If you want to make a Dispenser in Minecraft, you’ll need Cobblestone as well as a few other ingredients. Dispensers are great for making traps and for automating various tasks, so it can be useful to have a few.
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What You Need to Make a Dispenser
The main ingredient that you’ll need for making a Dispenser is 7 Cobblestone. Besides that, you’ll need 1 Bow and 1 Redstone Dust for this crafting recipe. On a Crafting Table, place the Redstone Dust on the bottom-middle slot and then place the Bow above it on the centermost slot. After that, surround them both with Cobblestone on all the remaining slots.
Where to Get the Ingredients for Making a Dispenser
You’ll likely end up getting more Cobblestone in Minecraft than you’ll know what to do with. Cobblestone is made when you mine a block of Stone. The only way to get a regular Stone block is to mine it with a tool that has the Silk Touch enchantment.
Redstone Dust is a bit trickier to find, however, you can locate some deep underground. This crimson powder drops from Redstone Ore blocks, which spawn between layers 1 to 16.
It’s possible for you to make a Bow with 3 Sticks and 3 Strings. Arrange the Sticks so that 1 is on the bottom-middle slot, 1 is on the middle-left slot, and the last 1 is on the top-middle slot. Following that, place the 3 Strings in the right column so that you fill it up.
Where to Find a Dispenser in Naturally-generated Structures
The only naturally-generated structure where you can find Dispensers are Jungle Temples. However, these aren’t as loot in a Chest, but as parts of a trap. If you manage to avoid getting skewed, you can break this trap and collect the Dispensers for yourself, which will likely have some arrows in them as well.
What You Can Do With a Dispenser
Dispensers have a wide variety of functions that involve outputting items and blocks. If you power one of them with Redstone, you can activate them from far away, or even set them up so that they work automatically. Due to a Dispenser’s range of functions, they can be used for defense, farming, and much more depending on what you put inside them. There are 9 empty slots inside a Dispenser where you can place items, with each slot being capable of holding an entire stack. You can use Redstone Torches, Levers, and more, alongside lines of Redstone Dust to make contraptions that feature Dispensers.
How to Use a Dispenser to Shoot Projectiles
Like how Dispensers appear in Jungle Temples, you can use them to set up some of your own defenses. Putting any kind of arrows inside of a Dispenser will allow it to fire them out of its frontal opening when the Dispenser is powered. Since arrows are the cheapest projectile to make, they are the best ammunition for a Dispenser trap. However, they are not the only kind of item that Dispensers can fire.
In addition to arrows, you can use a Dispenser to shoot Fire Charges, Firework Rockets, and even Tridents. They all function the same in that you just have to load a Dispenser full of these items and then power it with Redstone to begin firing them.
How to Use a Dispenser to Throw Items
Throwing items and firing projectiles work differently in Minecraft. There are some items that can’t be fired like a weapon but can still be launched in a chosen direction. Items such as Eggs, Snowballs, and Splash Potions fall into this category. You can place such items into a Dispenser for various reasons. With Eggs, you can use this as a way to spawn baby Chickens instead of breeding adult Chickens by feeding them. Though, with the Snowballs and Splash Potions, you can create some interesting defensive tools.
How to Use a Dispenser for Automated Farming
If you place Bonemeal into a powered Dispenser, the Dispenser will try to use the Bonemeal on whatever block is in front of it. By setting up a Dispenser filled with Bonemeal in front of some crops, you can grow plants faster. Since the Bonemeal will only get used when a plant will be affected by it, there are no wasted resources.
How to Use a Dispenser to Place Items
Dispensers will not always shoot, throw, or use items placed in them. With most common blocks, Dispensers will only drop them as items. However, there are some things you can put into a Dispenser that will cause it to place them. For example, Dispensers will place Boats on water if possible, as well as will try to place armor onto mobs that can wear it.
