The Nether is an alternate world covered with red rock and lava in Minecraft. Hardly anything grows there, and surviving within this blistering hellscape can be a challenge for new players. For those that have decided that living in the overworld is just not that fun anymore, the Nether is a great challenge and change of pace filled with its own issues and adventures.
Overcoming these problems in the Nether that many Minecraft fans wouldn't face normally is important if players wish to live a decent life after building themselves a Nether portal. Once going through the gateway to the next world, it is essential for player to know what they will be facing and what they should be taking with them.
Updated January 27th, 2023, by Megan Smith: Living in the Nether in Minecraft doesn't only have to be for players that are looking for a challenge, even if it's essential to enter the Obsidian portal as readily prepared as possible. At a glance, this hellish world may look quite boring, but those with an urge for adventure are sure to enjoy their time exploring.
These Minecraft Nether tips not only help players know how to survive the onslaught of Ghast attacks or the burning of lava but also highlights some brilliant things that can be found when straying further and further way from the portal. Version 1.16 saw the Nether get a substantial upgrade as various new biomes, as well as other enemies, were added to Minecraft to increase the challenge as well as the reason for staying there.
15 Piglins Are Not Good Neighbors
As of update 1.16, new mobs were added to various biomes of the Nether as well as just being a common resident of the hell-like world. Although humanoid like the zombie pig men many players are well aware of, Piglins do not perceive the player as a friend.
However, there are ways to trick these humanoid pig people into ignoring the player as they explore the Minecraft Nether. By equipping at least one piece of gold armor, the Piglin people will no longer see the player as a threat. Although if the player opens a chest or mines gold, they will instantly turn hostile at the attempt to steal from them.
14 Upgrade Diamond Gear Further
For countless updates, Diamond has been the strongest and, therefore, greatest material to be used for armor, weapons, and other gear. This made it an incredibly valuable ore that players would search for on the surface. However, since the update for the Nether in Minecraft, a new ore could be found by exploring the deepest levels of the world.
Unlike other ores, Netherite isn't found nestled in the Netherrack but instead as a solid block called Ancient Debris. This block can only be mined using a diamond pickaxe and then smelted into Netherite Scraps. Once four of those have been found and combined with four gold, it will create a Netherite Ingot.
13 Adventure To Find Exciting Biomes
As mentioned, the Nether is no longer a large alternate world of red that players can travel to through an Obsidian portal; it now has its very own biomes that can't be found anywhere else in Minecraft. Players may find themselves lucky to have one of these new biomes right outside their portal when they travel, while others may require them to put a bit of work through exploring.
Inside these biomes are also new resources and materials the player can make the most of, such as the beautiful contrasting biome known as The Warped Forest that actually contains trees as well as other vegetation. Although, eerily, no music plays there, it is one of the safest biomes due to no hostile mobs spawning there and therefore a great place to set up a home.
12 Forts For Safety
One of the most crucial tips for living in the Nether is actually having somewhere to live. As mentioned, The Warped Forest is one of the most peaceful, non-threatening places to live in the Nether due to a lack of mobs other than Endermen that spawn there.
However, even here, players should consider building themselves forts or small structures that they can store their most important valuables in. While a player may not be able to set their spawn in the Nether without setting the world spawn to there, losing objects can be avoided by storing valuables in these forts away from danger.
11 Fuel Can Be Found Everywhere
In order to smelt materials and other resources, players are going to need fuel to burn in their furnaces; while coal cannot be found in the Nether, one of the best fuel sources available is almost infinite to the player, and that's lava.
Before embarking on their permanent move to the Nether, players should first invest in making a large number of buckets that they can store lava in. Each bucket of lava that is put in a furnace can smelt a total of a hundred blocks before it needs to be refilled. Even better than that is the player even gets their bucket back after it has emptied.
10 Suit Up Before Shipping Out
Unlike the regular world of Minecraft, things in the Nether hit hard. This means that players that wish to live inside the Nether will want to first get themselves a decent set of full armor, preferably diamond, before they even think about stepping foot into this world of lava.
There is the risk of losing this full set; however, fans of the franchise are less likely to die from an unlucky Ghast blast if they are kitted head to toe in shiny blue gems.
