Nether Fortress

Lore & Background

In Minecraft speedrunning, Nether Fortresses are a critical destination after the player has built and lit a Nether Portal. The runner's goal is to locate the fortress, kill Blazes to obtain Blaze Rods, and then combine Blaze Powder (crafted from rods) with Ender Pearls to create Eyes of Ender. The fortress is typically found after the player has visited a Bastion, as the common strategy is to locate and travel to a Bastion before a Nether Fortress. Players use the debug screen to identify data spikes correlated with certain mob entities and spawners to find the fortress easily.

Reader's Guide

To complete a Minecraft speedrun, a player must obtain Blaze Rods from a Nether Fortress. After entering the Nether through a portal built with obsidian, the runner locates the fortress — often using the debug menu to spot entity spikes. Inside, they kill Blazes to collect Blaze Rods. These rods are crafted into Blaze Powder, which is combined with Ender Pearls (obtained from bartering with Piglins or killing Endermen) to create Eyes of Ender. The eyes are then thrown to locate the Stronghold, which contains the End Portal. The fortress is a mandatory stop in any glitchless speedrun, as Blaze Rods cannot be obtained elsewhere.

Did You Know?

• The most popular speedrunning version, 1.16.1, has a higher Ender Pearl rate from Piglin bartering, but Nether Fortresses remain the only source of Blaze Rods.
• Gold ingots can sometimes be found in chests within Nether Fortress towers, providing additional resources for Piglin bartering.