How To: Make a Redstone Death Machine

Welcome to Minecraft World! Check out our advanced tutorials and come play on our free server. 

Oh, the power of redstone! But, what good is any technology if it can't be harnessed for killing? Here's a redstone build for the mad scientist in each of us.

Building the Death Machine

The death machine is simple, but dangerous. It's a grouping of dispensers filled with arrows in a square, which are powered by a redstone clock. Nothing is safe if it's in the line of fire of this thing.

Step 1 Make a Redstone Clock

We've gone over redstone clocks before, but they're so useful, they keep coming up again and again.

To make a redstone clock, position four redstone repeaters in a rectangle so that they can receive power from one another. Connect them with redstone wire. For best results, set one of the repeaters to a timing different from the rest. Be sure to set the other three repeaters to their fastest settings for the quickest of killing machines.

To activate the clock, place a redstone torch near one of the redstone wire connections and watch power run around the the clock. Now, quickly remove the torch before the clock makes a complete cycle. Your clock should now have power moving around it on a special timing. 

Step 2 Establish "The Death Array"

The harbingers of today's destruction will be dispensers filled with arrows. You'll need about eight, but the more the merrier.

Line them up on top of any block you wish—besides glass—in a square or rectangle. Set up about two or more on each side.

Make sure to fill them up with as many arrows as possible.

Step 3 Connect the Dispensers

Using redstone wire, run connections to each dispenser making sure that the wire runs into the block beneath the dispenser. Do not connect the circuit to the clock just yet!

Add repeaters to maintain signal as needed.

Step 4 Finish the Death Box

Be sure to beef up security by making the walls of your dispenser box as high as possible.

Step 5 Unleash the Pain

How you get your prey into your box is up to you. Will it be concealed as room for Pvp? Will you lure chickens in with wheat? Will it be large and dark enough to attract monsters at night? 

For my box-o-doom, I'll be going with the latter. Now I'll wait until night and see what appears. 

When you're ready to make some mayhem, complete the circuit by connecting the redstone circuit that runs around the dispensers to your redstone clock. Be sure to avoid standing in the killing machine when you activate it.

Position yourself so you get a good view!

They didn't stand a chance.

Redstone once again brings hours of entertainment and this time, it evened the odds. Zombies, skeletons, and spiders alike will think twice about messing with you when you've got one of these! Just kidding, they're fearless. 

If you liked this article join us today, Saturday at 4pm CST for our Weekly Workshop as we create some awesome monster traps!

Follow us on Twitter @MinecraftHowTo!