1. Preparing for Nether Survival

There are three primary ways to begin a Nether-only world:

Method Overview

2. Essential Early-Game Goals

Step 1: Acquire Wood (Warped or Crimson Forest Biomes)

Your first objective is to find a Crimson or Warped Forest. Their giant fungi provide:

• Stems (Nether wood)
• Shroomlights (compost fuel)
• Fungi (tree seeds)
• Wart blocks (for bone meal composting)

Craft:

• Crafting Table
• Wooden Tools
• Bowls → Mushroom Stew (first reliable food source)

Step 2: Gather Blackstone & Stone Tools

Mine Blackstone to craft:

• Stone Pickaxe
• Stone Axe
• Furnace
• Brewing Stand (later)

Blackstone is found in:

• Basalt Deltas
• Near Lava Oceans
• Piglin bartering

Step 3: Get Gold ASAP

Gold is essential for:

• Piglin bartering
• Crafting golden armor
• Progression toward obsidian and fire charges

Sources:

• Nether Gold Ore (easy, exposed)
• Bastion Remnants
• Piglin bartering feedback loops
• Gilded Blackstone (rare)

Craft at least one piece of golden armor to prevent Piglins from attacking on sight.

Step 4: Barter for Progression Items

Piglins can give:

3. Nether Biome Survival Strategies

Each Nether biome presents unique survival challenges. Below are the Hellvival-optimized strategies.

Warped Forests (Blue Forests)

Mobs: Endermen only

Pros: Safest biome

Uses:

• Huge fungus for wood
• Ender pearls
• Easy early base location

Strategy:
Build your early camps here. No hostile ranged mobs spawn naturally.

Crimson Forests (Red Forests)

Mobs: Piglins, Hoglins

Pros:

• Hoglins = Best early food source
• Piglins = Bartering
• Renewable leather & pork

Strategy:

• Wear gold armor
• Build hoglin traps for infinite pork
• Barter with Piglins for iron, obsidian, fire protection

Nether Wastes

Mobs: Zombified Piglins, Piglins, Ghasts

Pros:

• Best biome for exposed Nether Gold Ore
• Good visibility for spotting structures

Strategy:
Travel long distances, farm gold, and mine safely behind cover.

Basalt Deltas

Mobs: Magma Cubes

Pros:

• Blackstone everywhere
• Basalt (ghast-proof)
• Natural terrain cover

Strategy:
Farm blackstone early, but beware magma cubes—they deal heavy damage and spawn frequently.

Soul Sand Valleys

Mobs: Skeletons, Ghasts

Pros:

• Nether fossils (bone meal)

Cons:

• Extremely dangerous

Strategy:

• Keep walls for cover
• Use soul soil paths for speed (with Soul Speed boots)

4. Nether Structures & How to Use Them

Nether Fortresses

Main objectives:

• Blaze rods (brewing + ender chests)
• Nether wart
• Loot chests

Bastion Remnants

Bastion remnants are large, castle-like generated structures found in the Nether in all of the biomes except basalt deltas. Piglins and hoglins guard bastions and they contain several types of loot, including gold blocks, gilded blackstone, and chest loot(armor, enhancement books, ores, etc).

Types:

• Treasure Room

• Housing Unit
• Hoglin Stables
• Bridge

Hellvival Tips:

• Always wear gold
• Use lava buckets to control Brutes
• Take all gold (blocks, nuggets, gilded blackstone)
• Build a magma cube farm (Treasure bastions only)

5. Potions You Can Make in the Nether

Using only Nether resources, you can brew:

Base:

• Awkward Potions → Nether Wart

Effects:

Enhancements:

• Glowstone → Level II
• Gunpowder → Splash Potions

Fire Resistance from Piglins is lifesaving early on.

6. Mob Farms in the Nether

Gold Farm:

Gold farms are used to acquire gold nuggets and ingots through automating the spawning and death of piglins.

Wither Skeleton Farm:

A wither skeleton farm is one where you create spawning pads for wither skeletons to die and receive wither skeleton skulls; useful for summoning the wither.

Hoglin Farm:

A hoglin farm is made through spawning hoglins in the nether and making them fall into lava; this provides leather and cooked porkchops upon death.

General Tips:

• Use blackstone bottom slabs (ghast-proof)
• Avoid lava spawnproofing—striders ruin rates
• Build at Y=120 for drop farms

7. Resource Conservation Strategies

In Nether Survival, everything is scarce. Follow these rules:

Tool & Armor Management

• Prioritize iron tools from bartering
• Save diamond/netherite durability
• Treat Mending items as sacred—rare without villagers

Wood Management

• Compost shroomlights & wart blocks for bone meal
• Replant fungi efficiently

Food Ranking (Best → Worst)

8. Advanced Tips for Hellvival Nether Survival

• Use fence gates instead of doors (piglins can’t open gates)
• Use campfires → break → get 2 charcoal (charcoal duplication)
• Switch to Easy mode early if overwhelmed
• Build "crash bars" to block wither skeleton movement
• Always carry a safe fire resistance backup
• Use warped fungus to repel hoglins