Minecraft:The Nether

File:The Nether.png

A view of a crimson forest with a hoglin, a ghast and three Minecraft:piglins in the background.

File:Vibrant Visuals Nether.png

The Nether with Vibrant Visuals.

The Nether is a dangerous, volcanic, fungal Minecraft:dimension containing Minecraft:fire, Minecraft:lava, Nether fungi and normal mushrooms, many hostile mobs, and exclusive Minecraft:structures and Minecraft:biomes.

Accessing

File:Full and Budget Nether Portal.png

"Economy" portal without corners (left), and a full portal (right)

To access the Nether, the player must construct a nether portal in the Minecraft:Overworld (portals created in Minecraft:the End do not activate). To create the portal, the player must first build a rectangular Minecraft:obsidian frame, ranging in size from a minimum of 4 blocks × 5 blocks to a maximum of 23 blocks × 23 blocks. Once the frame is completed, it can then be activated by placing Minecraft:fire within the frame, using flint and steel, fire charge, Minecraft:dispensers, or any material that is capable of igniting fire.

The portal allows most entities (with the exception of the Minecraft:wither and the ender dragon) to be transported to a corresponding portal in the Nether. In Survival, the player must stand in a nether portal for 4 seconds to enter the Nether. The player can step out of a portal before it completes its animation to abort the teleport. The portal plays a sound effect while the player is inside it. If there is no corresponding portal, a new 4×5 portal is created. The portal can be destroyed by breaking the obsidian frame, by a nearby explosion, or by placing Minecraft:water in the Overworld or Minecraft:lava into it with a Minecraft:bucket or Minecraft:dispenser. Any of the Minecraft:blocks in the corners can be destroyed without destroying the portal.

The Nether could generate in the former Minecraft:OldTemplate:Only world type, (with the same 256×256 borders as the Overworld) though nether portals could not be created without using commands. Nether portals created in the Nether could spawn the player outside of the world barrier.

If cheats are enabled, players can also teleport to the Nether without using a nether portal: the syntax is Template:Cmd Template:In, and Template:Cmd Template:In.

Traits

Minecraft:Bedrock forms a rough 5 layer ceiling on top of the nether (starting at y-level 123 and ending at y-level 127) restricting the player from leaving the Nether. Just like in the Minecraft:Overworld, the player is protected from falling off the world by 5 bottom layers of bedrock (starting at y level 4 and ending at y-level 0) in a rough pattern. This makes the Nether 128 blocks high unlike the Overworld's 384. As with the vast Overworld and End dimensions of the Java and Bedrock Editions, the Nether is equally horizontally vast to the world border.

Template:IN, build limit in the Nether is 256 blocks: if the player manages to get on top of the bedrock roof, they can build additional 128 blocks upward on it. Template:IN, the build limit in the Nether is 128 blocks, despite it being 256 in the End, and 320 in the Overworld.

The Nether has no daylight cycle and no weather. Natural sources of light include Minecraft:fire, Minecraft:lava, portals, Minecraft:shroomlights and Minecraft:glowstone. Even with a light level of 0, the Nether has a dim ambient light (roughly equivalent to light level 8 in the Overworld). Light otherwise functions exactly the same as it does in the Overworld and the End. The Nether is the only dimension without directional lighting in Minecraft:Vibrant Visuals, so there are no dynamic shadows.

The majority of "flora" in the Nether is fungus-based as opposed to plants. The Nether "grass" consists of specialized Nether mycelium (known as "Minecraft:nylium"). The Nether features its own unique fungi (including Nether wart), as well as equivalent huge fungi that serve as trees. The stems of the huge fungi function as Minecraft:logs. Also present are a number of native vines and roots.

Most creatures found in the Nether are hostile and potentially dangerous.

Locations in the Nether correlate to Overworld Minecraft:coordinates, but horizontal Overworld distances are scaled down by a ratio of 8:1 for travel in the Nether. Therefore, traveling one block in the Nether means traveling eight blocks in the Overworld. For example, in a perfect scenario, a player who enters a portal in the Overworld at X=0, Z=0 and travels in the Nether to X=1000, Z=1000 returns to the Overworld at X=8000, Z=8000. This makes portals a useful tool for traveling long distances in the Overworld. This does not allow one to pass the Overworld World border.

