    I like how specific this is more than the idea, most people on this site have bad grammar and aren't specific at all! so thank You, thank You

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    @ProfFox101 Thanks for the comment, it means a lot for someone to appreciate the effort. You're more than welcome to see my other posts for similarly presented ideas :) And if you have time, check out ClayGoddessSari's ideas too, they are really well thought-out.

    I will take a look at all of your ideas too sometime soon!

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    This idea hasn't gotten any attention in about six months, and I'd like to get some fresh feedback on it ^^

  • 2
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    I personally think the important thing is the fuel. The blocks are a one-time thing, and you could always break the pyramid down to get those blocks back at no net cost. It's really no different than keeping them in storage till you need them. This isn't to say there isn't work involved (and I absolutely agree hard work needs to be rewarded), I just think the important thing is what are you giving up to run it and keep it running. Destroying one diamond for an effect that will last forever isn't a huge sacrifice. Having to dump in a stack of blaze rods every few days is.

  • 1
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    What if the best beacon had to be made from bottom to top in gold, emerald, diamond, netherite? I feel like this would encourage exploration or automation. In addition to all this i think that getting 9 blocks of netherite with a beacon should be a fully powered standered beacon and 34 blocks of diamond as well. All the other materials would have to be a full pyramid.

  • 0
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    Galiantus Sorry for the late reply. I am sympathetic to your desire for increasing the work required to keep a beacon up and running. However, I think most people will dislike this, because most people see a beacon as a large amount of grindy work up-front in exchange for a convenient, easy-to-use long-term buff afterwards.

    In other words, you're proposing a massive increase in required effort for essentially zero increase in reward. That won't go over well.

    JAGBITE Maybe! I hadn't even thought about the impact netherite would have on this idea to be honest

  • 1
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    Each layer of neteorite could allow you to increase the level of any already available effect. Otherwise, netherite could have just 3QP (the extra effect level makes up for this, and you COULD get a level 5 effect from solid Netherite.

    Also, should EMERALD be that good? I think not. QP should be assigned to our materials as so:

    • Iron:2
    • Emerald:1
    • Gold:3
    • Diamond:5
    • Netherite:3

    And the following average QPs should give you (1 of) the following effects:

    1.5QP: same as post

    2QP: same as post

    2.5QP: same as post

    3QP: Glowing (like spectral arrows), Invisibility, Night Vision

    3.5QP: Absorption 2, Slow Falling

    4QP: Absorption 4, Regeneration 2

     

     

     

     

     

  • 0
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    That QP system would not work. Iron is the easiest to obtain and farm, it should be 1 QP. Gold is slightly harder to farm than emerald, but much easier to obtain. (I've built a gold farm but not an emerald farm, but I can see how an emerald farm wouldn't be hard to make using villager breeding) Gold and emerald should be 2 QP. Diamond is exponentially harder than any of the others, so it should be 5 QP. Netherite is exponentially harder than any of the others, so it should be 20 QP, so even a small amount of Netherite (Still hard to obtain) could reach max QP. I know that sounds OP, but to make a 20% netherite max beacon would take more than 1100 ancient debris. With the rest Iron it would take ~850 Ancient Debris, and with the rest gold/emerald it would take ~570 Ancient Debris.

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    Simon Wolliver I agree that emerald should not be as good because a good iron farm and an iron buying villager is endless emeralds. Since iron farms and toolsmiths(I think these buy iron?) are easy to get, emeralds are to OP.

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    Also, how would absorption work? Currently, if you have it then takes damage the absorption hearts go away and do not return, so how would that work with permanent absorption?

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    It should be the same as it is but using a diamond as fuel should give higher levels and using diamond blocks gives you higher levels.

  • 0
    Registered User commented
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    This must change yes or yes and the ideas of MacchuPicchu96 and the others are absolutely good but there is a small flaw here, what would happen if a player combines blocks for the pyramid? That is, it would not be an entirely iron or diamond pyramid (to give an example) but all the blocks will be from all valid blocks, whether in order or in disorder, there should be a scale of power in the faithful style of the altar of the mod "Blood Magic"? Now, the fuel or the catalyst could be a new item depending on the material or materials used in the pyramid or that if the minerals preset as "catalyst" (iron, gold, diamond, emerald and netherite) are kept that have a new mechanics of use for times, something like potions but focused on the beacon (iron: 3m, gold: 8m, diamond: 20m, emerald: 1h and netherite: no time), this would also encourage players to get better materials for the catalyst of the beacon to have a longer effect time, it could even be that when the beacon is running out of fuel, the light beam starts to blink or simply its "thickness" decreases (the visual appearance of the beacon would change to deactivated when the light is thin and vice versa); Now, if the time would not be adequate, what do you think if the "catalyst" acts in the range of effect? Clearer would be like a plus to the rank, iron: unchanged, gold: +4 blocks, diamond: +10 blocks, emerald: +18 blocks and netherite: +28 blocks and of course, it would act at the radius of the effect circumference.

  • 1
    Registered User commented
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    I think that the simplest change to beacons would just be to give a bonus to their range based on the types of blocks below them. This way it would be less technical to get the basic beacon upgrades, but the more expensive blocks get a farther distance. The only downside is that you wouldn't know the exact distance of the beacons effects if you cared before you make the beacon, but it would be easy to play around with  the blocks until you have the right distance if you are that far in the late game.

  • 1
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    What if instead of materials determining power, different materials determined different uses for the beacon? (With more expensive materials still offering more powerful effects.) In this manner, you could make a beacon entirely out of one material for the most powerful benefits of said material, or out of different materials to get the benefits of each. 

    * Beacon fuel has a new property: Players who put fuel into the beacon receive its effects, while others do not.

    Iron ~ Effects related to efficiency and productivity, could have effects related to mining and building. (Or preventing mining and building.)

    Gold ~ Effects related to speed, combat, and offensive power. Higher level beacons could even have a guardian style laser attack to defend the beacon itself.

    Emerald ~ Regeneration and Defense, could boost crop growth. Higher levels could create a defensive shield of some sort?

    Diamond ~ Highest level, (Primarily because diamonds are non-renewable), extremely powerful boons. (...Not quite sure what, but you get the idea.)

  • 2
    Registered User commented
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    Yes I like your thinking, but I think each level should add 20 blocks to its radius, and that there is no limit to how many layers you can do, so if someone wants to make like a 10 level beacon the range would be about 200 blocks and it doesn't matter what blocks are used. Also the fuel used should make better strengths so if you use gold or iron it might be level 1 and if you use diamonds or netherite ingots you get level 2 of whatever you choose

  • 1
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    I still think beacons should be limited to three tiers, even if different materials were given different specialties- this way it forces players to carefully consider which benefits they want. (Or go through the work of building multiple beacons to get the best of each different material.) More than three layers just seems a bit excessive, even with farms. 

  • 1
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    If you use a heavy core on a Beacon, the beacon should increase its radius by 10 and give you a Trial Key.