Finding a stronghold is the first step to reaching the Ender Dragon and beating Minecraft. Strongholds are well-hidden structures that require specific strategies to uncover.
We’ll cover two ways to reliably find strongholds down below.
Finding a Stronghold With Eyes of Ender
The intended way to find strongholds in Minecraft is through using Eyes of Ender, special items that act as homing beacons towards the nearest stronghold. This method is lengthy, but you should absolutely take this route if it’s your first time trying to reach the End dimension.
Here’s a quick rundown of all the steps you’ll need to take to find a stronghold using Eyes of Ender:
- Collect lots of Ender Pearls and Blaze Powder
- Combine them to craft Eyes of Ender
- Throw Eyes of Ender to reveal the path to the stronghold
- Head underground to find the stronghold entrance
Once all of these steps are complete, you will enter the stronghold and complete your journey to the End dimension.
Crafting Eyes of Ender
Eyes of Ender are your ticket to the nearest stronghold. To make them, you’ll need to combine Blaze Powder and Ender Pearls at a crafting table.
To get Blaze Powder, you’ll have to defeat Blazes, tough mobs that spawn in Nether fortresses. Each Blaze has a chance to drop Blaze Rods upon death. Each Rod can then be turned into two Blaze Powder at a crafting table.
The other ingredient you’ll need to make Eyes of Ender is Ender Pearls. You can find Ender Pearls by defeating Enderman that roams cave systems and the overworld at night.
Ender Pearls are also available through trading with Cleric Villagers. Unfortunately, the prices are incredibly high, which makes this method a much slower way to gather Ender Pearls.
Once you’ve gathered some Blaze Powder and Ender Pearls, place one of each on a crafting table to make an Eye of Ender. Strongholds are often thousands of blocks away from your starting position, so be sure to make lots of Eyes of Ender before setting out.
Using Eyes of ender
Once you’ve created a large batch of Eyes of Ender, grab supplies for the long journey ahead, then head outside. Equip the Eyes of Ender to your hotbar and throw one into the air. The Eye will automatically float for 12 blocks in the direction of the nearest stronghold. Once it’s done floating, it will fall to the ground.
Pick the Eye up from where it landed and walk in the direction that it floated for a short time before throwing another.
The Eyes of Ender can usually be picked up off of the ground to be used again. Unfortunately, there’s a 20% chance that they will shatter in mid-air, rendering them unusable.
Keep throwing and following your Eyes of Ender one by one until they stop floating into the air, and instead head down into the ground.
If the Eyes are heading down, that means you’re standing above a stronghold.
Heading Underground
Now that you’re on top of a stronghold, it’s best to make some preparations. Strongholds are incredibly dangerous, and the End dimension is even more so. Make a small shelter and a bed above ground, and sleep in it to set your spawn point nearby in case you die and drop your items.
Once you’re ready, dig downwards, following the Eyes of Ender. After at least 10 layers of digging, you’ll come across the top of a spiral staircase.
Follow this staircase down to enter the main portion of the stronghold. Down here you’ll find mobs, chests, and an End portal which will take you to Minecraft’s final boss.
You’re now free to fill the empty spots of the stronghold’s End portal with your remaining Eyes of Ender and open the portal to the End dimension.
Finding a Stronghold Using Console Commands
Using console commands is a much faster way to find a stronghold in Minecraft. The issue with this method is that it’s often considered to be cheating, as it bypasses the entire process of navigating across the world in search of a stronghold.
If you still want to use this method, type “/locate stronghold” into the text bar and press the enter key to reveal the coordinates for the nearest stronghold. With the coordinates on the screen, make a note of them, enter the game settings menu, and hit the ‘Show Coordinates’ toggle.
This will show your current coordinates on the screen. You can now travel to the stronghold, walking until your coordinates match up with the coordinates of the stronghold that you noted down earlier. Once you’re on top of the stronghold, dig down to find the spiral staircase entrance.
One issue with this method is that you will still need to find some Eyes of Ender in order to power the stronghold’s End portal. Luckily, you can often find these in the chests found throughout strongholds.