Most items and blocks in the Nether function the same as they do in the Overworld, with a few notable exceptions:

• Minecraft:Beds cannot be used as a spawn point; they instead explode and cause fires when a player attempts to sleep in one. It has an explosion power of 5. The explosion is larger than that of Minecraft:TNT, which has an explosion power of 4.
  • Villagers, if brought into the Nether, can still use beds safely during night time in the Overworld.
• The player may use a powered respawn anchor to respawn in the Nether, but when it runs out of charges, the player once again respawns in the Overworld.
• There is no way to place liquid Minecraft:water in the Nether without the use of Minecraft:commands, except inside a Minecraft:cauldron. These can be used to put out a player on fire.
  • Using water buckets produces steam particles and a hissing sound, leaving the player with an empty Minecraft:bucket.
  • Minecraft:Ice that is melted or smashed in the Nether does not produce water.
  • A wet sponge instantly becomes a regular Minecraft:sponge when placed.
  • If placed using cheats or when placed inside a cauldron, water takes on a reddish-brown color.Template:Only
• Lava flows twice as far (eight blocks) and three times as fast in the Nether compared to Overworld, with the same flowing distance and half the flowing speed of water in the Overworld.
• Grass blocks, most plants, and Minecraft:leaves take on a dead-looking brownish color because the Nether is dry and hot.
• Minecraft:Maps generate a brown-gray static pattern. The player's direction indicator is colored redTemplate:Only and spins randomly; its location is still relative to the player's location in the Nether, except in the Minecraft:New Nintendo 3DS Edition, where it is always in the center of the map.
  • Using an Overworld map in the Nether displays the player's relative coordinates.Template:Only
• Minecraft:Clocks spin wildly, making it impossible to tell the time while in the Nether. Minecraft:Compasses also spin wildly unless connected to a Minecraft:lodestone, which they then point toward.
• Eyes of ender cannot be thrown, since no strongholds generate in the Nether.
• Snow golems rapidly take fire damage and die, due to the Nether being dry and hot. However, they can survive if they have the Fire Resistance status effect.
• Stalactites produce lava particles instead of water particles, and do not convert Minecraft:mud above them into Minecraft:clay.<ref>Template:Bug</ref>
• Because there is no daylight cycle, certain blocks and mobs behave differently:
  • Creaking hearts do not spawn creakings when placed between two pale oak logs.
  • Minecraft:Eyeblossoms do not change between open and closed states depending on the time of day.
  • Bees work without resting as if it never turns night. Villagers still continue their routine following the Overworld daylight cycle.

Environment

The Nether features unique cave-like terrain with no sky. Lava and fire are common hazards everywhere in the Nether. Areas distant from the player are shrouded in fog of red or blue, depending on the biome, and some biomes are filled with particles in the air. The shape of the terrain in the Nether is independent of the biome distribution; instead, the biomes alter the surface material and add terrain features to the netherrack terrain.

Biomes

The Nether is divided into several biomes just like the Overworld, each featuring unique terrain, mobs, structures, ambience, etc. There are five Minecraft:biomes in the Nether:

