Minecraft, Mojang's legendary sandbox survival game, will be celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its official release in November. As one of the most influential games of the past decade, Minecraft continues to pull in new players and returning fans alike. The game has had numerous massive updates, greatly expanding the world and its possibilities.
One of the most influential of these updates was the Alpha 1.2.0, also known as the Minecraft Halloween Update. It was this patch that first added the Nether, an alternate realm that players could explore. The Nether was initially designed as a method of traveling great distances on the overworld, but subsequent patches have made it a core part of Minecraft's crafting progression. Key items like Wither Skeleton Skulls, Nether Wart, and Blaze Powder can only be found in the mysterious Nether Fortresses.
RELATED: How to Make a Piston in Minecraft
The first step in finding a Nether Fortress is getting into the Nether. This requires players to collect at least 10 Obsidian blocks and form them into one of Minecraft's Nether Portals. Once inside the Nether, players can begin searching for a Fortress. It's possible to get lucky and spawn within sight of one, but not all players will be that fortunate.
Turning up the brightness is a good first step to being able to spot a Fortress from a distance, as Moody lighting makes it hard to see far in the Nether. Similarly, increasing the player's render distance in the options menu is another good idea, particularly in the larger magma caverns. Nether Fortresses are huge structures made from dark Nether Bricks, often with many bridges connecting different sections. They don't spawn near Bastion Remnants, so if players see a large Blackstone castle, they should move to a different area to search.
The landscape of the Nether can be difficult to navigate, particularly with so many of Minecraft's hostile mobs around. If there's a large lava ocean nearby, moving out into the middle of it on a bridge will give an unobstructed view of the surrounding area. However, the bridge should be made from cobblestone or a similarly explosion-resistant material, to avoid the risk of it being destroyed by Ghasts.
While Nether Fortresses can be found scattered across the Nether in Minecraft, their spawning isn't entirely random. Nether Fortresses are more likely to spawn on the positive side of the X-axis, therefore moving north or south while keeping the X-axis positive is the best way to search for them. Following this line, keeping lighting and render distance high, and maneuvering for an unobstructed view should give players the best chance of finding a Nether Fortress in Minecraft.
Minecraft is available now on Mobile, PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.