Exploring the vast, fiery expanse of the Nether in Minecraft can be both dangerous and rewarding. Among the most sought-after structures in this dimension are bastions, officially known as Bastion Remnants. These massive, ancient ruins are home to powerful loot, challenging enemies, and unique blocks that can’t be found anywhere else. Finding a bastion in Minecraft is crucial for players seeking Pigstep music discs, gilded blackstone, Piglin Brutes, or the resources needed for bartering. Knowing where to look and how to safely explore these fortresses can greatly improve your Nether experience.
What Is a Bastion Remnant?
A Bastion Remnant is a naturally generated structure found only in the Nether dimension. These bastions appear as large, ruined castles built from blackstone and are inhabited by Piglins and the more hostile Piglin Brutes. They come in several types, each with different layouts and loot potential. Bastions contain valuable items, including ancient debris, gold blocks, enchanted gear, and the rare Pigstep music disc.
Types of Bastions
- Bridge Bastion: Features a central bridge with a treasure room beneath it. Often contains a magma cube spawner.
- Hoglin Stables: Includes pens with hoglins and areas filled with loot chests.
- Housing Units: Looks like a small town of Piglins, filled with rooms, chests, and gold blocks.
- Treasure Room: The rarest type, packed with valuable loot and heavily guarded.
Each variant presents unique challenges, but all offer excellent rewards if navigated carefully.
Where to Find a Bastion in Minecraft
Biome-Specific Spawning
Bastions generate randomly throughout most biomes in the Nether, but they are more commonly found in specific locations. You can increase your chances of finding one by exploring the following biomes:
- Nether Wastes: Open and less cluttered, making bastions easier to spot.
- Basalt Deltas: Bastions can spawn here but are harder to see due to terrain.
- Crimson Forests: Good for visibility; bastions can often be seen from afar.
Note that bastions never spawn in Soul Sand Valleys or Warped Forests. These biomes are safe zones compared to others, but they do not contain bastions.
Optimal Search Strategy
To maximize your efficiency while searching for a bastion, use the following tips:
- Equip yourself with fire resistance potions, armor, and plenty of blocks for bridging.
- Keep render distance high to spot bastions from afar.
- Travel in a straight line while exploring large, open Nether areas like the Nether Wastes.
- Use Elytra if available to scout terrain more quickly in the Nether roof (with breaks back into the Nether).
Using Commands to Locate Bastions
If you’re playing in creative mode or with cheats enabled, you can find a bastion using the/locatecommand. Simply open your chat and type:
/locate structure bastion_remnantThis will return the coordinates of the nearest bastion. You can then teleport or navigate there manually. This method is especially helpful in custom adventure maps or when learning how bastions are generated.
How Far Apart Are Bastions?
In Minecraft, bastions and fortresses are spaced apart based on region files. The game ensures that bastions and nether fortresses do not spawn in the same region. Because of this, if you encounter a fortress, it’s unlikely that a bastion will be nearby and vice versa. Players searching for a bastion should move away from fortresses to increase their chances.
The rough spacing of bastions follows a pattern, but their exact locations are still random. Expect to travel several hundred blocks between bastions in survival mode. Mapping your route and exploring systematically helps reduce backtracking.
What to Expect Inside a Bastion
Enemies
Bastions are guarded by two main types of Piglin mobs:
- Piglins: Neutral unless you open a chest or mine gold blocks. Wearing at least one piece of gold armor prevents immediate aggression.
- Piglin Brutes: Always hostile, heavily armored, and deal significant damage. They don’t care if you wear gold.
Be cautious as these mobs can quickly overwhelm unprepared players. Brutes in particular should be dealt with using ranged weapons or separated from groups using blocks and barriers.
Loot and Rewards
Bastions are rich in loot, especially in the treasure rooms. Some of the most valuable items include:
- Ancient Debris
- Gold Blocks
- Enchanted Diamond Gear
- Netherite Scraps
- Gilded Blackstone
- Pigstep Music Disc
Loot chests are often hidden behind walls or placed in the center of dangerous areas, sometimes surrounded by lava or enemy mobs. Use caution and always check for traps or spawners nearby.
Tips for Raiding a Bastion Safely
- Wear gold armor: This prevents Piglins from becoming hostile until you open a chest or mine gold.
- Bring building blocks: Use blocks to create barriers or retreat paths in tight spaces.
- Use fire resistance potions: Falling into lava or being hit by fire can quickly turn deadly.
- Dig through walls: Rather than entering through the front, dig into the bastion to control encounters.
- Clear Piglin Brutes first: They are the most dangerous and will attack immediately.
With patience and preparation, even solo players can clear a bastion without too much trouble. Always be ready for sudden attacks and check every room carefully.
Why You Should Explore Bastions
Aside from their loot, bastions add depth to Minecraft’s Nether gameplay. They encourage strategic thinking, preparation, and combat skills. Bastions are also one of the only sources of the Pigstep music disc, one of the rarest and most popular music discs in the game. For players wanting to fully explore the Nether, bastions are a key destination that shouldn’t be skipped.
Additionally, bastions offer a unique architectural style, with intricate layouts and block types like gilded blackstone, cracked polished blackstone bricks, and chains. These materials are useful for building and decoration, giving you more creative freedom when designing your base.
Finding a bastion in Minecraft is an exciting and rewarding part of exploring the Nether. By focusing your search on biomes like the Nether Wastes and Crimson Forests, staying away from nether fortresses, and keeping an eye out for blackstone structures, you’ll eventually come across one of these impressive ruins. Whether you’re after powerful loot, unique blocks, or simply a thrilling adventure, bastions offer it all. Prepare carefully, bring the right gear, and explore every corner you never know what treasures are waiting inside.