Do you want to beat Minecraft and become a speedrunner while doing so? Or do you want a ton of rare resources early on in your survival world? The solution to both situations is learning how to find a Minecraft Stronghold and doing it fast. For that, we are here with an easy-to-follow guide that includes three methods to reach a Stronghold. These methods work on both Minecraft Java and Bedrock editions. So, with no time to spare, let’s dive right in!
How to Find a Minecraft Stronghold (2022)
There are a variety of ways to find a Stronghold in Minecraft. From commands to survival mechanics, we have got it all covered. Use the table below to find the method that suits your playstyle.
What is a Stronghold in Minecraft
In Minecraft, Stronghold is the name given to the main plot structure that generates beneath the overworld. It is one of the largest structures in the game and is made up of several rooms, libraries, and more. More importantly, the Stronghold is where the End portal spawns. You can use this portal to travel to the End dimension in Minecraft, and it’s where the Ender dragon lives.
Where Does the Stronghold Spawn
The Stronghold only generates underground in the overworld dimension of Minecraft. At times, the strongholds can even generate underwater but are not exposed to water. In Minecraft Bedrock edition, most Strongholds generate under a village. Meanwhile, in the Java edition, the Strongholds generate at random spots after almost every 2000-3000 blocks.
Unlike structures like the Ancient city, the stronghold doesn’t have a fixed height in the world generation. Though, it’s best to search for the stronghold between the base level (Y=0) and the Bedrock level (Y=-64) of the world. As per the coordinates we found while testing some of the best Minecraft seeds, this is where most Strongholds spawn.
How to Find the Stronghold in Minecraft
There are three main ways to find Strongholds in Minecraft:
- Ender Pearls: The intended way to find the Stronghold without cheats or hacks in the survival world. More on it later.
- Commands: By activating cheats, you can use commands to locate the coordinates of the nearest Minecraft stronghold.
- Map Tool: With the help of an online tool, you can analyze a seed code to find all strongholds in it.
Command to Locate Strongholds
With that out of the way, let’s look at the first method to locate a Stronghold in Minecraft. Follow the steps below to use a command to find Strongholds:
1. First, activate cheats in your Minecraft world. Without doing so, you can’t use any commands. Cheats can be activated in the LAN settings of the pause menu of the Java edition. In the Bedrock edition, you can toggle on the “Activate Cheats” option in the world settings.
2. After activating the cheats, use the following command to locate the nearest Stronghold in your world:
/locate structure stronghold
3. Once the command is executed, the game will display the coordinates of the closest Stronghold you can travel to.
Find all Strongholds in a Minecraft Seed
Follow the steps below to find coordinates to all the Strongholds in a Minecraft seed:
1. First, check the seed code of your Minecraft world using the “/seed” command.
2. Then, open the Chunkbase map analyzer using the link here. Then, paste the seed code of your world into the seed cell. Make sure the game’s version is set to yours and the dimension is set to “Overworld”.
3. Once the seed code is analyzed, the map on Chunkbase will display all Strongholds in that seed with the Eye of Ender icon. You can click on the icons to find the coordinates for that specific icon.
Find Minecraft Stronghold Using Eyes of Ender
Items Required to Find a Stronghold
In the survival game mode, you need the following items to reach a Stronghold:
- An iron pickaxe or stronger (better to have more)
- 3 Eyes of Ender (12 to activate the End portal)
Since Strongholds spawn beneath the ground, you have to use pickaxes to dig and reach the structure. However, to find the spot where you have to dig, you need to use Eyes of Enders (made up of blaze power and ender pearls).
How to Make Eye of Ender in Minecraft
Follow these steps to make an Eye of Ender in Minecraft:
1. First, make a Nether portal and travel to the Nether dimension of Minecraft.
2. Then, find a Nether fortress where the Blaze hostile mob spawns. When you kill the Blaze, it might end up dropping blaze rods. You should collect as many blaze rods as you can get.
3. Then, place the Blaze rods on the crafting table to turn them into Blaze powder.
4. Next, find and kill Endermen that spawn at night in the overworld. They drop the Ender pearls on dying. You can make an Enderman farm to get Ender pearls with ease.
5. Finally, put the Ender pearl and the blaze powder in the crafting area to craft an Eye of Ender. This crafting recipe doesn’t have any particular pattern, so you can place the Ender pear and blaze powder next to each other in any cell.
Use Eyes of Ender to Locate Stronghold
Now that you have an Eye of Ender, follow these steps to use this item to find Strongholds in Minecraft:
1. First, go to the overworld and throw an Eye of Ender using right-click or secondary action key. The thrown Eye will float 12 blocks towards the nearest Stronghold location.
2. If the Stronghold is far, the Eye of Ender will float in an upwards direction.
3. If the stronghold is near, the Eye of Ender will go downwards and even travel underground. You might have to dig to get back the Eye. Moreover, if the Eye of Ender is going precisely towards the same spot, that’s where you have to dig to reach the Stronghold.
4. At times, the Eye of Ender might shatter on being used. This happens randomly. So, it’s best to carry more than 12 Eyes of Ender to make sure you have enough of them on reaching the End portal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t I find the Stronghold?
If you can’t find the Stronghold, you should expand your search radius. It’s best to travel a dozen blocks before throwing another Eye of Ender.
What depth is the Stronghold at?
There is no fixed depth to find a Stronghold. But it’s best to look beneath the world height of Y=0.
How many Eyes of Ender do you need for a Stronghold?
You only need 1 or 2 Eyes of Ender to find a Stronghold in most situations. But to activate an End portal, you will need a total of 12 Eyes of Ender.
Find the Minecraft Stronghold in the Fastest Way
And just like that, you are ready to explore the End dimension by reaching the Stronghold in Minecraft 1.19 and older versions. But before you enter that dimension or even the Stronghold, it’s best to keep a collection of the best Minecraft potions around. For extra support, you can also bring a few of the best Minecraft enchantments on this dangerous adventure. Having said that, can you think of any other ways to find the Stronghold in Minecraft?
