A Guide To The Modern Nether

The Nether is a hell-like dimension in Minecraft, full of dangerous mobs and terrain. It's been around in the game for a long time now, and since its addition in 2010, it remained largely unchanged until the 1.16 update.

In its earliest form, the Nether was full of lava, zombie pigmen, and a few other mobs, with the occasional fortress around, but it didn’t really have much else going for it. Now, however, with the 1.16 update released in 2020, there’s so much more to discover in this hellscape where there’s a level of biome diversity akin to the overworld.

In this article, we’re going to go over everything you can expect to find in the modern Nether, so if you haven’t yet had a chance to explore it and are keen to know what’s in store for you, then be sure to read on.

The Nether mobs

If you’re a Minecraft survival veteran, you’ll be familiar with blazes, ghasts, magma cubes, and wither skeletons, but did you know that there are a bunch of newer mobs that inhabit the Nether? Let’s talk about them.

Piglins

Piglins and their variants were introduced to Minecraft in the 1.16 update and are great additions to the Nether. One cool feature about the standard piglins is that you can barter with them using gold ingots. This means that when you drop gold to a piglin, it will give you something rare in return such as ender pearls, armour, or even potions.

In addition to standard piglins, you’ve got zombified piglins and brutes. Zombified piglins replaced zombie pigmen and are docile unless attacked, whereas brutes are strong piglins that will attack you on sight no matter what. Be careful when navigating the Nether as one wrong move could be the end of you with these mobs roaming around.

Hoglins

Hoglins are hostile pig-like mobs that spawn in crimson forests and bastion remnants (more on those in a bit). They’re very strong and best to avoid, but if you manage to kill one you’ll be rewarded with porkchop and leather. They’re also breedable by players, which is pretty crazy given their hostile nature!

Striders

Lastly, let’s talk about striders, which are fascinating mobs that can walk on lava. They’re passive towards players and can be easily saddled and controlled using a fungus on a stick, so if you need to cross a lava lake to get somewhere in the Nether, it’s worth finding yourself a strider!

The Nether biomes

The Nether originally contained just one biome, known as the Nether wastes biome, which is made up almost entirely by netherrack with occasional soul sand and glowstone clusters around. This biome is still in the game and is the most common one you’ll come across, but there are so many new and exciting ones to discover now, too, which we’ll go over below. OneBlock servers feature all the new Nether biome blocks too!

Crimson Forest

First up on the list of new biomes is the crimson forest biome. Though it looks like giant red trees grow here, they’re actually huge fungi that can be cut down and used as a source of planks in the Nether. Additionally, you can expect to come across both hostile hoglins and piglins in this biome.

Warped Forest

Warped forests as similar to crimson forests, but the fungi are turquoise in colour and you don’t see hostile mobs spawning anywhere. This is probably one of the safest Nether biomes, so if you’re planning on building a house in the Nether, a warped forest is probably the best place for it!

Basalt Deltas

Basalt deltas are biomes that are extremely dangerous thanks to how uneven the ground is. You get huge protruding basalt formations all over this biome that are difficult to navigate. Take extra care when exploring basalt deltas as one wrong step is all it takes to fall to your doom.

Soul Sand Valleys

Lastly, we’ve got soul sand valleys, which are covered in soul sand blocks that slow down your movement speed, making it easier for mobs like ghasts and skeletons to hit you with projectiles. Occasionally you may come across some bright blue fire, too, which does more damage than normal fire. Be careful navigating the terrain here.

Fossils are also abundant in this biome, so if you’re in need of bone blocks then you know where to go.

Generated structures in the Nether

Perhaps the most exciting thing about the Nether is the fact that you can come across generated structures full of great loot. Let’s talk about them.

Nether Fortresses

The oldest Nether-exclusive generated structure in Minecraft is the Nether fortress, which has been in the game since the beta 1.9 pre-release. Fortresses contain multiple chests scattered about that are often filled with goodies such as horse armour and nametags. You’ll also find wither skeletons and blazes in fortresses, the latter of which you’ll need to kill if you plan on getting blaze powder to craft eyes of ender.

Bastion Remnants

Bastion remnants are the other big generated structures you may come across in the Nether. Here you’ll find many dangerous piglins and brutes, but if you’re brave enough to take them on you’ll be handsomely rewarded with gold and rare loot. If you wear gold armour to stop the piglins attacking you, you can even barter with them as mentioned earlier, so maybe try giving that a go sometime!

Netherite

To close out the article, let’s talk quickly about netherite, a material stronger than diamond. To get it, you’ll need to find ancient debris ore which is incredibly rare to come across. If you do happen to find any, count yourself lucky, as it’s not something you see every day.

With a bit of smelting and crafting, you’ll be able to make netherite bars from ancient debris to use for upgrading your diamond armour, which will prove to be immensely helpful in keeping you alive when you later fight powerful mobs like elder guardians, withers, or even the ender dragon. Netherite is ultimately the best thing you’ll be getting out of the Nether, so be sure to have a look for ancient debris while you’re there.

That’s gonna do it for this guide on the modern Nether. We hope you’ve learned something new today and are now eager to get out there and start up a new survival world to see all the new features the Nether has in store for you. Thanks for reading!