TL;DR – First Time in the Nether and Low-Key Terrified?
- Protect your portal spawn and write down the coordinates before you wander off.
- Wear at least one piece of gold armor, and bring tons of blocks, food, and a bow.
- Pick one direction, mark your path, and scan big lava lakes for a fortress while avoiding the 5 common softlocks in Section 5.
Quick “Bring List” for Your First Nether Trip
- ✅ At least one piece of gold armor (boots are fine)
- ✅ Lots of blocks (for bridges, walls, and panic shelters)
- ✅ Plenty of food (bread/steak etc.)
- ✅ Torches or obvious marker blocks
- ✅ Bow + arrows (a big help against Ghasts & Hoglins)
- ✅ Potions of Fire Resistance if you can afford them
- ✅ Portal coordinates written down (seriously, do this)
Hi, I’m Yuzukaki.
The Nether is… pretty scary, right?
The mobs hit hard, lava is everywhere, and one bad move can mean losing everything.
👉 That’s just how the Nether is built.
But if you go in with the right knowledge and a good checklist, the Nether stops being “pure horror” and turns into “dangerous, but manageable.”
In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to explore the Nether in Minecraft Java without getting hopelessly lost, and how to actually make it to a Nether Fortress, mixing in my own failures and little discoveries along the way.
Early on, I kept jumping into the Nether in survival, dying, and losing all my stuff. My motivation dropped to almost zero…
But once I figured out a few key points, it still took time, yet I finally managed to track down a fortress.
I’ll share the struggles and “oh wow” moments I scribbled into my old notes so you can get that “this is what it really feels like” sense, not just textbook theory.
So, let’s get you ready together and make your first Nether trip a lot less painful.
Table of Contents
- What Is the Nether?
- Preparing for Your First Trip to the Nether
- Beginner-Friendly Nether Strategy: First Steps
- How to Find a Nether Fortress (Safely)
- 5 Common Nether Softlocks (and How to Fix Them)
- Wrap-Up – What Awaits After You Find Your First Nether Fortress
- FAQ
1. What Is the Nether?
The Nether is an alternate dimension in Minecraft Java – basically another world layered under the Overworld.
It’s a dangerous place full of lava, fire, and Piglins, but it’s also where you’ll find key items like Blaze Rods, Nether Wart, and Ancient Debris that you can’t skip if you want to beat the game.
- When you step through a Nether portal, you enter a dark, hostile landscape that looks nothing like the Overworld
- If you don’t wear any gold armor, Piglins will treat you as an enemy
- There are tons of lava lakes and cliffs,, so the risk of falling to your death or burning in lava is very high
You have to find a Nether Fortress and get Blaze Powder if you want to craft Eyes of Ender and activate the End Portal to fight the Ender Dragon. In other words, if you’re serious about progression, you can’t avoid the Nether.
I remember thinking, “I can’t just keep building villages forever… I really need to go to the Nether at some point,” and by then my gear was still underwhelming.
At first I didn’t even have a full set of iron armor, so I rushed to build an iron farm (Iron Golem trap) and sat in the AFK room farming iron like crazy.
The Nether absolutely is scary, but if you go in with proper gear and a plan, you’ll be okay.
Let’s walk through a safe way to hunt for a fortress, so you can take that first step with confidence.
2. Preparing for Your First Trip to the Nether
(1) How to Build a Nether Portal
To reach the Nether, you need to build a Nether portal frame out of obsidian and then light it on fire.
- Build a vertical rectangular frame using obsidian, at least 4×5 blocks in size
- Use a flint and steel to light the inside of the frame
- When a purple, swirling field appears, your portal is ready
→ Step through, wait a few seconds, and you’ll be transported into the Nether.
Little tips:
- Portal frames can be as small as 4×5 and as large as 23×23.
- You can mass-produce obsidian by placing lava source blocks and then pouring a water bucket over them.
- Some players rush the Nether by using natural lava pools on the surface to build a “speedrun-style” portal with just water and a bucket.
(2) Gear & Items You Should Bring
The Nether is brutally dangerous. On my first run, I went in with no gold armor, thinking “I’ll just take a quick look,” and got absolutely shredded by Piglins.
If you’re a beginner, it’s much safer to over-prepare.
- Gold armor (at least one piece, usually boots)
- Without this, Piglins will come after you fast.
- I usually go with “gold boots + the rest iron armor” for early trips.
- Lots of blocks
- For building bridges, blocking lava, making safe floors, or throwing up emergency walls.
- Food (bread, steak, etc.)
- You’ll take damage a lot; you want regen going as often as possible.
- Nether runs tend to turn into long expeditions, so bring more than you think you need.
- Torches or obvious marker blocks
- The Nether’s terrain looks very similar everywhere, and it’s insanely easy to get lost.
