How to find a Nether Fortress in Minecraft

Nether Fortress is a rare structure found in the Nether dimension of Minecraft. It contains many important end-game materials and in this guide, we’ll teach you every way to find a Nether Fortress in Minecraft.

For a lot of players, beating Minecraft involves going to The End and defeating the Ender Dragon. For others, it’s a non-competitive game where you can make your own servers, build houses, play mini-games, craft items, and countless other things.

If you’re someone who wants to beat the Ender Dragon, then visiting the Nether is a necessary step for you. The terrifying dimension is filled with lava lakes that can end your journey in seconds. However, you also have structures like a Nether Fortress that are highly rewarding.

On that note, here’s how to find a Nether Fortress in Minecraft.

• What is a Nether Fortress in Minecraft?
• How to find a Nether Fortress in Minecraft
  • In-game commands.
  • Seeds.
  • Exploration.

What is a Nether Fortress in Minecraft?

Nether Fortresses are large structures made of Nether Bricks that are exclusively found in the biomes of the Nether dimension in Minecraft. A fortress typically has two areas comprising bridges on the outside and corridors on the inside.

Other elements of the Nether Fortress include blaze spawners, lava well rooms, and chest corridors but you might not see them all at once.

You can come across zombified piglins, skeletons, and magma cubes mobs in a Nether Fortress. On top of that, it is the only place where blazes and wither skeletons spawn.

Nether Fortresses are so popular because of their loot which includes Gold Ingots, Diamonds, saddles, and Obsidian.

How to find a Nether Fortress in Minecraft

There are three ways to find a Nether Fortress in Minecraft:

• In-game commands.
• Seeds.
• Exploration.

How to use commands to find a Nether Fortress

Follow these steps to activate the locate command in Minecraft and find the nearest Nether Fortress:

1. Go to your in-game Settings and toggle the Activate Cheats setting to turn them on. In the Java edition, you’ll have to go deeper into the LAN settings.
2. Make a Nether Portal with Obsidian and head to the Nether.
3. Open your chat.
4. Type /locate structure fortress if you’re playing Minecraft 1.19 or higher and type /locate fortress for previous versions.
5. Upon execution, the command will show you the coordinates of the nearest Nether Fortress.

You can either turn on the coordinates and visit the location manually or use another command to teleport directly. For more information on commands, you can check out our guide on command blocks in Minecraft.

How to analyze seeds to find a Nether Fortress

Follow these steps to find a Nether Fortress in Minecraft by analyzing your seed:

1. Visit Chunkbase’s seed map.
2. Use the /seed command to know your world’s seed.
3. Enter your seed on the website. Choose the correct version and set the Dimension as The Nether.
4. A map of your world’s Nether will appear.

On the map, all the structures marked with a blaze face are Nether Fortresses. You can simply note down the coordinates and then visit the fortress.

To start your journey in a comfortable way, you can check out our list of the best seeds in Minecraft.

Do note that commands are considered cheating by many Minecraft players. If you agree with them and want your gameplay to be ‘fair,’ exploring is your only option but we have some tips to help you with that as well.

How to find a Nether Fortress without commands in Minecraft

Although stumbling upon a Nether Fortress in Minecraft without commands is a matter of luck, remembering these tips can help in boosting the odds:

1. Nether Fortresses generally spawn near lava oceans. If you find an ocean, the fortress shouldn’t be too far away.
2. A Nether region cannot have a Nether Fortress as well as a Bastion Remnant. If you find a Bastion Remnant, head to another region to continue the search. A region in the Bedrock edition is 480 x 480 blocks and 432 x 432 blocks in the Java edition.
3. You can pick a direction (including diagonal ones such as northwest and southeast) upon entering the Nether. Walking straight in one direction for long enough should help in reaching a Nether Fortress.
4. Players with a strong GPU can increase their game’s render distance. By sacrificing some performance, you’ll be able to see a lot more area and spot a Nether Fortress from far away.
5. Look for Nether Fortress-exclusive mobs like Blazes and Wither Skeletons. They can easily lead you to the closest fortress.

On top of all this, we recommend carrying your best tools and armor because the Nether is simply merciless.

Moreover, do not lose hope if you’re unable to find a Nether Fortress as quickly as expected. Mojang’s sandbox title has several elements like potions, enchantments, and servers that you can explore while taking a break from searching a Nether Fortress.

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We hope this guide helps you find a Nether Fortress in Minecraft. For similar content, you can check out our crafting guides for a composter, a book, a map, Blast Furnace, spyglass, fireworks, cake, boat, and TNT.

Image Credits: Mojang