The Best Ways to Learn How to Find Strongholds in Minecraft

The moment you have explored every cave, conquered the Nether, and feel ready for the ultimate challenge, the time has come to prepare for your journey to The End. To do that, you need to find a stronghold.

A stronghold is a large, naturally generated underground structure—a kind of abandoned fortress—that houses the one and only End Portal in the Overworld. This portal is your one-way ticket to The End dimension, where the dreaded Ender Dragon awaits. Finding a stronghold is one of the most critical steps in completing the game and is a goal for many players.

Just know that the exact process for how to find a stronghold is slightly different between the two main versions of Minecraft: Java Edition (for PC/Mac) and Bedrock Edition (for consoles, mobile, and Windows 10).


What Is a Stronghold in Minecraft?

A stronghold is an ancient, maze-like, underground structure that looks like the ruins of a former civilization. They are built mostly out of stone brick blocks and are typically quite large.

The main purpose of a stronghold is to contain the End portal room, which has the End portal used to access The End dimension. Inside a stronghold, you will find a variety of rooms, including:

  • Portal Room: The most important room, containing the End portal frame. Be aware of the silverfish spawner often found here.
  • Stronghold Library: These libraries are great for loot, containing bookshelves and chests that might hold enchanted books, sometimes even rare ones like Mending or Silk Touch.
  • Corridors and Staircases: Winding hallways and spiral staircases connect the various rooms. You may also find prison cells and storage rooms.

In Java Edition, up to 128 strongholds generate per world in concentric rings around the center of the map. The first ring has three strongholds. In Bedrock Edition, there are typically fewer strongholds—often just three—and they spawn at least 160 blocks away from the world origin (coordinates 0,0).


How to Locate a Stronghold

The primary method for how to locate strongholds is by using the Eye of Ender.

Using Eye of Ender

To craft an Eye of Ender, you need one Ender Pearl and one Blaze Powder.

  • Crafting: Place one ender pearl and one blaze powder into a square on the crafting grid.
  • Throwing: Select the Eye of Ender on your quick bar and right click (or the equivalent action on your platform) to throw it into the air.
  • Tracking: The Eye will fly into the air a short distance, pointing in the direction of the nearest stronghold, before either falling back to the ground or breaking.
  • Retrieving: The Eye of Ender has an 80% chance of dropping back as an item after it is thrown, but there is a 20% chance it will break, so a good number to have is 12–15, but it is best to have more.

Tips for Efficient Navigation

  • Follow the Direction: Walk in the direction the Eye flies. Once you have walked a few hundred blocks, throw another Ender Eye to correct your path.
  • Avoid Breaking: Try not to throw the Eyes of Ender too close together, as they have a chance to break.
  • Digging Down: When the Eye of Ender hovers in the air and simply drops instead of flying off, you are directly above the stronghold. This is the point where you should dig straight down to find the structure.


Edition Differences in Stronghold Generation

Java Edition: Players often use triangulation to pinpoint the exact location. This involves throwing the Eye from two different points and marking the intersection of the paths to more accurately locate the stronghold. The strongholds generate in concentric rings.

Bedrock Edition: The strongholds tend to be closer to the center of the world than the farthest rings in Java Edition. They are generally easier to locate because you do not have to travel as far, but the loot may feel less consistent.


Exploring the Stronghold

Once you dig down and find the first stone brick blocks of the stronghold, you need to explore the vast, maze-like structure to find the stronghold’s most important room.

Layout Overview and Key Areas

The structure contains many rooms and winding hallways. It is easy to get lost, so it is highly recommended to place torches as you explore to mark your path and light up the dark corridors to prevent mob spawns.

  • Portal Room: Look for a relatively small room with a small lava pool and a raised platform with the portal frame. You will also likely hear silverfish noises, as there is often a spawner here.
  • End Portal Room: This is the room with the End Portal itself. It is a square frame made of stone bricks where you place the Eyes of Ender to activate the portal.
  • Stronghold Libraries: These are valuable rooms containing multiple bookshelves and a chest with loot. The larger, duplex libraries have two floors connected by a ladder.