Biome name	Description	Screenshot
Nether wastes	Template:Anchor The Nether wastes is the most common biome in the Nether. The terrain mainly consists of Minecraft:netherrack, with Minecraft:glowstone clusters growing and lava leaking from the ceiling, and Minecraft:gravel and soul sand lining its shores. Most of the Nether mobs can spawn here, including ghasts, zombified piglins, magma cubes, striders, Minecraft:piglins, and the occasional Minecraft:enderman.	File:Nether Wastes Vibrant Visuals.png
Soul sand valley	Template:Anchor The soul sand valley mainly consists of soul sand, basalt and soul soil. Notable features of the biome are exposed nether fossils in various shapes and sizes, large amounts of Minecraft:lava, blue fog, large spires made of Minecraft:basalt, soul fire, and the occasional nether fortress or bastion remnant. Ghasts and skeletons are common in this biome while endermen are rare. Striders can spawn here as well. This is the only place to find dried ghasts naturally.	File:Soul Sand Valley Vibrant Visuals.png
Crimson forest	Template:Anchor The crimson forest consists of many huge crimson fungi, which act as the "trees" of this biome. The huge fungi often generate with weeping vines hanging from them, and shroomlights which light up the landscape. The floor is mostly covered with crimson Minecraft:nylium, with occasional patches of bare Minecraft:netherrack or nether wart blocks. Crimson roots, crimson fungus, and occasionally warped fungus grow on the ground. Small patches of nether wart blocks and weeping vines can also be found growing on the ceiling. Hoglins, piglins, zombified piglins, and striders can spawn in this biome.	File:Crimson Forest Vibrant Visuals.png
Warped forest	Template:Anchor The warped forest consists of many huge warped fungi, which act as the "trees" of this biome. The huge fungi often generate with shroomlights, which light up the landscape. Twisting vines grow throughout the biome in patches. The floor is mostly covered with warped Minecraft:nylium, with occasional patches of bare Minecraft:netherrack or warped wart blocks. Warped roots, warped fungus, nether sprouts, and occasionally crimson fungus grow on the ground. Endermen and striders are the only mobs that spawn in this biome. The biome emits out a magenta-purple fog upon entry, and no music plays.	File:Warped Forest Vibrant Visuals.png
Basalt deltas	Template:Anchor A gray biome, the basalt deltas are said to be the remnant of ancient volcanic eruptions. The ground consists of Minecraft:basalt and Minecraft:blackstone blocks, with small patches of Minecraft:netherrack and pools of Minecraft:lava. The shape of the terrain is chaotic and uneven, making it somewhat difficult to traverse and build on. Unlike the other biomes in the Nether, bastion remnants do not generate in basalt deltas. When this biome borders a lava ocean, clusters of basalt form near the coast. Fog is colored light-gray and particles of dust can be seen falling from the ceiling upon entry. Magma cubes have a high spawn rate in this biome, making the basalt deltas the best place to farm magma cream, and ghasts are also common. This biome also contains a much higher abundance of blackstone compared to other Nether biomes.	File:Basalt Deltas Vibrant Visuals.png

Biome distribution

Biome	Frequency
Template:BiomeLink	36.30%
Template:BiomeLink	22.22%
Template:BiomeLink	17.08%
Template:BiomeLink	15.86%
Template:BiomeLink	8.54%

Generated structures

Template:Main The Nether contains a variety of unique generated structures. Though equally vast, it contains far fewer types of generated structures than there are in the Overworld.

There are 4 generated structures in the Nether:

Name	Description	Image
Template:AnchorNether fortress	Nether fortresses are large, castle-like structures that are composed of nether bricks. This structure is often found bridging over lava seas, or tunnelling through Minecraft:netherrack. This structure is the only place where blazes and wither skeletons spawn, making fortresses the gateway to both bosses in the game: the ender dragon and the Minecraft:wither. Fortresses also contain blaze monster spawners, as well as small nether wart farms. Nether fortresses can be found in all Nether biomes.	A nether fortress bridging over basalt deltas.
Template:AnchorNether fossil	Nether fossils are structures comprised of bone blocks that generate within the soul sand valley biome. These structures have 14 different designs. Unlike Minecraft:fossils in the Minecraft:Overworld, coal ore does not generate within these fossils. There's a possibility that a dried ghast can be spotted beneath Nether fossils.	A nether fossil in a soul sand valley.
Template:AnchorBastion remnant	Bastion remnants are large fortifications made up of Minecraft:blackstone, blackstone bricks and Minecraft:basalt. A large amount of gold blocks and loot chests can be found within these structures. They generate in four distinct variants, each with its own unique structure and loot. They are inhabited by Minecraft:piglins and piglin brutes, and in certain variants hoglins as well. These structures generate within any Nether biome except for the basalt deltas.	A bridge bastion remnant in a crimson forest.
Template:AnchorRuined portal	A structure containing what appears to be a destroyed nether portal and various types of Minecraft:stone or Minecraft:blackstone materials, when generating in the Overworld or the Nether, respectively. Netherrack generates on the ground around the portal, and a Minecraft:chest containing loot generates with the structure. These structures can be found in any Overworld and Nether biome.	A giant ruined portal in the Nether.

Terrain features

Template:See also The Nether has a lot of different Minecraft:terrain features that generate within the biomes of the Nether.

There are currently 5 terrain features in The Nether:

Name	Description	Image
Template:AnchorLava sea	Lava seas generate at and below level 31 in all Nether biomes. Striders can be found striding across these seas.	File:Lava sea.png
Template:AnchorGlowstone blob	Glowstone blobs generate on the ceiling of the Nether in all biomes.	A glowstone blob on the nether ceiling.
Template:AnchorBasalt pillar	Basalt pillars generate in soul sand valley biomes and on the lava seas present there.	A basalt pillar above a lava sea.
Template:AnchorDelta	Deltas are sheets of constrained Minecraft:lava and magma blocks found among the terrain of basalt deltas biomes.	Deltas surrounded by basalt and blackstone.
Template:AnchorHidden lava	Single blocks of Minecraft:lava are buried within Minecraft:netherrack in all Nether biomes. These are particularly dangerous when mining in the Nether, as the lava can quickly flow out and overwhelm the player when uncovered.	A lava source hidden in netherrack.

