Sat Oct 8. 2022
Many features in Minecraft's various versions are long out of date or removed from active development. This was the case with the Nether Spire structure in Minecraft: Pocket Edition. The Nether dimension was introduced in Pocket Edition's early development. It is commonly found in Minecraft's Java or Bedrock editions.
The Nether Spire, originally made of obsidian blocks in the early days of netherrack block implementation, was created from a Nether Core Block and was the only source for netherrack in Survival Mode.
The spire also produced Nether staples like zombie pigmen mobs, glowstone dust, and nether quartz. Players could take their Nether Core blocks and place them elsewhere to create another tower when the structure ran out of energy.
Although the Nether Spire was a curious addition to any Minecraft version, why didn't it remain in later versions? What happened? It was simply meant to be a placeholder that introduced players to certain aspects of the Nether, before it was fully implemented.
Minecraft: Pocket Edition didn't exist back then, and Minecraft: Bedrock Edition was not as well-known. Mojang wanted players to have some sort of Survival Mode. Worlds could only be 256×256 blocks to avoid overtaxing mobile platforms.
The Nether Core block was activated when players match the pattern and activate it. The players would have to deal the zombie pigmen who spawned just before the Nether Core's power expired. They could also collect the materials left behind by the spire.
The spire's creation also made the Minecraft world go to night. Players could cause a bug that would allow their worlds to remain in nighttime if they broke the Nether Core before it happened.
However, players who leave the spire will have to deal with other hostile mobs caused by Minecraft's nighttime such as creepers, skeletons and zombies.
Pocket Edition didn't originally have a lot of multi-touch capability. So, it was not easy to defeat all these enemies. Minecraft players who succeeded could enjoy the satisfaction of having essentially completed Pocket Edition's final content and received the rewards from the alien dimension created by the spire.
Once mobile hardware could render the Nether, the dimension was added to Pocket Edition. The Nether Spire was then phased out as it was no longer required.