You needed ten Glowstone blocks to build a portal without edges. Trading with Villagers is effective, but you would have needed several Emeralds to get enough Glowstone to build a portal. You needed four Glowstone Dust to make one Glowstone block. This method wasn't very effective, as Witches are very strong and only have an uncommon chance of dropping Glowstone Dust. Portals were activated by using a Bucket of Water at the bottom of the portal frame, the same way one would use Flint and Steel to activate a Nether Portal.Īs of newer versions, Aether Portals could be made before a player entered the Nether as Glowstone can be found easily by hunting Witches at night, or by trading with Villagers. Instead of the dark Obsidian block, the frame of an Aether Portal is built using bright Glowstone blocks. This activated the portal and created the blue swirls.Īether Portals were designed to look like the opposite of Nether Portals. Aether Portals were made by creating a five by four frame out of Glowstone blocks and then pouring a Bucket of Water inside the frame.