Activating the End Portal

The End portal is the only way to access The End. It is a frame of 12 portal frame blocks, but it is often found with some of the frames filled with an Eye of Ender.

To activate the End portal, you must place an Eye of Ender into every single one of the empty portal frame blocks.

  • Eyes of Ender Needed: The number needed can vary from one to twelve. You will only need 12 if you are unlucky and find a stronghold where the End portal is empty.
  • Completing the Portal Safely: Stand on the side of the portal frame and right-click on each empty slot to place an Ender Eye. The portal will light up instantly when the final Eye is placed.
  • Entering The End: Once the portal is activated, simply jump into the black, starry portal to be transported to The End to face the Ender Dragon.


Preparing for the Ender Dragon Fight

Before jumping into the portal, you must be prepared to face the Ender Dragon and the various Endermen that spawn in The End.

  • Gear Checklist: Make sure you have at least full iron armor, preferably diamond, with useful enchantments. Bring a good sword, a bow and plenty of arrows, a water bucket (for avoiding fall damage), and a few different potions (like Strength, Regeneration, and Slow Falling).
  • Strategy Tips: Your main objective is to first destroy the tall obsidian pillars topped with Ender Crystals that heal the Ender Dragon.
  • After the Fight: Once the Ender Dragon is defeated, a gateway will spawn that leads to the outer End islands, where you can explore End cities for valuable loot like the Elytra.


Stronghold Tips by Edition

Feature Java Edition Bedrock Edition
Generation Up to 128 strongholds generate in concentric rings. Fewer strongholds (often 3) generate at least 160 blocks from the world origin.
Finding The triangulation strategy is highly effective in pinpointing the location. Easier to locate as they are closer, but fewer overall.
Quirks Chunk-based generation can be exploited by advanced players. Strongholds can sometimes generate underwater or be heavily blocked by cave systems.


Alternative Methods to Find Strongholds

This section is for players who want to skip the Eye of Ender throwing or for those playing in a creative world.

  • Seed Mapping Tools: Online tools like Chunkbase allow players to input their world seed and get the exact coordinates of all strongholds generated.
  • Using Commands: If you have cheats enabled or are in creative mode, you can use the command:
/locate stronghold

This will instantly give you the coordinates of the nearest stronghold.

Speed running Techniques: Advanced players use nether travel shortcuts to cover large distances quickly and apply complex math to predict portal locations.


Stronghold Trivia and Hidden Mechanics

This is where you can find some fascinating facts about the stronghold to impress your friends!

  • Incomplete Portals: Strongholds can sometimes generate with incomplete End portals, meaning you might need all 12 Eyes of Ender to activate them.
  • Rare Loot: Stronghold libraries are one of the best sources of rare enchanted books like Mending or Silk Touch, so they are always worth exploring.
  • Silverfish: The silverfish spawner found in the portal room is the only natural source of silverfish in the Overworld.
  • Intersections:Strongholds can intersect with other structures like cave systems, abandoned mineshafts, or even dungeons, creating unique and sometimes complicated layouts.


Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even veteran players make mistakes when hunting for a stronghold. Here are a few to watch out for:

  • Misreading Eye of Ender Trajectory: The Eye always points to the nearest stronghold, so if you walk past it, the Eye will start flying backward. Avoid this by checking the direction frequently.
  • Digging Too Early or Too Deep: Only dig straight down when the Eye hovers in the air. If you dig too early, you might miss the structure entirely, as they can generate at various Y levels.
  • Missing the Portal Room Entirely: The stronghold is a maze-like structure, and it is very common to miss the End portal room. Place torches to mark where you have been, and do not be afraid to backtrack and explore rooms you missed.


Conclusion

Finding a stronghold is a vital part of the Minecraft game. It is the key that accesses The End, allowing you to fight the Ender Dragon and open up a whole new realm of exploration. With your Eyes of Ender ready and your torches in hand, you are now fully equipped to find a stronghold and take the final step in your adventure.

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