

In the Nether, lava is plentiful, but water cannot be used to drench it there. Lava underground or at the base of ravines can be drenched by a natural spring, and lava at the base of an ocean ravine will be drenched by the water above it. In the Overworld, obsidian technically does not generate with the terrain, but it can appear where natural lava pools are drenched by water.

If created in midair, the portal can generate with four more blocks as ledges, which can also be mined. This will be made of at least 14 blocks of obsidian, but the four corner blocks can be mined without affecting the portal proper. Whenever a Nether Portal is created (to or from the Nether), a destination portal can be created. Obsidian can also appear as items in several loot chests, notably in villages, ruined portals, and bastions. Several structures can contain blocks of obsidian: Ruined portals (in the Overworld and Nether), the rare woodlands mansion, and End ships all contain blocks of obsidian.

Until recently, drenching lava was non-renewable, but Version 1.17 introduces a new mechanic for farming lava, using pointed dripstone and cauldrons. The simplest and most common method is to pour water over lava source blocks to "drench" them, either in a naturally-occurring lava pool or transported in buckets. There are several places obsidian can be found: Obsidian farming refers to methods of obtaining large quantities of obsidian.
