How to find and loot a Minecraft Nether Fortress

Last Updated: April 26th, 2022

Finding a Nether Fortress, whether you like it or not, is essential to “completing” a game of survival Minecraft.

Whether you’re a completionist, a speedrunner, or just working your way through your Minecraft world slowly, the path to the Ender Dragon always involves a trip through the Nether. Even if you were to stumble across a Stronghold by accident, you’ll still need to fill in the End Portal with Eyes of Ender (Eye of Enders?), an item with Blaze Powder in the crafting recipe. And if you can’t find the Stronghold, then Eyes of Ender will guide your way. Either way, you’ll need Blaze Powder, which can only be obtained from a Nether Fortress.

How do I find a Fortress in The Nether?

The trouble with this, especially for speedrunners or those who struggle in the terrifying landscape that is The Nether, is that Fortresses are not always that easy to find. Unlike Woodland Mansions or Ocean Monuments, there is no map to guide you on your way, and unlike Lush Caves, there is no landmark marking its spot. No, instead, you’ll just have to journey through the hot, dangerous underworld until you find one.

Nether Fortress Generation

Having said that, it might help to at least know what you’re looking for and how they generate. Firstly, Nether Fortresses spawn in the same way as The Nether Update’s Bastion Remnants. When generating, the world will split The Nether into sections of 368 by 368 blocks in Java Edition and 416 by 416 in Bedrock. There is then a border 64 blocks wide between these sections. A Nether Fortress or Bastion Remnant then has a chance of spawning in each of these sections, weighted towards Bastion Remnants. According to the Minecraft Wiki, there is only a 40% chance of a Fortress spawning instead of a Bastion Remnant in Java Edition, and 33.3% in Bedrock.

Which Biomes Can Have A Nether Fortress?

Nether Fortresses, unlike Bastion Remnants, can generate in any Nether Biome, therefore, you don’t need to avoid any biomes when looking for a Fortress. The different biomes in The Nether are:

• Nether Wastes
• Basalt Delta
• Crimson Forest
• Warped Forest
• Soul Sand Valley

What Y-level is a Nether Fortress?

A Nether Fortress can be found at most Y-axis, as it stretches to the bottom of The Nether. If there is a lot of space under the Fortress, for example if it spawns over a lava ocean, it will generate with Nether Brick pillars extending to the ground.

Nether Fortress Structure and Blocks

The best thing to bear in mind when looking for a Nether Fortress is that they are made of Nether Brick. Believe it or not, this dark red brick variant does stand out among other Nether blocks, even in Crimson Forests. Therefore it’s a good idea to make sure you’re keeping an eye out for any Nether Brick on the horizon or poking out of Netherrack. As a Fortress can be mostly covered in Netherrack, this is the best way to make sure you don’t miss one.

Nether Fortress Structure

A Nether Fortress has a couple of different rooms that can generate within it, but are not guaranteed. These are where you’re going to want to go for the main, Nether Fortress-exclusive loot. If you come across a staircase room, this should house Nether Wart at either side of the stairs. This is the only place, apart from Bastion Remnant Housing Units, to loot Nether Wart, required for brewing.

The other main location in a Nether Fortress is its Blaze Spawner rooms. As expected, each of these houses one Blaze Spawner, at the top of a short staircase, and the room itself can sometimes be covered by Netherrack.

A Nether Fortresses long, connected hallways, on the other hand, might be filled with roaming Zombie Piglins and Wither Skeletons, as well as some loot chests.

Mobs found in a Nether Fortress

Blaze

Blazes are the main mob you’re after in a Minecraft Survival world. As mentioned at the top of the guide, you need Blaze Powder in order to craft an Eye of Ender, essential in locating and opening the portal to The End. Blaze Powder itself is crafted from Blaze Rods, dropped from killing Blazes.

Blaze are a difficult mob to contend with, though, so you’ll need to be prepared. The best way to defend against their fireballs is with a Fire Resistance Potion, which will allow you to just go right up to them and hit them with a sword or axe without fear of death. Without it, you’ll need to be more methodical. Firstly, you could take a bow and hit them with a ranged attack. However, The Blaze’s attack is also ranged, so you’ll still want to protect against it. The easiest method for this is simply to build a pillar you can duck behind.

Each Blaze killed can drop 1 Blaze Rod, but it may not drop any. Killing a Blaze with a Looting-enchanted Sword will cause the Blaze to drop 0-4 Blaze Rods.

Wither Skeleton

If you’re a real completionist, you might not be here for the Blazes, but to spawn a Wither. A Wither is another Boss mob, like the Ender Dragon, but is spawned manually by the player and isn’t necessary to get to The End. However, if you just want to take on The Wither for the achievement or bragging rights, then you’ll need three Wither Skulls, dropped rarely from Wither Skeletons.

Wither Skeletons don’t hit very hard and only carry Stone Swords, but if they do hit you, will give you the Wither effect, which reduces your health over time, down to half a heart, so you’ll still want to be careful. Again, try hitting them at range with a bow so they can’t get close enough to hit you with the Wither effect.

Wither Skulls are an incredibly rare drop, with only 2.5% chance of dropping. According to the Minecraft Wiki, the Looting enchantment increases the chance by 1% per level‌ (Java Edition) or 2% per level‌ (Bedrock Edition), for a maximum of 5.5%‌ or 8.5%‌ respectively with Looting III, but of course this require killing them with an enchanted Sword. Their skull is always dropped if killed by a Charged Creeper.

Zombified Piglin

As with the rest of The Nether, you will also very likely come across Zombie Piglins as you explore Nether Fortresses. As usual, they are a neutral mob, but you’ll want to be especially careful not to hit one by mistake when you are battling Wither Skeletons or Blazes, as even an accidental hit will cause all nearby Zombie Piglins to turn on you.

Nether Fortress Loot

As well as Blaze Rods, Wither Skeletons and Nether Wart, you can find other valuable loot as you explore the halls of a Nether Fortress. Chests can be found lining the corridors, containing such precious and rare items as Diamonds, Diamond Horse Armor and Saddles.

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