Minecraft on the surface looks like a fun and friendly game for children and their families to play and explore. But under the surface, there are plenty of elements that can quickly turn Minecraft into a game that belongs in the horror genre.
The moment players build a Nether Portal and are able to travel through the gate to the Nether, it becomes a point of no return. For some, it’s an exciting adventure, but for others, it feels like a haunting and scary dimension where there’s nothing but misery and death waiting on the other side of the gate.
Updated January 31, 2022 by Jerrad Wyche: The new Cliffs & Caves update that was released for Minecraft in 2021 didn’t do much in terms of adding to the Nether, but rather focused on biomes and creatures in the overworld. This is due to a huge Nether-focused update happening in 2020, which helped revamp the alternate dimension, adding plenty of new biomes, items, and tools to craft and explore. Who knows what else might be added to the fire-infused landscape in the future.
13 Take A Deep Breath
Entering unfamiliar territory can be scary, so there’s no shame in traveling back to the overworld and taking a deep breath. There’s no reason to freak out or commit to something that will result in a ton of anxiety. It may seem scary or off-putting but most of that is likely due to it being slightly darker than normal and with mobs that spawn more unpredictably.
Explore at a reasonable pace and don’t be afraid to slowly increase the time spent in the Nether over time as it starts to become more familiar and less alien in overall feel. Also look out for the landmarks below so you know what to expect.
12 Warped Forest
Among the various biomes found in the Nether, the Warped Forest is considered one of its safest locations. None of the hostile mobs native to the Nether spawn inside this biome, but can wander upon it depending on what other biomes are near.
If you’re looking to gather vines, fungi, or warped roots this biome will have plenty of resources at your disposal. It’s often advised to build a Nether base in this biome as it has the lowest chance of being destroyed and will offer a safe place to gather one’s thoughts and traverse between the Nether and the Overworld as you see fit.
11 Craft Soul Items
Light sources are important in Minecraft as they deter mobs from spawning, but also add a layer of dynamic vibrancy. In the case of campfires, they also serve as a place for you to be able to cook food.
In the Nether you’ll be able to collect Soul Sand and Soul Soil, which can be used to craft Soul Campfires and Soul Torches. These variants burn a turquoise flame but come at the cost of a lower light level.
10 Explore Bastions
Bastions, or Bastion Remnants, are large castle-looking structures that spawn in the Nether. They’re mostly composed of Blackstone and serve as a more difficult version of a Nether Fortress.
In terms of enemies, you’ll mostly find Piglins, Piglin Brutes, and hoglins spawning in and around the structure. Bastions also have treasure rooms that can contain the Pigstep music disc, snout banner pattern, and magma cube spawner. These items can only be found inside these unique Nether structures.
9 Look For The Nether Fortress
The Nether Fortress is a structure that spawns in the Nether and is essentially a castle of sorts. It is the only place to obtain the maroon brick found in the Nether and is home to various enemy spawns.
Those looking to either fight Wither Skeletons or secure a Blaze spawner will need to find the Nether Fortress if they plan on accomplishing their goals. It’s kind of hard to miss once it’s found. Some players get lucky when they travel to the Nether for the first time as their gate can manifest next to or inside of the Nether Fortress.
8 Protect Your Footing
When traversing a newly built Nether Portal for the first time, it’s important to know that it creates itself in the Nether at an area that correlates with the overworld location. This means it can spawn in a lava pool with few blocks surrounding it. Due to this the safest way to enter is carefully, and don’t move on the other side until everything is loaded around you.
You should also come prepared with plenty of dirt and cobblestone. These will be essential in building safe paths that will allow you to navigate successfully. Some players even go so far as to use stone fencing to make the area around your portal even safer.
7 Familiarize Yourself With The Resources
Nether-exclusive resources are most certainly a thing, and over the years the developers of Minecraft have added significantly to the list of things that only exist in the Nether. From glowstone to blaze rods, it’s important to understand what you should keep an eye out for when exploring.
Even veteran players may need to refresh themselves with a quick search, so they can understand the newer materials that now exist. Knowing is half the battle in most situations, and researching Nether resources is no different. No new resources were added to the Nether in the Caves & Cliffs update, but there were more than a handful added to the Overworld that players must become familiar with.
6 Avoid Burning To Death
No one wants to die when playing Minecraft, but in the Nether it will happen more often. Not only can an accidental slip into the Nether’s lava ocean result in you burning alive, but the Ghasts and Blaze both shoot fire. This means that if either of those enemies lands a blow on you then you’ll be dealing with the same thing as if you fell in lava.
As such, fire protection is an amazing enchantment that can make you feel almost invincible as you try to conquer the Nether. It will really help when those almost inevitable slip ups happen.
5 Understand The Enemies
Combat is rather straightforward in Minecraft, but from time to time, enemies can surprise you with their behaviors and ability to dish out damage. Taking the time to familiarize oneself with the enemies in the Nether can prepare you for what you should avoid.
Knowing that the wither effect of the Wither Skeletons can kill you, unlike poison, is really important. Blaze only come from spawners, which means that if you run into them they know that a spawner is close by. Lastly, don’t ever attack a Zombie Piglin under any circumstances.
4 Gather Glowstone
An annoying part about the overall Minecraft experience in survival mode is the need to light up areas with torches to avoid the spawning of villainous mobs. Glowstone is a resource found in the Nether that provides an additional solution to that problem and can be crafted and placed in ways that aren’t as messy as torches.
You should focus on harvesting it when you find it since it will come in handy at some point, and it’s better to harvest it upfront than try and think about where it was spotted in the Nether. You’ll need a silk touch pick to mine the blocks intact, otherwise they’ll turn into dust which you’ll need four of to craft a new one.
3 Find A Blaze Spawner
Blaze and Wither Skeletons are the two enemies most closely associated with the Nether Fortress. The former has a drop called a blaze rod that is used in a handful of crafting recipes. Blaze are unique because they all originate from a physical spawner that you can deactivate by either destroying the spawner block or covering it in torches.
These spawners can also be manipulated in such a way that they can provide players with an area in which they can accrue tons of experience from defeating the fiery mob.
2 Scan Your Surroundings
Humans are strange creatures that share many similarities, but have plenty of characteristics that make each one pretty unique. When it comes to exploring there are those who take in what’s right in front of them and others who observe the entire picture.
Entering the Nether isn’t exactly safe, and taking in where exactly you appeared in relation to the rest of the Nether can help with acclimation and make the task of finding certain structures or resources much easier due to familiarity with the layout of things.
1 Protect The Gate
Upon entering the Nether it becomes clear that the gate in the Nether was created out of thin air. Players need to know that a blast from a Ghast can turn off the gate, and unless you are carrying flint and steel to reignite it you’ll be trapped in the Nether until you die.
A solid strategy is to bring cobblestone through the gate and immediately build a stone fortress for the gate. It doesn’t need to look nice as the aesthetics can come later, but this layer of protection will help you avoid the annoying hassle of having to relight the gate if/when it gets turned off. It also reduces the chance of you being hit when you come through as well.
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