How to Find Strongholds in Minecraft

Strongholds in Minecraft not only give players access to some rare items in the game but are the key to accessing the End which spawns the Ender Dragon. Strongholds are naturally occurring structures in the Overworld. They are usually made of a number of rooms constructed with stone bricks including corridors, libraries and the end portal room. Players will find loot in chests located in corridors and storerooms. You won’t usually find mobs here since strongholds are usually lit by torches. Here is how you can find strongholds in Minecraft. 

How to find strongholds in Minecraft

Strongholds are usually randomly generated but in the Minecraft Bedrock Edition, they usually generate under a village. In the Java edition, they generate in a series of rings along the biomes.

You can also use Eyes of Ender to find strongholds. The crafting recipe of Eyes of Ender requires one Ender Pearl and one Blaze Powder.

You can kill Endermen for a 1 in two chance of dropping 1 ender pearl. The drop is increased by 1 per level of Looting, with a maximum of 4 with Looting III. Endermen usually spawn at the light level of 0 in the overworld and the End, or a light level of 7 or less in the Nether. Blaze rods used to make Blaze Powder can only be obtained from Blazes. Blazes are levitating hostile mobs found in nether fortresses. One rod gives you two Blaze Powders. Combining the two will get you an ender pearl. 

Another way to obtain Ender Pearls is by trading Gold with Piglins found in the Nether. Throw a gold ingot near an adult piglin or use a gold ingot on it. The Piglin will inspect the ingot for a few seconds and then drop you a random item.

You can barter Gold items with Piglins which have an approximately 2.18% chance of dropping an Eye of Ender. 

Once you obtain a number of Eyes of Ender (12-20 depending on how far you are from the Stronghold), you can use them to guide you towards the Strongholds. Once used an Eye of Ender will travel for 12 blocks in the direction of the stronghold and fall or shatter.

The eye has a 20% chance of shattering after each use. Once you’re above the stronghold, throwing the eye will cause it to disappear downwards into the ground. Start digging down from here you’ll eventually reach the Stronghold. Activating the End Portal requires you to place 12 eyes of ender in the portal, so if you want to journey towards the End, make sure you have some extra eyes in your inventory. However, you may find some Eyes of Ender already in place in the slots of End Portal.