Mobs

The Nether is home to its own share of Minecraft:mobs, most of which are immune to Minecraft:fire and Minecraft:lava. Skeletons and endermen are the only Minecraft:Overworld mobs that can naturally spawn in the Nether; Template:In, baby zombified piglins may spawn as chicken jockeys.

Other Overworld mobs do not naturally spawn in the Nether but can be brought in through portals (except for of the Minecraft:wither and ender dragon).

There are currently 12 Template:In, or 11 Template:In, mobs that spawn in this dimension, with 3 additional associated mobs:

• Template:EntityLink
• Template:EntityLink
• Template:EntityLink
• Template:EntityLink
• Template:EntityLink
• Template:EntityLink
• Template:EntityLink
• Template:EntityLink
• Template:EntityLink
• Template:EntityLink
• Template:EntityLinkTemplate:Only (from zombified piglin chicken jockeys)
• Template:EntityLink

Template:Diagonal split header	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Template:EntityLink	colspan="12" Template:Tc	colspan="4" Template:Tc
Template:EntityLink	colspan="8" Template:Tc	colspan="8" Template:Tc
Template:EntityLink	colspan="14" Template:Tc	colspan="8" Template:Tc
Template:EntityLink	colspan="22" Template:Tc
Template:EntityLink	colspan="22" Template:Tc
Template:EntityLink	colspan="22" Template:Tc
Template:EntityLink	colspan="22" Template:Tc
Template:EntityLink	colspan="22" Template:Tc
Template:EntityLink	colspan="22" Template:Tc
Template:EntityLink	colspan="12" Template:Tc	colspan="10" Template:Tc
Template:EntityLink	colspan="8" Template:Tc	colspan="14" Template:Tc

Associated: The following mobs are associated with the Nether, but do not spawn naturally without player interaction.<ref> Mobspotter's Encyclopedia, page 146 to 150</ref><ref>Template:Snap</ref>

• Template:EntityLink
• Template:EntityLink
• Template:EntityLink

Blocks

Naturally generated

Naturally generated blocks includes those that are created through the world seed. Template:Columns-list

Naturally created

Naturally created blocks are created through a combination of events that lead these blocks to be placed by natural causes, not by the player. Template:Columns-list

Structures

These blocks are only generated as part of nether fortresses, nether fossils, bastion remnants and ruined portals, when the "generated structures" option is on. Template:Columns-list

Technical information

Folder

Template:IN, the Nether is stored in .minecraft/saves/worldname/DIM-1. Deleting this folder resets the Nether, so that all player-made changes and buildings in that dimension are undone.

Template:IN, the Minecraft:com.mojang/minecraftWorlds/world ID/db folder contains several collections of chunks. Some of these files are used for the Nether, but it is impossible to tell which ones simply by reading the file name.

Advancements

There is a tab dedicated to the Nether in the advancement system, all involving visiting the Nether in some way in order to advance.

History

Trivia

• Upon entering the Nether as a single player, the passage of time freezes in the Overworld and resumes when the player returns unless the Template:Cmd command is used. This is due to the spawn chunks no longer being ticked, and not chunks loading and unloading as some players believe. The spawn chunks are kept loaded when there are no players in the Overworld, but most things other than basic redstone stop working.
• Names considered for the Nether included "Inferno"<ref>Template:Tweet</ref>, "the Ways"<ref>Template:Tweet</ref>, "the Nexus"<ref>Template:Tweet</ref>, and "the Core"<ref>Template:Tweet</ref>. During development, the names "Hell" and "the Slip" were used as placeholders.
• The numbers for the 3 dimensions are -1=the Nether, 0=Overworld, 1=the End. This contributes to a misconception that the Nether is "below" the Overworld.
  • Notch described the "Nether" as a metaphorical name, rather than a reference to the actual physical location of the dimension.<ref>Template:Tweet</ref>
  • Dinnerbone has also confirmed that they are simply separate dimensions.<ref>Template:Tweet</ref>
• Template:IN, if a section of the bedrock ceiling is removed (e.g., through commands) mobs can spawn directly below where the ceiling should be, despite the surface density cap in the Nether being 0.
• Template:IN, the size of the Nether is limited, with bedrock walls surrounding it on all sides. The Overworld-Nether ratio varies depending on the world size: it is 1:3 for Classic and Small worlds, 1:6 for Medium worlds, and 1:8 (the same as Java and Bedrock editions) for Large worlds.
• The crimson and warped forest biomes are suggested to decontaminate the Nether environment from potential landfill pollution that coincides with the presence of ancient debris.<ref>Template:Mcnet</ref>

