Black Beam or Total Disappearance? In Minecraft

Hello, explorers of cubic worlds! Once again, your loyal experimenter is here, unable to sleep peacefully if there’s even one untested hypothesis left in Minecraft. Today, we have a question on the agenda that, to be honest, has been bothering me for a while. We all know that colored glass tints the beacon beam in rainbow hues. But what about its mysterious older sibling — tinted glass?

My first thought was: «Well, it’s black, so the beam will turn black, right?» How wrong I was! To confirm or refute this theory, I conducted a field test. I donned my imaginary lab coat, built a pyramid of diamond blocks (because science demands sacrifices, preferably shiny ones), and activated the beacon. It was time for the truth.

Chapter One: Control Test

To ensure the purity of our scientific research, I first used regular blue glass. I placed it over the beacon and… voilà! The beam turned a beautiful shade of blue. Everything works like clockwork, the laws of Minecraft physics remain intact. Perfect, let’s move on. My heart was pounding with anticipation. I grabbed a stack of tinted glass I had crafted earlier. It looked stylish, gothic. A true emo material in the world of blocks.

Chapter Two: The Moment of Truth and Total Fiasco

I held my breath. Carefully, I placed the tinted glass block right in the center of the beam. And… nothing. The beam simply disappeared. It didn’t turn black, didn’t darken, didn’t start playing ominous music. It just turned off, as if someone had flipped a switch. Honestly, it was something else. I removed the block — the beam reappeared. Placed it back — it vanished again. This wasn’t a bug, it was a feature! Tinted glass completely absorbs the beacon’s light. My hypothesis of a black beam failed spectacularly.

So, what do we have at the end of this practical test? Let’s break down the pros and cons of this discovery.

Pros:

• Perfect switch: You can create a system that turns the beacon beam on and off using a piston to move the tinted glass block. It’s a great way to send signals on a server or simply make your base more high-tech.
• Hidden beacons: If you need the beacon’s effects (like speed or haste) but the beam itself ruins the aesthetics of your build, tinted glass is your savior. Just cover it, and no one will know your little secret.

Cons:

• No black beam: The biggest disappointment for all gothic enthusiasts. Dreams of a sinister black pillar of light piercing the sky above a vampire castle were shattered by harsh reality. Alas.
• Useless for decoration: Unlike colored glass, tinted glass in this context doesn’t add beauty. It simply… removes it.

Conclusion of my scientific work: Tinted glass is not a decorative element for the beacon but a functional one. It’s a kind of light-blocking cover that gives us new possibilities for creating mechanisms. Although, I must admit, I’m still a bit disappointed by the lack of a black beam. What do you think? Have you already come up with ways to use this «switch» in your worlds?