- Bring a block you can clearly see from far away to use as breadcrumbs.
- Bow and arrows (ideally an Infinity bow)
- Great for shooting down Ghast fireballs and sniping Hoglins from a distance.
- Especially against Ghasts, not having a bow can be pure suffering.
- Potions of Fire Resistance (if you can get them)
- Huge safety net against lava and fire damage.
- I couldn’t always afford them early on, but once you have them, they feel like cheating in a good way.
From my own runs:
- Before going to the Nether, I made sure to farm iron with a Golem trap and then crafted my gold boots so I wouldn’t forget.
- On my very first proper Nether trip, I forgot the gold armor, walked in like “let’s gooo,” and got instantly dunked by Piglins. Full death, full item loss. I had to rebuild everything from scratch. From then on, I treat gold boots like a passport.
3. Beginner-Friendly Nether Strategy: First Steps
(1) Secure the Area Around Your Portal
Honestly, the moment you first arrive in the Nether is one of the most dangerous moments.
When I went in the first time, I heard a Ghast scream overhead like “Ghhhuooo… BOOM!” and a fireball landed right next to me. Instant panic. 👼
So first step: turn the portal area into a mini-base with walls and a roof.
- Use Netherrack, cobblestone, or whatever blocks you have to build walls around your portal
- Add a door or fence gate so mobs can’t walk in on you
From experience:
Once you build this “portal bunker,” you really feel how important it is.
After a few trips, I noticed Piglins literally waiting for me right next to the portal.
If you set up a safe room early, you always have a calm place to retreat to, sort your items, and think.
(2) How Not to Get Completely Lost
The Nether is like a maze where every corridor looks the same. Just walking a little bit can leave you thinking, “Uh… where am I?”
Basic anti-lost toolkit:
- Use F3 to note down coordinates (honestly, this is mandatory)
- Make simple arrows on the floor with blocks pointing toward your portal
- Place tall pillars or bright blocks that stand out from the terrain
- In my world I once built a big pillar of iron blocks over a lava lake as a lighthouse… slightly overkill, but it worked
- Taking screenshots with coordinates visible is also a solid option
From experience:
I’ve had runs where I lost my sense of direction so badly that I wandered for ages, lost everything, and had no idea how to get home.
Once, I finally saw a Strider I wanted to ride, but I couldn’t remember my way back to the portal at all. Just going home took hours.
After that, I swore to always leave a clear trail. It feels like a hassle while you’re doing it, but it absolutely pays off later.
(3) Pick a Direction and Commit
When you’re searching for a Nether Fortress, it helps a lot to choose a direction and go mostly straight.
That way you can keep track of where you’ve already searched.
I’d do things like: “Okay, from the portal, let’s go in the positive X direction for 500–1000 blocks,” and then build long bridges out of dirt, cobblestone, or warped wood.
To be honest, I almost gave up a few times because I wasn’t finding anything… but having one big “highway” meant I always knew how to retreat safely.
As you travel, you’ll pass through all sorts of Nether biomes – creepy but actually pretty beautiful in their own way:
- Crimson Forest – full of Hoglins; very dangerous. Best to snipe them with a bow and build walls.
- Warped Forest – packed with Endermen, but relatively safe from other mobs. Feels like a weird, peaceful zone.
- Soul Sand Valley – Ghasts spawn like crazy, and soul sand slows your movement. Maximum anxiety.
- Basalt Deltas – uneven terrain plus tons of Magma Cubes. Careful not to get knocked into lava.
- Nether Wastes – the “classic” Nether, open and familiar once you get used to it.
From experience:
I once got launched by a Hoglin straight into lava and lost literally everything.
Ever since then, whenever I see a Crimson Forest I unconsciously slow down and think, “Yeah, maybe I’ll go around this one…”
4. How to Find a Nether Fortress (Safely)
(1) What Is a Nether Fortress?
A Nether Fortress is a huge structure made of Nether bricks, almost like a castle floating in the Nether.
The Blaze Rods you get there are needed to craft Eyes of Ender, so they’re absolutely required if you want to activate the End Portal.
In a fortress, you’ll find:
- Wither Skeletons and Blazes spawning regularly
- Nether Wart farms, which you need for potion brewing
- Chests that can contain gold items, armor, and other loot
From my old notes:
When I read back through my journal from that time, I can tell how hard I struggled to find one.
Stuff like “Went 500 blocks on the X axis and still nothing,” or “Tried circling around via Z and still no fortress,” or “Got blasted by a Ghast and had to retreat again.”
It was a lot of trial and error before I finally spotted it.
(2) Step-by-Step: How to Search for a Fortress
Let’s turn the “how to find a fortress” part into a simple operation you can repeat.
Step 1: Build a viewpoint over a big lava lake
- Fortresses often stand out best when you can see far across open space.
