The Nether and The End

By Simon Batt / Minecraft / December 2017 Issue

Image by Spaceshipspaceshipspaceship on Flickr

New treasures and new enemies await in two unique, dangerous realms.

In the past few issues, we’ve been looking at how to go from downloading the game to getting the best equipment. However, it’s no fun having amazing gear without something to try out your stuff on! If you want a challenge, try exploring Minecraft’s ‘endgame’; content designed to be very challenging.

In Minecraft, the endgame consists of two realms; the Nether, and the (fittingly named) End.

The Nether

The Nether is the easier endgame realm to discover; however, it’s definitely not easy to survive in! It is a hellish landscape with treasures within and unique ores and blocks to be gathered.

The first thing you need to enter are obsidian blocks. Technically you need 14 of them, but there’s a way to construct an ‘economical’ version with only 10.

To make obsidian, pour water over a ‘source block’ of lava. This is typically achieved by using a bucket of water,, or by redirecting an existing water flow. Obsidian blocks can only be mined by a diamond pickaxe, so make sure you bring one with you.

When you have 14 obsidian blocks, build a portal in a 4×3 rectangle like this:

If you’re building the economy version, you can replace the corners with anything.

To activate the portal, you need to place fire in its center. The easiest way to do this is by using flint and steel. Take a block of iron and some flint (usually found in gravel) and combine them like this:

With the flint and steel equipped, right click the top of the bottom blocks of the portal to activate it.

Don’t worry about making a portal on the other side; one is already created for you when you enter the Nether. Make sure you’re ready, then stand within the purple portal and wait for five seconds, and you’ll be teleported into the Nether.

The Nether contains a lot of nasty creatures, such as zombie pigmen, flying ghasts, and fire elementals. It is, however, the only place where you can get soul sand and glowstone. It also contains nether fortresses containing chests of loot, and can even be captured for a pre built home!

The End

The End is a much more suiting term for the ‘endgame’, as completing it will give you a credits screen. Unfortunately, it’s a little harder to find than the Nether.

First, you need to make an Eye of Ender. This is done by combining two items together; Blaze Powder, and an Ender Pearl. Blaze rods can be found in the Nether by killing a Blaze. They look like this:

Once you’ve obtained a Blaze Rod, put it in your crafting area to make two blaze powders.

Ender pearls are obtained by slaying an Enderman or finding one in a Nether stronghold chest. Endermen typically spawn in the regular world, but they’re quite rare and hate being looked at directly! They look like this:

Once you’ve obtained an Ender Pearl, combine it with one blaze powder.

With the Eye equipped, right click to throw it. The Eye of Ender will then float in the direction of the portal to The End. If it also floats upward, it means there’s a long distance between yourself and The End. It also has a chance to break once it falls, so make sure you create extras.

The nearest portal to The End may be many, many miles away, so make sure you travel appropriately. You may need to place markers and come back later. Once you get close, the eye will start going downward into the ground. Dig where the Eye is travelling

If you deep deep enough, you’ll find a stronghold. Make sure to bring plenty of supplies and at least 12 Eyes of Ender. Eventually you’ll find a room with a portal:

If you look closely, you’ll see that there are eyes in some of the slots around the portal, but not all. This is where you come in! Fill in the rest of the portal and it will open up.

The End is very difficult, and requires fighting a lot of Endermen and an Ender Dragon. You also can’t return until you’ve won the fight, so don’t enter immediately. Check the links at the bottom for an in-depth guide on fighting the dragon, so you can be fully ready for what’s waiting for you. Good luck!

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Simon Batt

Simon Batt is a UK-based tech enthusiast and all-around geek. His favourite things are cups of tea, cats, and new gadgets, even though they never mix well.

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