Nether Fortress/Structure

A Nether Fortress is a structure generated in the Nether. This is a tutorial regarding how to build Nether Fortresses.

Finding a Nether Fortress
This is relatively easy, as many portals spawn you near, or even in Nether Forts. If you can't see one nearby, go straight in any direction, and you're bound to find one.

Living In a Nether Fortress
If you've mastered the Nether, you can go in and start making a nether fortress more habitable. If you can have control of a Nether Fortress on a multiplayer server, you can control who enters the area, and also control who gets blaze rods (as blazes only spawn in Nether Fortresses). With the addition of Nether Quartz, the one who controls a fort can also control who gets Nether Quartz from the area.

First, you should repair any bridges, as this can prevent falling deaths in the nether, though it gives mobs more access to the fortress.

In many places, lava may be leaking in, so it is advisable to close off the area.

Almost all forts have a single roofed, large building, which you can use as the main building, where you can store all the necessities. You should put doors on the building, to prevent destructive mobs from entering.

DO NOT make a bed, beds explode in the nether and the end if you sleep on them, though all crafting benches are needed, and an ender chest might be useful (if one leaves the Nether in a hurry, they can get their items via another chest).

You should disable blaze spawners, so you can use them for mob grinding purposes later on, but also prevent blazes from overunning the fortress, as they are extremely hazardous.

Some parts of a fortress have been filled in with netherrack and it can be a pain to dig it out. TNT is useful, though this risks damaging the fort, creating more hassle for the user.

Nether Wart plantations are in most fortresses, with many warts in one plantation. For more about Nether Wart, see Tutorials/Nether Wart Farming.

If one finds a nearby fort that is not attached to the first one, Nether Brick can be looted to repair the fortress if in survival.

Killing the various mobs that spawn there is tricky. Blazes, Zombie Pigmen, and Ghasts pose a threat, though Wither Skeletons are a minor annoyance. Mobs spawn at a faster rate in a Nether Fortress, and trying to kill all the zombie pigmen is impractical, so it is best to just leave them alone, as a large pack of pigmen could knock you off into the lava ocean.

If imported farming does not work, you should use the naturally growing mushrooms to make soup, so you have a bit to eat, though it is preferable to make better food, such as bread, with imported dirt and wheat seeds.

With the addition of Nether Quartz Ore in the 1.5 Redstone Update, exploration of the Nether was increased, and as a result, use of the Nether Fortresses also increased, due to users wanting to get quartz for the Daylight Sensor and the Comparator. It is unknown if any new Nether mechanics will be added, though.

Building a Nether Fortress in the Overworld
In the following blueprints, "Layer 0" means that this is level with the path(s) that connect them. Negative numbers indicate that they are below the path.

Bridge Closed Intersections
These intersections connect four bridges.

Bridge Open Intersection
These intersections connect four bridges.

Blaze Spawner
The entrance is on the bottom side of the blueprints. They can connect to a bridge or a corridor.

Bridge Staircases
The stair case goes to the right and the exit is to the left at the top. These connect to bridges on the top and bottom.

Cauldron Room
These are used to connect bridges and corridors. On Layer 4, the three fences above the path show the bridge side.

Nether Wart Farm
Layer 9 is split in two because there is a possibility of an exit going up the stairs. These connect to three corridors.

Straight Corridor
These are made in 5x5 segments.

The Curved Corridor
These connect to corridors. This blueprint shows a left turn, but it can be mirrored to make a right turn. The chest is optional.

The Corridor Staircase
These staircases connect to corridors.

The Corridor Intersection
These connect to four corridors.

The Corridor Balcony
These connect to three corridors.