- Whenever you reach a large, open area or lava sea, make a little platform and look around 360°.
- Use your render distance as high as your PC can handle – sometimes you’ll just catch a bit of Nether brick in the distance.
Step 2: Pick a direction and push a main highway
- Don’t walk in random zigzags; that just increases the chance you miss stuff.
- Choose a main direction (e.g., “positive Z”) and build a long, straight corridor or bridge.
- As you go, place:
- Side walls or railings with sturdy blocks like cobblestone
- Frequent markers and signs/torches
- Occasional “safe rooms” where you can retreat if things get bad
- This way you can say “I’ve already checked this line” and then move to another direction if needed.
Step 3: Don’t overthink the Y-level
- Fortresses can generate at various heights, so don’t lock yourself into one altitude.
- Digging sideways and peeking into open areas can help, but the big win is still covering ground safely.
In my world, I eventually found my fortress by going straight along the Z axis from my portal until I reached a huge lava lake.
On the way, I actually found a Bastion Remnant (a Piglin-built fortress) first and went “Whoa, what’s that?!”
But when I pushed just a bit further beyond that, I finally saw the deep red Nether brick structure in the distance.
I was so relieved I took like ten screenshots in a row. 📸
(3) Once You Find One, Build a Safe Way In
Once you’ve spotted a fortress, don’t sprint straight at it and yolo-jump in. Take a second and approach safely:
- Build bridges and ladders to reach the outer walls or support pillars
- Near the entrance, set up a mini-base:
- Walls and a roof so Ghast fireballs can’t hit you
- A chest to store backup gear
- A safe staircase or ladder up and down
- Inside, the corridors and staircases are dark, so light things up to help you navigate and reduce natural spawns in the areas you’re using as a “camp” (note: spawners will keep doing their thing until you deal with them)
From experience:
When I was first getting close to my fortress, a Ghast almost blew out part of my bridge and sent me into the lava.
After that, I started using cobblestone and Blackstone as “guard rails” to protect the path. My notes literally say “If something drops me here I’m gonna cry…”
Right past the entrance, it’s very common to run into Blazes or Wither Skeletons immediately, so before rushing in, double-check:
- Your armor durability
- Bow and arrow count
- Food and potion situation
5. 5 Common Nether Softlocks (and How to Fix Them)
Here are the mistakes that made me cry the most on my first runs – the classic “I guess I live in the Nether now…” situations and how to deal with them.
Getting mobbed by Piglins
- Why it happens:
- You enter the Nether with no gold armor
- Or you open a container in front of Piglins
- How to avoid/fix it:
- Always wear at least one gold piece (boots or helmet is fine).
- Remember that opening chests, trapped chests, barrels, Ender Chests, or Shulker Boxes near Piglins can make them hostile.
- If you need to open something, make sure there are no Piglins in line of sight, or block them off first.
- Why it happens:
Getting yeeted into lava by a Hoglin
- Why it happens:
- You run straight through a Crimson Forest without thinking
- How to avoid/fix it:
- Hoglin knockback is nasty. Use bows to snipe them before they reach you.
- Or quickly set up walls or fences to block their charge.
- If you want Hoglin porkchops, it’s much safer to farm them from a distance.
- Why it happens:
Ghast fireballs destroying your bridge
- Why it happens:
- Your bridges and paths are made of Netherrack, dirt, or other weak blocks
- How to avoid/fix it:
- Build important bridges from cobblestone, Blackstone, or other blast-resistant blocks.
- Add side walls so even if a block breaks, you don’t instantly fall off.
- Keep a bow ready so you can shoot Ghasts or deflect their fireballs.
- Why it happens:
Getting completely lost and unable to find your way back
- Why it happens:
- You wander without leaving any markers or writing down coordinates
- How to avoid/fix it:
- Always write down your portal coordinates before leaving.
- Drop a clear breadcrumb trail: torches, pillars, arrows, or a tunnel system.
- If you do get lost but know the coordinates, you can dig or bridge your way back—but don’t rush so fast you fall into lava.
- Why it happens:
Getting overwhelmed inside the fortress by Blazes & Wither Skeletons
- Why it happens:
- You rush into dark, narrow corridors where mobs can spawn around you
- How to avoid/fix it:
- In Java Edition, shields are very strong—use them.
- Build 2-block-high safety tunnels so Wither Skeletons (about 2.4 blocks tall) can’t follow you.
- Funnel enemies into choke points and fight them one by one instead of charging blindly into open rooms.
- Why it happens:
From experience:
Most of my full item losses came from a combo of “Ghast fireball → fall into lava” or “Hoglin charge → fall damage → everything burns.”
I lost track of how many times I respawned at home in my underwear.
On the bright side, the more time I spent there, the more I noticed how Nether Quartz and Glowstone can make your builds look amazing, so it’s not all pain and suffering.
