TL;DR: Striders are the purple shivering mobs that walk on lava. They spawn in lava pools. Saddle them like a pig. Ride with warped fungus on a stick to steer. Warped forest grows warped fungus free.
Crossing lava lakes is one of the most dangerous parts of early Nether trips. Walking around takes forever. Building bridges costs materials and gets burned.
Striders solve both problems.
Getting your first Strider
Striders spawn on lava surfaces — especially in large lava seas. Look for a pink-purple creature with tall thin legs walking on lava.
They're passive. They don't attack. They do shiver and look sad when they step on solid ground (they're cold creatures).
What you need
A saddle — found in Fortress chests or Bastion chests. Not craftable. Worth saving.
A warped fungus on a stick — crafting: fishing rod + warped fungus. Warped fungus grows in Warped Forest biomes (the blue-green Nether forest). Pick up any warped fungus you see while passing through one.
Saddling the Strider
Hold the saddle. Right-click the Strider. It accepts the saddle without any taming process.
You're now riding it.
Steering
Without warped fungus on a stick: you're on a Strider that wanders randomly. Not useful.
With warped fungus on a stick: hold it in your hand while riding and the Strider follows it in whatever direction you point. It also moves faster.
You steer the same way you'd steer a saddled pig or horse — look where you want to go, hold the fungus, ride.
Crossing the lake
Striders walk across lava at roughly normal walking speed. They don't sink. They don't burn.
You, however, can still be hit by Ghasts while riding. Watch the sky. Have fire resistance ready.
They also slow to a crawl on Soul Sand, which can extend into lava occasionally near Soul Sand Valley biomes. If you slow down, check if the lava has a soul sand floor under it.
Strider stables
If you use Striders often, build a stable near your portal with a fence and gate at the lava edge. Park the Strider there between trips. You don't have to search for one every session.
Breed Striders with warped fungus — right-click both with fungus — to produce baby Striders. Once grown, saddle them too.
Common mistakes
- No warped fungus on a stick. You'll ride a Strider that wanders aimlessly.
- Not watching for Ghasts while riding. You're exposed and moving slowly.
- Trying to ride an unsaddled Strider. You'll sit on it but can't control it.
- Forgetting that Striders slow down on solid ground. Don't plan a cross-terrain route.
A closing thought
The Strider is one of Minecraft's nicest designs. It looks wrong in the Nether — too gentle, too cold, too confused. But it has been walking the lava since before the Piglins forgot their names.
The Bedtime in the Nether episode What the Strider Saw is about this, if you want the longer version.
Pair with The Complete Nether Guide and Soul Speed Boots.
Listen to the audio version above. Send corrections to [email protected].
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