Minecraft Nether Progression Guide
Everything you need to survive the Nether and progress toward the Ender Dragon.
Updated: May 2026
Instant Answer
What to Do First in the Nether
Bring: iron+ armour, shield, food, cobblestone for bridging, flint and steel. First goal: find a Nether Fortress for blaze rods and wither skeleton skulls. Travel along the Z-axis (north/south) to find one.
01 Portal Setup and What to Bring
- 10 obsidian minimum (14 for a full frame)
- Full iron armour + iron sword + shield
- 64+ cobblestone for bridging and shelter
- Plenty of food (cooked steak)
- Flint and steel (to relight portal if Ghast destroys it)
- Crafting table
02 Finding a Nether Fortress
Fortresses generate along the Z-axis. If you can’t find one, travel north or south (not east/west). Mark your portal coordinates before leaving. Fortress walls are made of Nether bricks — look for long dark bridge structures.
03 Blaze Rod Farming
Blaze spawners are inside fortresses. Build a small platform around the spawner and fight blazes with a sword + shield. You need at least 7 blaze rods: 6 for Eyes of Ender + 1 for brewing stand.
04 Nether Biome Guide
- Crimson Forest: Hoglins (food source), relatively safe
- Warped Forest: Endermen spawn here, safest biome overall
- Basalt Deltas: Dangerous, magma cubes everywhere, avoid early
- Soul Sand Valley: Skeletons and Ghasts, soul sand slows movement
- Nether Wastes: Default biome, Zombie Piglins, gold ore
05 Ancient Debris (Netherite)
Found at Y=15 in the Nether. Best method: bed mining (place and right-click beds to explode) or TNT mining at Y=15. You need 4 Ancient Debris → 4 Netherite Scraps + 4 Gold = 1 Netherite Ingot.
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