TL;DR: Pack cobblestone, food, a sword, and a bow. Put on 1 gold piece. Go through the portal. Cobble the platform. Don't touch the beds. That's survival basics in 5 items.
You're about to go to the Nether for the first time.
Here is everything you need to know.
Your bag (bring all of this)
- 64 cobblestone — for shelter and platform protection
- 64 cooked food (porkchops, golden carrots, anything)
- A sword — iron or diamond, your best
- A bow + 32 arrows — for Ghasts
- 1 piece of gold armor — boots are fine; this stops Piglins from attacking you
- A flint and steel — in case your portal goes out
- A map or paper and pen — to write down your portal coordinates
That is the whole pack. Don't add more until you survive your first 3 trips.
The first 60 seconds
Step through the portal. Stop.
- Place 6 cobblestone around the portal frame.
- Look at the sky. Any white floating things? That's a Ghast. Step back behind cover.
- Write down your coordinates (open F3 on Java or look at the top of screen on Bedrock).
- Check your gold piece is equipped.
- Find the nearest wall and move toward it.
Now you can start exploring.
Rules that save your life
Beds explode. Never place a bed in the Nether. Use a Respawn Anchor charged with Glowstone instead, if you need to set a spawn point.
Wood burns. Build with cobblestone, blackstone, or netherrack. Anything else catches fire from a fireball.
Don't punch a Piglin. They swarm. Gold armor keeps them calm. Breaking their chests makes them mad — do it after you move away.
The Ghast cry is a warning. When you hear a low howl, look up. Step behind cover. Wait. It may not have seen you yet.
Your portal can break. If a Ghast fireball hits it, it goes out. You need flint and steel to relight it. Always carry flint and steel.
Your first goal
Survive 10 minutes and come back through the portal with your equipment intact.
That is it. Don't try to find a Fortress. Don't try to mine ancient debris. Just walk around, don't die, and come back.
You get 1 trip to learn the rules. After that, the real game starts.
What to do next
After your first successful trip, read:
- The Complete Nether Guide for Players Who Keep Dying — the full version of everything above
- The Ghast Problem — for the white floating things
- Why Beds Explode — for the question you're still wondering about
The Nether is patient. It will wait for you to come back prepared.
Listen to the audio version above. Send corrections to [email protected].
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