Minecraft’s fiery inferno dimension, The Nether, hasn’t exactly been a friendly place to hang out in. That was until patch 1.16 landed on all platforms in June. With this update, Mojang gave the lava laden underworld some much needed TLC. Through some new crafting materials, greedy denizens and a whole host of…hot activities, The Nether has become an actual place to spend time in.
There’s plenty of new goodies to explore so let’s check it out.
The Nether Update Introduces New Ore
The primary incentive the Nether Update brings to the crafting table is some new ore to collect and bend to your will. Starting off with Ancient Debris, a new ore block that can only be found in the infernal dimension. The only way to mine this new material is by way of a Diamond Pickaxe. Use a furnace to burn Ancient Debris down to another new material, Netherite Scrap. Be sure to have some Gold Ingots on you to combine it with the scraps in order to make Netherite Ingots. These fireproof precious metals can be added to any piece of gear in order to turn it into the next highest tier, Netherite Gear. On top of higher attack and defence attributes, Netherite Gear also has knockback resistance on top of being lava-proof. Naturally, this also means that Netherite Ingots can be combined into Netherite Blocks which are highly blastproof. Setting explosive traps near your homestead just got a lot more feasible.
Enter the New Biomes
Minecraft’s 1.16 update doesn’t just drop new gear upgrades and calls it a day. Oh no. It also enriches the Nether with some new biomes to explore and grab new materials. First up, there’s the Crimson Forest. This biome is filled with red encrusted trees which can be chopped or stripped down to stems and planks which in turn can be used to create wood blocks that are…well, red. There’s also a new type of ore called Nylium which can be turned into Crimson Netherite.
Too much red for your liking? Locate the Warped Forest biome in the Nether if green is more your speed. While there are Warped versions of pretty much everything that can be gathered in the Crimson Forest, what’s different is that they’re fireproof. What’s unique to the Warped Forest are the Warped Sprouts which can be placed to look like grass. Pretty snazzy.
Next up, we take a stroll through the next biome in the Nether called Soul Sand Valley. Be sure to grab a Pickaxe to mine Basalt Pillars that are everywhere in this biome. Basalt is grey and can be combined into two block variants with different textures. The Soul Salt ground in this biome can also be ignited to create blue Soul Fire. You can also combine use Soul Sand to make blue variants of Torches, Lanterns and Campfires for that extra eerie effect.
Our final destination is the Basalt Deltas which will be your one-stop-shop for Blackstone. This block is basically Cobblestone – Nether Edition. Finding it means you can craft the lion’s share of important items making survival in this living hell reality.
Shroomlights can be found among the plants in these biomes and are essentially an alternative to Glowstone.
Get to Know the Locals of the Nether
You may be starting to think that it’s all fun and games exploring the Nether. Amongst the flora, however, there’s some fauna to get acquainted with. First off, Hoglins, a breed of pig found in the Nether. Beware when approaching as they take their social distancing seriously and will attack you on sight. Among the fun things you can do with them are Hoglin breeding by using Crimson Fungus and bringing them to the Overworld to turn them into Zoglins.
Floating around the Nether are the octopus-like Striders, a new rideable mob. Once mounted, these guys make for the perfect form of transport as they’re impervious to lava. You can use a Warped fungus on a fishing rod to direct them.
Finally, the most interesting new mobs in the Nether Update are the Piglins. These humanoid pigs are quite greedy. They’re hostile unless you’re wearing something gold so have some of that yellow shiny gear on hand. Be wary that they don’t take kindly to those who open chests regardless of their attire. The most fun aspect of these guys is that you can barter with them. Give them something of value and they’ll examine it thoroughly before giving you something in return. Toss a coin to your Piglin.
There’s a whole host of other cool and creative things to do now that the Nether Update has made the Underworld a much more interesting place. Once you’re in complete harmony with its fiery chaos, you’ll find new ways to enhance your home in the Overworld.
