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Minecraft Stronghold

Minecraft is a sandbox game, so technically there is no end to it, since you can play the game however you want for however long you want. But amongst many players, getting to the End and beating the ender dragon is considered the ultimate test for your survival player experience. To get to the End, there is only one way: you need to go through the End portal. Unlike a Nether portal, you can’t craft an End portal yourself. Instead, you have to go to the structure the End portal appears in – the Minecraft stronghold.

Overview Minecraft Stronghold:

  • underground structure filled with monsters and loot
  • needs to be located by using eyes of ender
  • contains the End portal, which is the only way to get to the End

How to Find a Stronghold in Minecraft

The Minecraft stronghold is a large, maze-like structure found deep underground in the Overworld. It contains many different rooms, filled with a number of hostile mobs, valuable loot and the End portal room at its heart. 

But first, you have to find one. Strongholds generate naturally underground in the overworld and can be found at various depths. A Minecraft world contains several strongholds spread across the map and they can appear in any biome. In Bedrock Edition they are found as close as 160 blocks away from the world spawn, in Java Edition the distance is over 1000 blocks. So be prepared for a time-consuming search.

To find a Minecraft stronghold, you’ll need an item called an eye of ender. This item is crafted by combining an ender pearl (dropped by endermen) with blaze powder (obtained from blaze rods dropped by blazes in the Nether). Once you have a few eyes of ender, follow these steps:

  • Use the eye of ender: Right-click or use the eye of ender to throw it into the air. It will float for a moment and then travel in the direction of the nearest Minecraft stronghold.
  • Follow the path: Keep following the eyes of ender. They will hover and point towards the stronghold. Be prepared to travel a long distance, so bring plenty of food and tools for the journey. A horse can help cover the distance quicker.
  • Watch for drops: After moving for a bit in the direction of the stronghold, the eye of ender will fall down and you have to throw it again. The eyes have a chance of breaking each time they are used. It is advisable to bring more than you think you’ll need. This is especially important as you need up to 12 eyes of ender for the portal, but more on that later on.
  • Locate the Minecraft stronghold: Once you are close, the eye of ender will start moving downward. This indicates that the stronghold is directly below. Dig down carefully, but never straight down, or you could fall to your death into a cavern or lava lake!

Some players also use a Minecraft stronghold finder tool or third-party applications that can calculate the nearest stronghold location based on seed data, though these are generally only available outside of the game.

What’s Inside a Minecraft Stronghold?

Once you’re inside the Minecraft stronghold, you may get lost quickly. There are many different rooms connected by hallways that can have you wander around for a bit until you find the desired portal room. Beware of hostile mobs like zombies or creepers, as they like to spawn in the many dark corners of the stronghold. 

Across the stronghold you can find chests containing various items. If you get lucky, you may find some rarer items:

However, even if you don’t find those, there are many other items, such as some food, tools and armor, ender pearls or iron, gold and diamonds.

The Different Minecraft Stronghold Rooms

As with other structures like the mansion, a Minecraft stronghold offers a variety of different rooms. Each one has its special features and possible encounters. The rooms can be sorted into the following categories:

The Minecraft Stronghold Library

Libraries are large rooms filled with bookshelves and cobwebs. They often contain chests with loot such as enchanted books, paper, and normal books. Libraries are a valuable resource for players looking to enhance their enchantment capabilities.

Stronghold Prison Cells

These are small rooms with iron bars and iron doors, resembling jail cells. They typically contain no loot, but instead hostile mobs, which adds to the atmosphere of the Minecraft stronghold.

Storage Rooms

These rooms consist of two floors. The upper one can be accessed by a ladder and contains a loot chest.

Corridors & Staircases in the MC Stronghold

Strongholds are interconnected by numerous corridors, staircases, and secret doors, making them a maze-like structure. Be cautious as these areas can lead you in circles or to unexpected dead ends.

The Portal Room of the Minecraft Stronghold

The most critical part of any Minecraft stronghold is the portal room, which houses the End portal. This room is characterized by a staircase descending into a small chamber with a portal frame above a pool of lava. In the room, there is also a silverfish spawner. We recommend destroying it quickly, as these mobs can get you in trouble quite quickly when they spawn in masses.

Not just the silverfish are annoying. Before entering a Minecraft stronghold, activating the portal and entering the End, it is advisable to make certain preparations:

  • Set a bed near the portal: Place a bed and set your spawn point. This is crucial in case you die during the ender dragon fight, allowing you to respawn close to the portal and re-enter the End quickly.
  • Bring ample supplies: Equip yourself with a full set of enchanted armor, a powerful bow, a sword, plenty of arrows, food, and potions (like slow falling, healing and strength).
  • Build a safe base: Construct a secure area near the portal to store extra supplies and provide shelter from any mobs that may spawn.

The overall portal frame consists of 12 blocks (called frames themselves), each of which must be connected with an eye of ender to activate the portal. There’s a 10% chance for each of the frames to already contain an eye,  but you shouldn’t rely on that, so bring enough eyes along with you. Once all frames are filled, the portal will activate, creating a starry black void that will transport you to the End dimension, where you can then fight the final boss of the game, the ender dragon.

Conclusion: Minecraft Stronghold

Finding and exploring a Minecraft stronghold is a challenging but rewarding endeavor. Whether you’re seeking the End portal to face the ender dragon or searching for valuable loot, a Minecraft stronghold offers a unique and exciting experience. By knowing where to find a stronghold in Minecraft and preparing adequately for the journey and battle ahead, you can make the most of your adventure into these mysterious underground fortresses. If you don’t want to conquer the stronghold and battle the ender dragon alone, we recommend a Minecraft server from G-Portal to enter the action together with your friends.

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