Compass

Compass

Rarity	Common
Renewable	Yes
Stackable	Yes (64)

	“	Minecraft’s compass is fairly cheap to make — you’ll need four iron ingots arranged around redstone dust. You can occasionally find compasses in villages, strongholds and shipwreck chests... even librarian villagers often have one for sale. In the Overworld, the needle of the compass — the red bit — always points towards the world spawn. That’s true whether you’re holding the compass in your hand, in your inventory, on the ground, or in an item frame. Watch out, though — in other dimensions the laws of Minecraft physics don’t apply in the same way, and following a compass could lead you dangerously astray...	„
		— Duncan Geere

Compasses are an item used to point to the world spawn. They are crafted using 4 iron ingots and one piece of redstone dust.

Obtaining

Crafting

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Iron Ingot + Redstone Dust

Natural generation

Item	Structure	Container	Quantity	Chance
Java Edition
Compass	Shipwreck	Map chest	1	7.7%
	Stronghold	Library chest	1	10.9%
	Village	Cartographer's chest	1	26.3%
Bedrock Edition
Compass	Shipwreck	Map chest	1	7.7%
	Stronghold	Library chest	1	10.5%
	Village	Cartographer's chest	1	26.3%

Trading

Expert-level librarian villagers have a 50% chance to sell a single compass for 4 emeralds.‌^{[Java Edition only]}

Expert-level librarian villagers have a ¹⁄₃ chance to sell a single compass for 4 emeralds.‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

Usage

Normally, the compass' needle points toward the world spawn point; more specifically, it always points toward the northwest corner of the block whose coordinates are set as the world spawn. The compass points to spawn when viewed in any way, including as a dropped item, in a player's hand, in an inventory or the crafting table, or in an item frame. The compass that is shown on the topmost tab of the recipe book also points to spawn^{[until JE 1.16]}. The direction the needle points is relative to the player who is viewing it.

In the Nether or the End, the compass' needle spins and points in random directions.

‌In Java Edition 1.16 and Bedrock Edition 1.16.0‌^[upcoming], the compass can be used on a lodestone, after which it will point to that lodestone as long as the compass is in that dimension. If the compass is taken to a different dimension, it will spin randomly. If the lodestone is destroyed, the compass will revert to pointing to the spawn point in the overworld.

Crafting ingredient

Name	Ingredients	Crafting recipe	Description
Empty Locator Map	Paper + Compass		When the player first creates a map, it is blank. Hold the empty map and press use item to transform the empty map into a map item, which gradually begins filling with information as that player travels within its borders. This variation is called an "empty locator map" in Bedrock Edition, or an "empty map" in Java Edition.
Map (with marker)	Map or Empty Map + Compass		‌[Bedrock Edition only] Maps crafted from only paper do not show the location marker; to add it, a compass must be added to the map.

Anvil usage

Name	Ingredients	Anvil usage	Description
Locator Map	Map + Compass	Repair & NameMap	Bedrock Edition only. Maps crafted with only paper do not show the location marker; to add it, a compass must be added to the map.

Trading

A single compass can be sold to a journeyman-level cartographer villager for 1 emerald.‌^{[Java Edition only]}

A single compass can be sold to an expert-level cartographer villager for 1 emerald as their sixth trade.‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

A compass is also part of the cost of explorer maps:

• An ocean explorer map and‌^{[JE only]}/or‌^{[BE only]} a woodland explorer map can be bought from a journeyman-level cartographer for 12 emeralds and one compass, as part of their fifth trade.‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

• In Java Edition, apprentice-level Cartographer villagers offer to sell an ocean explorer map for 13 emeralds and a compass, and journeyman-level Cartographer villagers offer to sell a woodland explorer map for 14 emeralds and one compass.