9 Don't Bring Valuables
This may seem very obvious to any experts or long-term players of this sandbox title. It is still important to make sure that any valuables, be it a couple of diamonds or a whole stack of ore, is left appropriately at home. Otherwise, players risk these items turning to dust in the case of accidentally tripping into lava or dying near fire.
Even leaving them in a chest by the Nether portal that leads back to the overworld is a good idea if players are expecting to need them again whilst living inside the Nether.
8 Forget About Sleeping
Firstly, due to there being no day and night cycle, there is no reason to press on a bed other than to set a spawn point, but in the Nether, this is quite impossible. Placing down a bed and pressing on it while in the Nether will cause it to explode, risking both the death of the player and losing a perfectly good sleeping utensil.
Nether dwellers should set up a tiny house near their portal with a bed in the overworld, so in the case of dying, players can get straight back into their new living experience.
7 Practice Deflecting Ghasts
Ghasts are a common enemy in the Nether. They are terrifying wailing giant squids that float through the air crying as they attack the player with blasting fireballs that can knock them off of ledges as well as being an all-out nuisance.
However, these blast rounds can be reflected into the Ghasts face; by hitting the ground with a weapon or even a bare hand, players can make the Ghasts try a bit of their own medicine. It also prevents the ground from being blown up under the player.
6 Bring A Fresh Map
Like the regular world of Minecraft, the Nether expands far and wide with its own variety of biomes and fortresses to explore. Remembering where everything can be difficult, especially while avoiding all the dangers of the Nether, and that's why it's a good idea to bring a fresh map.
Arguably, everything on this map may look the same, but if a player can remember specific sections of where they saw something, it can make navigating this vast amount of red much easier. No more going too far and not knowing the way home.
5 Hunt Hoglins
Food is nearly impossible to find in the Nether, and players need to eat if they wish to keep their hearts regenerating. One way this can be achieved is by bringing both red and brown mushrooms as well as some dirt from the overworld to make mushroom stew. However, this can take a while to grow.
The easier option is locating a crimson forest, where herds of Hoglins can be found. These mobs will gradually spawn in groups of 3 to 4 over time and can drop a couple of pork chops that can be cooked and eaten.
4 Budding Alchemists Will Prevail
A key mechanic in Minecraft other than enchanting is alchemy, and it is a useful skill to learn when trying to live in the Nether. Learning what is needed to craft fire resistance potions will be a great help in those situations where the player is accidentally knocked into lava.
The best thing about making fire resistance potions is that all the ingredients needed can be found in the Nether, minus water. All players will need to craft this potion is magma cream, nether wart, and blaze powder to heat up the concoction.
3 Bring Lots Of Cobblestone
Many of the blocks found in the Nether are easily destroyed by the blasts of the Ghast, which means trying to build a solid base can be difficult from the materials found there. Those that are wishing to vacate to the Nether will want to bring with them plentiful amounts of cobblestone, as it is a vital step to survival.
Cobblestone isn't completely indestructible, but it can take on more hits than other materials that players may think to use. Another positive is that it isn't flammable, and therefore any progress will not simply disappear the second it ignites.
2 Protect The Portal
Although the aim is to live in the Nether, it's still important to have a way of getting back. If the portal is hit by a Ghast then the light within it will go out and there is no way of returning home. Of course, it can be easily lit again using a flint and steel, but avoiding the need to do this in the first place is a great first step to living there.
Players should quickly surround their portal in cobblestone to prevent it from being assaulted by Ghasts; this can also double up as a beginning base while scoping out the best area to set up a home in the Nether. Later this cobblestone can be replaced with nether brick, which has a higher blast resistance and will not break like cobble does.
1 Leave Breadcrumb Trails Everywhere
The enclosed areas of the Nether can be difficult to navigate; with no sun to tell players the right direction and many of the areas looking the same, it's easy to get lost. Even with a map, it can be hard to tell the way home, and that's why it's a good idea to leave an uncommon block in the Nether as a breadcrumb trail home.
Similar to navigating in the deep caves of the overworld, placing a torch on a block of cobblestone in the direction players need to go will prevent a lot of the stress of trying to get home.
Minecraft is available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.