Gallery

Screenshots

• The loading screen displayed while teleporting to the Nether.
  The loading screen displayed while teleporting to the Nether.
• Spawning in the Nether through a Nether portal
  Spawning in the Nether through a Nether portal
• A warped forest and a crimson forest
  A warped forest and a crimson forest
• A ghast shooting at the player
  A ghast shooting at the player
• Piglins hunting a hoglin
  Piglins hunting a hoglin
• Bartering piglins
  Bartering piglins
• The inside of a bastion remnant
  The inside of a bastion remnant
• Nether fortress in a warped forest
  Nether fortress in a warped forest
• The player getting attacked by blazes
  The player getting attacked by blazes
• Ghasts are not harmed by lava or fire.
  Ghasts are not harmed by lava or fire.
• Lava springs flooding the terrain
  Lava springs flooding the terrain
• Under the lava sea, there is normal terrain
  Under the lava sea, there is normal terrain
• Bedrock naturally exposed in the Nether.
  Bedrock naturally exposed in the Nether.
• Using a map in the Nether causes the player's position indicator to rotate, but any markers do not.
  Using a map in the Nether causes the player's position indicator to rotate, but any markers do not.
• Mushrooms naturally generated above the Nether.
  Mushrooms naturally generated above the Nether.
• A Nether canyon.
  A Nether canyon.
• Minecraft:Gravel in the Nether.
  Minecraft:Gravel in the Nether.
• The junction of all biomes in the Nether.
  The junction of all biomes in the Nether.
• The unique Minecraft:water colors in Bedrock Edition
  The unique Minecraft:water colors in Bedrock Edition

Historical screenshots

• Historically there have been many glitches enabling water to be placed in the Nether.
  Historically there have been many glitches enabling water to be placed in the Nether.
• The Far Lands in the Nether.
  The Far Lands in the Nether.
• The Nether with ray tracing. Note that there are no ray tracing effects because of the lack of daylight, but Nether fog is disabled.
  The Nether with ray tracing. Note that there are no ray tracing effects because of the lack of daylight, but Nether fog is disabled.

Development images

• The first screenshot released by Notch showing what the Nether would look like.
  The first screenshot released by Notch showing what the Nether would look like.
• The first screenshot released by Jeb in September 2011 of nether fortresses.
  The first screenshot released by Jeb in September 2011 of nether fortresses.
• Brightened version of the previous screenshot.
  Brightened version of the previous screenshot.
• Another early view of a nether fortress Jeb released in September 2011.
  Another early view of a nether fortress Jeb released in September 2011.
• Brightened.
  Brightened.
• The Nether as it appeared prior to Beta 1.8.
  The Nether as it appeared prior to Beta 1.8.

In other media

• Artwork of Alex in the Nether.
  Artwork of Alex in the Nether.
• Sunny using a piglin head on a note block in a crimson forest.
  Sunny using a piglin head on a note block in a crimson forest.
• Nether Wastes as they appear in Minecraft:Minecraft Dungeons.
  Nether Wastes as they appear in Minecraft:Minecraft Dungeons.
• Minecraft:Efe in the Nether, from Minecraft Annual 2025.
  Minecraft:Efe in the Nether, from Minecraft Annual 2025.
• A Lego Minecraft Micro World set of the Nether.
  A Lego Minecraft Micro World set of the Nether.
• A minifigure-scale LEGO Minecraft set of the Nether.
  A minifigure-scale LEGO Minecraft set of the Nether.
• The Nether as seen in Template:AMCM.
  The Nether as seen in Template:AMCM.
• File:Warm Regards from The Nether.jpeg

External links

• Template:Mcnet
• Template:Mcnet
• Template:Mcnet
• Template:Mcnet
• Template:Ytl

Navigation

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