Redstone is likely the most versatile resource you can come across in Minecraft. Not only can it be used for creating certain items, but it is also used to power up certain blocks to get special utilization out of them. Enter the Dispenser, a block that can, as you might expect, dispense items out of it. Here is how to get your own Dispenser and how to make it work.
There are two ways to acquire a Dispenser in Minecraft. First, you can find them hidden away as a trap in Jungle Temples. Take a pickaxe and break it down to pick it up. If you try to take it without a pickaxe, only the contents inside it will drop.
You can also craft a Dispenser using seven blocks of Cobblestone, one Bow, and one Redstone Dust. It doesn’t matter how damaged the Bow is, so you can use one on the edge of being broken to craft the Dispenser. When using the crafting recipe, place the Bow in the middle slot, the Redstone Dust directly below it, and line the rest of the slots with the Cobblestone. It should look like the below image.
To use a Dispenser in your world, first, place an item inside it. The following items are best used in a Dispenser:
- Arrows
- Bone Meal
- Buckets (filled with water, lava, fish (will dispense water as well), or powder snow)
- Fire Charge
- Firework Rocket
- Spawn Eggs
- Throwables (Eggs, Splash Potions, Snowballs)
- TNT
- Tridents
Any item can technically be dispensed, but most will drop as a broken-down item, and some others like Minecarts only place the item in front of the Dispenser with no exciting effects.
Once you have items inside the Dispenser, you need to run a Redstone charge through it. This can be done with a Redstone Torch, Lever, Pressure Plate, etc. Once the charge runs through, it will randomly dispense one of the items inside, make a clicking sound, and wait for the next charge to dispense the next.
