Those of you that have followed me for a while probably remember my previous posts about stone palettes. When deepslate was released, I promised I’d do a third iteration of palettes using that family of blocks, but I have since put that off for far too long. Quite frankly, deepslate is too good. Each of the variants blend well together, as well as with the blackstone and basalt families of blocks. As such, it has been difficult to devise what my favorite deepslate palettes are, as I’ve used a number of different ones without clear preferences. Nevertheless, I’d like to share a few of the palettes I’ve created over the last couple months, as well as a few builds that incorporate deepslate.
Palette 1: Basic deepslate
Deepslate in its natural state is a really good looking block. However, like many blocks in Minecraft, when overused it can become monotonous to view, as there is little to break up the identical tiling of the blocks together. Thankfully, deepslate is a directional block like logs. This means that by rotating individual blocks in a deepslate wall, you can break up the texture while maintaining a consistent color. Personally, I think that using upright deepslate blocks and the top texture of deepslate blocks works really well. You can also use sideways deepslate blocks, but I feel this texture stands out too much and breaks everything up in a way that I don’t like. I also use occasional cobbled deepslate which blends in similarly while giving a slightly different texture. Finding the right balance between these blocks is subjective, so play around with them and see what works for you.
The difference between a basic wall and one with varied blocks is clear at a distance:
Palette 2: Deepslate bricks
As discussed in my original stone palettes guide, I am a huge fan of breaking up stone bricks with other blocks. The same can be said for deepslate bricks. Deepslate bricks have a slightly darker tone than the raw forms of deepslate but a lighter tone than deepslate tiles. As such, I find it works well to either blend deep slate bricks with raw/cobbled deepslate for a lighter overall tone, or with tiles for a darker tone, but not both unless you’re working with a large area and want light and dark separated patches. In the small sample for this palette I am not a huge fan of how it looks. However, when incorporated into larger builds, this palette has worked fantastically for me, such as in the example build below.
Palette 3: Dark deepslate
Deepslate tiles are far darker than any other deep slate blocks, so much so, in fact, that they work reasonably well when used with blackstone. Usually I would use blackstone more sparingly than this example, but different builders may have different preferences. Up close, I’m not a huge fan of this palette as there is still a pretty sharp contrast between deepslate tiles and blackstone, but in some builds it’s a useful tool to have. Take for instance this church, which uses a blended deepslate brick and dark deepslate palette for the roof to create contrasting areas of light and dark accents.
Palette 4: Basalt asphalt
Of course, basalt also blends well with deepslate. I came up with a number of different ways to blend these blocks, and so have chosen to show several of them, each with a somewhat unique feel. In all of them, the blocks I found worked well were deepslate, cobbled deepslate, the top side of basalt and smooth basalt. By simply changing the prevalence of each of these blocks, numerous different palettes can be created. I have chosen to call them basalt asphalts as they remind me of the surface of a road, though you could obviously use them for other purposes.
Palette 5: Tuff deepslate
This is the most experimental on the list, as I have yet to find a use for it in any of my builds. I thought I should at least include it in case it provides inspiration to anyone reading this. It’s just a mix of tuff, the top side of deepslate and occasional smooth basalt. Perhaps it would look good as part of a larger gradient.
Thank you for reading! I have more plans for block palette posts in the future, including tips for when and how to use these palettes, so follow me if you’d like to see more!
If you'd like to see my previous palette posts, here you go:
