Build with It: Diorite!

Welcome back to Build With It, our weekly series designed to get you building with all the fun and fascinating blocks of Minecraft! This week, we’re going to work with diorite – a block that looks a bit like a mix of cobblestone and quartz. As illustrated by community member Xander above, diorite has the ability to bring out the best of both building materials.

If you’re looking to really open an area up in your build with texture and brightness, why not use diorite? It’s sturdy like andesite, but also brighter, which gives Minecraft builders both a very light and dark grey textured building material. Since diorite has a white base to it and tends to be available in abundance, it can easily be used in block-demanding builds that require a white color block. For example, try to combine it with obsidian to make a game board for checkers or chess, or give the appearance of a tiled hallway.

If the diorite’s texture is too rough or bold for you, it can always be polished, giving the block a distinctly modern, shiny feel – something that is perfect for both city buildings and sidewalks. While its texture can be a little overwhelming on its own, the possibilities for fun increase when you start mixing it up with other materials. To help kick off your creativity, why not consider adding a hint of grass or flowers to your diorite build (garden borders and pathways, anyone)? You could consider also breaking up a potentially monotonous feel with these textures by adding a stunning accent of dyed terracotta in your favorite shade.

Has last week’s acacia tips inspired you to pop a bit of color into your builds? Have you used more terracotta lately? Did you find a bit of appreciation and a little inspiration for Diorite today? Let us know by sending your great structures (a screenshot will do) over to FeatureMe@minecraft.net with some information about what you’ve created. We’re looking at featuring some “inspired by Build With It” builds in a future community roundup, so if you haven’t caught up to the rest of our series, there’s still time to get crafting!

Coming up, we’ll be talking about cobblestone, purpur, and prismarine (although not all at the same time)!