How to Find a Stronghold in Minecraft and What’s Hidden Inside

Minecraft strongholds: mysterious underground complexes brimming with secrets and peril. These ancient structures are essential to the game, offering thrilling adventures and valuable rewards for brave explorers. Ready to delve into their dark corridors and face the lurking monsters within? Then read on!

Table of Contents

• What is a Stronghold in Minecraft
• How to Find a Stronghold in Minecraft
• Eye of Ender
• The Locate Command
• Stronghold Rooms
• Library
• Prison
• Fountain
• Secret Rooms
• Altar
• Stronghold Mobs
• Rewards
• Portal to the Ender Dragon

What is a Stronghold in Minecraft?

Strongholds are ancient, underground labyrinths. Beyond the valuable loot scattered throughout their corridors, prisons, libraries, and other intriguing areas, lies a portal to The End – the game's final boss battle.

Activated using Eyes of Ender (detailed below), these structures can't be found through random digging. While the game provides a specific search method, there are also less conventional approaches.

How to Find a Stronghold in Minecraft

Eye of Ender

This is the intended and legitimate way to locate a stronghold. Crafting requires:

• Blaze Powder (from Blaze rods dropped by Blazes)
• Ender Pearls (dropped by Endermen, purchased from villager priests, or found in stronghold chests)

Throw an Eye of Ender; it will briefly fly towards the nearest stronghold. Remember, they are consumable. For survival mode, aim for at least 30. You'll need them to activate the End portal!

The Locate Command

A less orthodox (and arguably unfair) method involves enabling cheats and using this command:

/locate structure stronghold (for versions 1.20 and above)

This provides approximate coordinates. Use /tp to teleport nearby; further searching may be needed.

Stronghold Rooms

Library

Stone, brick, and bookshelves characterize these spacious, high-ceilinged rooms. Often hidden deep within the stronghold, libraries contain chests near bookshelves, potentially yielding enchanted books and other valuable resources.

Prison

A confusing maze of narrow corridors and dim lighting, the prison is a dangerous place filled with skeletons, zombies, and creepers.

Fountain

A central fountain adds a mystical air to this room, hinting at ancient rituals or a place of solitude.

Secret Rooms

Hidden behind walls, these chambers often contain chests with valuable loot, but beware of hidden traps!

Altar

An eerie room of stone bricks and torches, resembling a grim prison more than a sacred site.

Stronghold Mobs

Expect skeletons, creepers, and numerous silverfish. While manageable with basic iron armor, they still present a challenge.

Rewards

Loot is randomized, but possibilities include enchanted books, iron armor, iron swords, and even diamond horse armor.

Portal to the Ender Dragon

The stronghold contains the portal to the Ender Dragon, Minecraft's final boss. Exploring this ancient structure offers not only a path to the game's conclusion but also a rewarding adventure in itself.