Hidden deep within the Nether’s fiery depths lies the secret to crafting the rare Dried Ghast Block-a material prized by builders for its eerie glow and haunting texture. Here’s how to obtain it before your next venture turns to ash.
But the latest Summer Drop 2025 lets players get some small and grumpy dried ghast blocks from the Nether and nurture them to make them into something much more. But our journey begins with this first block itself. So, if you want to start with us, keep reading as we show you how to get dried ghast block in Minecraft right here.
How to Get Dried Ghast Block in Minecraft
The Dried Ghast Block can be obtained by smelting a Ghast Block in a blast furnace or regular furnace. To craft a Ghast Block, players must gather Ghast Tears from the Nether and combine them with Soul Sand. Once smelted, the block changes color and texture, gaining a smoother, lighter surface. Dried Ghast Blocks are popular for building and decoration, especially in Nether-themed bases.
Dried ghasts are small, grumpy-looking white blocks, only found in the Nether dimension in Minecraft. So it might be a little tricky if you have just created a new world and there’s no Ruined Portal nearby. Ruined Portals are surrounded by Netherrack terrains and found in all the Overworld and Nether biomes except for the Deep Dark. These can appear on the ground, or you might need to explore a bit if they’re underground or deep inside the oceans.
Once you find one, you must get some obsidian, a flint and steel to light up the portal, and enter the Nether world. Once there, you can follow the three simple ways explained below to get your first dried ghast block in Minecraft:
1. Find Dried Ghast Blocks Naturally
Dried ghast blocks naturally spawn in the Soul Sand valleys in the Nether dimension. You’ll find these valleys almost anywhere in the Nether except around the Warped Forest biome. They comprise mainly the soul sand and soul soil blocks, which are greyish brown.
So once you spot these valleys, you’ll soon find white Nether fossils. As you go near them, the dried ghasts will be poking out in between the bone blocks. Remember to search for these fossils first because there’s a 33.3% chance of the dried ghast blocks.
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Now, you can collect these blocks by either breaking them with your hand or using any tool. However, do note that you should be careful of the skeletons here as they can shoot arrows at you, so carry a shield during this venture.
2. Crafting Dried Ghast Blocks
The second way to get them is by crafting dried ghast blocks yourself. These require some basic materials that you can find in the Nether itself. All you need is 8 ghast tears and 1 soul sand Block. The former can be obtained by killing the ghasts, while the latter is readily available in soul sand valleys.
Once you have them, bring up or make a crafting table and then place the collected items. The soul sand block will go in the center with the ghast tears surrounding it. This way, you’ll get 1 dried ghast block. If you’re still confused, refer to the image above.
3. Bartering with Piglins
The final way to get a dried ghast block in Minecraft is by bartering with the Piglins in the Nether dimension. You’ll find Piglins all over this hellish place. However, ensure you’re wearing at least one piece of gold armor. This will make you blend in and avoid any fights.
To barter with a Piglin, all you need are gold ingots, which you can find both in the Overworld and in the Nether. Throw a piece of gold ingot before the Piglins, and they will pick it up to examine it.
A few seconds later, they will throw a resource item towards you. There is a 2.13% chance that this item will be a dried ghast block. As you can see, the chances here are slim. So, if you want to get a ghast block, then we do recommend sticking to the two methods above.
Best ways to farm Ghast Tears efficiently in the Nether
Ghast Tears drop from Ghasts in the Nether, essential for crafting Dried Ghast Blocks and potions.
Nether Roof Farm
Build an automatic farm on the Nether roof (Y=128+ after breaking bedrock). Use wither roses on netherrack platforms to damage Ghasts on spawn, hoppers or minecarts to collect tears, and glowstone strips to control light levels around 12 for optimal spawning.
Soul Sand Valley Setup
In Soul Sand Valleys, create spawn-proofed platforms with wither roses on dirt/netherrack grids above the bedrock ceiling. Position a hopper minecart on rails to gather drops automatically; adjust AFK spot for best mob cap usage.
Manual Hunting Tips
Light up nearby areas to force Ghasts into a kill zone, use Looting III sword or bow for 0-3+ tears per kill, and stay solo in the Nether to maximize spawns (other players reduce rates).
How to build a ghast farm on the Nether roof step by step
Ghast farms on the Nether roof exploit high spawn rates in soul sand valleys by damaging Ghasts with wither roses for automatic collection.
Preparation
Access the Nether roof (Y=128+) above a soul sand valley by breaking bedrock with a diamond/pickaxe method or piston exploit. Gather materials: 50 obsidian per portal (21×4 frames), building blocks (126 for first platform, 63 per extra), glass stacks, hoppers/chests, soul sand, wither roses (farm from trapped Wither), and slabs for spawn-proofing.
Build Spawning Platforms
Place unlit Nether portals 21 blocks long, 4 high, spaced 3 blocks apart with solid blocks filling gaps. Add 3-block-wide platforms on both sides of each portal for Ghast spawns. Cover top portals with slabs to prevent other mob spawns.
Link to Overworld Kill Zone
Note center coordinates, multiply by 8 for Overworld portal spot; build and light a small portal there. Light Nether portals-they link to this Overworld site. Build a 10×10 soul sand platform with wither roses (checkerboard for efficiency), hoppers/chest below, and glass walls to contain Ghasts.
AFK Spot
Pillar up from farm center to Y=235 with a platform. AFK here to load only the farm area, maximizing Ghast spawns; collect tears from Overworld chests.