6. Wrap-Up – What Awaits After You Find Your First Nether Fortress
The moment you finally spot a Nether Fortress is honestly magical.
Reading back through my notes, I kept complaining “I can’t find it…” while dying eight times or more.
So when I finally saw that fortress silhouette across a huge lava lake, I literally did a fist pump in front of my screen.
Once you conquer a fortress:
- You can farm Blaze Rods, which pushes your Ender Dragon progression forward by a ton
- You get Nether Wart, opening up a whole world of potion brewing
- Around the fortress, you can hunt Wither Skeletons and start collecting Wither Skeleton Skulls for a future Wither fight and beacon setup
Yes, the Nether is scary. But it’s also packed with materials and mobs you simply can’t find anywhere else.
In my world, once my village got big enough, I started thinking, “If I develop the Nether a bit more, this could actually become a weird tourist spot,” and began slowly building bridges across lava and decorating things.
It was a lot of work, but that made it feel like I was going on a real adventure, not just checking boxes.
I hope you’ll give the Nether a try too. I’m pretty sure you’ll find some new favorite parts of Minecraft there.
Final Pre-Nether Checklist – Ready to Go?
- [ ] Got at least one piece of gold armor (boots are fine)
- [ ] Wrote down your Nether portal coordinates
- [ ] Brought lots of cobblestone/blocks/torches
- [ ] Packed enough food + a bow + Potions of Fire Resistance (if possible)
- [ ] Used F3 and screenshots or markers to secure a return route
7. FAQ
Q. I tried sleeping in the Nether and my bed exploded. What happened?!
A. In both the Nether and the End, trying to sleep in a bed will cause a big explosion instead of setting your respawn point.
If you want a Nether respawn point, you’ll need an item called a Respawn Anchor. In Java Edition you can craft it with Crying Obsidian and Glowstone.
Q. I just can’t find a Nether Fortress. Does my world even have one?
A. Yes, it does—but it might be very far away. It’s not unusual to have to travel thousands of blocks in the Nether before finding one.
Try committing to one direction and sticking with it for a while instead of wandering randomly.
Sometimes just changing direction after a long push suddenly reveals a fortress nearby.
I also once had a run where I was like “I’m done, I’m turning around,” and then found a fortress almost immediately in the new direction.
Q. I died and lost all my items. Any tips for getting them back?
A. If you fall into lava, most of your items will unfortunately burn and disappear.
To protect your important stuff, make use of Potions of Fire Resistance and Ender Chests whenever you can.
If you know the coordinates and the terrain makes it possible to reach the spot, items will stay for about 5 minutes (as long as the chunk is loaded)—so you can rush back to retrieve them.
Just be careful not to panic, sprint blindly, and die again in the exact same spot.
Q. Can I follow this guide in Bedrock Edition (BE) too?
A. This article is written for Java Edition.
In Bedrock Edition, some details like structure layout, mob spawning behavior, and a few mechanics can be different.
The general ideas still help, but if you’re on Bedrock, it’s worth double-checking the specifics in a Bedrock-focused guide.
That’s it for this guide on your first trip to the Nether and how to safely find a Nether Fortress.
I hope it helps you take that next step in your world.
What’s next after finding a Fortress?
- Farm Blaze Rods and craft Eyes of Ender
- Activate the End Portal and fight the Ender Dragon
- Use Nether Wart for potion brewing
- Hunt Wither Skeletons → Summon the Wither → defeat it for a Beacon and speed up all your future projects
Once you’ve “cleared” the Nether, your Minecraft life really starts to accelerate.
That’s all for this time—thanks for reading all the way to the end!
Note: Minecraft mechanics can shift between versions, so if something feels “off” in your world, it’s worth checking the current game version’s behavior.
Related Articles (Japanese site, based on my own runs)
▶ The idea of exploring a Nether Fortress can be scary, right?
I’ve put together a step-by-step, real-play guide to safely farming Blazes, so feel free to check it out before you dive in:
yuzukaki1000.jp
▶ Once you get Blaze Rods from a Nether Fortress, the Ender Dragon fight is right around the corner.
From locating the End Stronghold to the final battle, I wrote up how I actually beat the dragon here:
yuzukaki1000.jp
▶ To beat the Dragon, you’ll need a lot of Ender Pearls.
Here’s an article explaining how to farm Ender Pearls in the Nether:
yuzukaki1000.jp
References
For this article, I used the following Japanese resources plus my own in-game testing:
Minecraft Fandom (Japanese – Nether Portal),
Minecraft Fandom (Japanese – Nether),
Minecraft Japan Wiki (Nether Fortress)
In Java Edition, future updates or differences from Bedrock Edition may change some details, so please check the official wikis for the latest information.
Update History
- 2026-02-02 – First published