Enchantments

A compass can receive the Curse of Vanishing enchantment, but only through an anvil.‌^{[upcoming: JE 1.16 & BE 1.16.0]}

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Namespaced ID	Translation key
Compass	compass	item.minecraft.compass

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Namespaced ID	Numeric ID	Translation key
Compass	compass	345	item.compass.name
Lodestone Compass	lodestonecompass	?	item.lodestonecompass.name

Advancements

Main article: Advancement

Icon	Advancement	In-game description	Parent	Actual requirements (if different)	Namespaced ID
	Country Lode, Take Me Home ‌[upcoming: JE 1.16]	Use a Compass on a Lodestone	Hidden in the Depths	Have a lodestone compass in your inventory.	nether/use_lodestone

History

Java Edition Alpha
v1.1.0					Added compasses.
Java Edition Beta
1.8		Pre-release			Compasses can now be found in library chests in the new strongholds.
Java Edition
1.3.1		12w21a			Librarian villagers now sell 1 compass for 10–11 emeralds.
1.4.2		12w34a			Since the mapping system has been changed, a compass can now be used to craft an empty map.
1.8		14w02a			Librarian villagers now sell 1 compass for 10–12 emeralds.
1.9		15w43a			The average yield of compasses in stronghold library chests has been increased.
1.11		16w39a			Cartographer villagers have been added, who buy compasses as their tier 2 trade.
1.13		17w47a			Prior to The Flattening, this item's numeral ID was 345.
		18w11a			Compasses can now generate in shipwreck chests.
Upcoming Java Edition
1.16		20w13a			Compasses can now be used on lodestones to make them point to the stones.
		20w14a			Compasses now have the LodestonePos, LodestoneDimension, and LodestoneTracked data fields. If LodestoneTracked is zero, the game skips checking for a lodestone in the specified position.
					Compasses can now have the Curse of Vanishing enchantment on them.
Pocket Edition Alpha
0.8.0		build 2			Added compasses.
0.14.0		build 1			Compasses must now be added to a map using an anvil to add the location marker.
Pocket Edition
1.0.0		?			Windows 10 Edition can now use the anvil, as well as the crafting table, to apply position markers, with compasses just as Pocket Edition can in general.
1.0.4		alpha 1.0.4.0			Librarian villagers now sell 1 compass for 10–12 emeralds.
1.1.0		alpha 1.1.0.3			Cartographer villagers have been added, who buy compasses as part of their tier 2 trade.
					Compasses used with emeralds can be used to buy explorer maps as part of cartographer villagers' fourth tiers trade.
Bedrock Edition
1.4.0		beta 1.2.14.2			Compasses can now be found inside map room chests in shipwrecks.
1.10.0		beta 1.10.0.3			Compasses can now be found in village cartographer house chests.
1.11.0		beta 1.11.0.4			Trading has been changed, cartographer villagers now buy compassess as part of their fourth tier trades.
					Compasses used with emeralds can now be used to buy explorer maps as part of cartographer and fletcher villagers' third tier trades.
					Librarian villagers now have a 1⁄3 chance to sell compasses for 4 emeralds as part of their fourth tier trades.
Upcoming Bedrock Edition
1.16.0		beta 1.16.0.57			Compasses can now be used on lodestones to make them point to the stones.
					Compasses now have the LodestonePos, LodestoneDimension, and LodestoneTracked data fields. If LodestoneTracked is zero, the game skips checking for a lodestone in the specified position.
					Compasses can now have the Curse of Vanishing enchantment on them.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1	CU1	1.0	Patch 1		Added compasses.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0					Added compasses.

Issues

Issues relating to "Compass" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Trivia

• A compass can be viewed under the item statistics page, as long as one has made a compass at some point in the past. It can also be viewed in the recipe book as the search tab's icon, or when the recipe for it if it has been unlocked.^{[until JE 1.16]}
• Using /setworldspawn to change the world spawn also changes where the compass points.
• The Lodestone Compass changes to a different texture from the normal compass in addition to receiving an enchantment glint.‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

Gallery

• 

  Purchasing a compass from a librarian villager.

See also

• Clock
• Navigation

References

Items

View at: Template:Items/content [edit]