Aether Realms

Quickstart

1. Craft an Aether Key and a Celestial Gateway (recipes below).
2. Place the Celestial Gateway block anywhere in the Overworld.
3. Hold the Aether Key and right-click the gateway to open a portal into the Aether skylands.
4. Mine the glowing Aetherstone you land on for Aether Shards.
5. Right-click the gateway again (no key needed once you're in the Aether) to return home to exactly where you left.
6. Use /aether status at any time to check whether you have a saved return point.

Overview

Aether Realms adds a floating sky dimension called the Aether, reached through a craftable portal block. Instead of a natural biome to explore endlessly, it centers on a simple loop: build a gateway, step through with a key, gather glowing Aetherstone resources, and return safely to the exact spot you left in the Overworld.

What It Adds

How To Use

• Entering the Aether: Stand near a Celestial Gateway in the Overworld, hold an Aether Key in your hand, and right-click the gateway. Your position is saved automatically before you're whisked away.
• Returning home: While in the Aether, right-click any Celestial Gateway (no key required) to return to the Overworld. You'll land back exactly where you departed from, facing the same direction.
• No key on hand? The gateway will tell you it needs an Aether Key resonating with it if you try to use it without one.
• Gateway not working? If the Aether isn't ready to receive you, the gateway will let you know — simply try again shortly.
• Checking your link: Run /aether status in chat to see if you currently have a saved Overworld return point.
• Both Aetherstone and the Celestial Gateway block require a pickaxe to mine.

Crafting And Obtaining

Craft the Aether Key from amethyst, blaze powder, and an ender pearl:

Craft the Celestial Gateway from obsidian, crying obsidian, and an ender pearl:

Once you've gathered enough Aether Shards from mining Aetherstone in the Aether, you can compress them into more Aetherstone:

Abilities And Mechanics

• Persistent return point: Your last Overworld position is remembered per-player, even across server restarts, so you can always find your way back.
• Self-building landing platform: The first time someone arrives in the Aether, a small platform of Aetherstone (with a Celestial Gateway embedded in it) generates automatically around the landing spot, so you're never left falling through the sky.
• Glowing landmark: The Celestial Gateway emits light, making it easy to spot both as your entry point and as your way home.

Progression And Strategy

• Start by gathering the materials for one Aether Key and one Celestial Gateway — these are the only requirements to begin exploring.
• Once in the Aether, mine the surrounding Aetherstone for Aether Shards; each block drops several shards.
• Use collected shards to craft additional Aetherstone blocks, useful for building or expanding your own platforms in the Aether.
• Keep an Aether Key with you if you plan to make repeat trips, since it's required each time you enter from the Overworld side (returning trips do not require a key).