Bastions in Minecraft: types, loot and strategy

1. How to find a bastion

Bastions generate in every Nether biome except Basalt Deltas. That means you can run into them in the Nether Wastes, Soul Sand Valley, Crimson Forest and Warped Forest. Each bastion covers a large area (50-100 blocks across) and is built mostly from blackstone and its variants, which makes it easy to spot against red netherrack.

A bastion and a Nether Fortress never generate on top of each other in the same spot: if you find a fortress, the bastion will be farther away. To locate one, use the command /locate structure minecraft:bastion_remnant. Keep in mind that bastions often generate partly buried in netherrack or in lava lakes, which can make them hard to recognize from a distance. Look for the dark blackstone blocks that stand out from their surroundings.

In survival, the most effective way to search is to build a bridge at Y 50-70 and keep heading in one direction. Bastions are big enough that they're hard to miss if you move systematically. Bring building blocks and a potion of Fire Resistance, because the route often crosses lava lakes.

2. The four bastion types

Every bastion generates as one of four variants. The type decides the layout, the number of chests and mobs, and the kind of loot. The type is picked at random when the world generates, and you can't change it. Knowing the differences between the types lets you quickly judge whether a bastion is worth the risk.

Bridge

A large blackstone bridge stretching over a lava chasm. It has hoglin stables at one end and chest rooms at the other. The loot includes enchanted diamond tools, blocks of gold and, rarely, netherite ingots. The bridge is fairly easy to explore because you can walk along the main structure, but watch out for the piglin brutes guarding the chests. Bridge is the speedrunners' favorite type, because the chests are relatively easy to reach from the top of the structure.

Housing Units

A multi-level residential structure with lots of rooms, corridors and stairs. It has the most piglins of all bastion types: they're everywhere. The chests are scattered across different rooms and floors. This is the hardest bastion type to explore because of the mob density and the complex layout. You have to clear it room by room and block off passages often so hostile mobs don't surround you.

Hoglin Stables

A large open building with stables full of hoglins. It has platforms with blocks of gold, composters and crimson fungus to feed the hoglins. The chest loot is less valuable than in the other types, but the gold blocks on the platforms are a great source of gold. There are a lot of hoglins here: 10-20 per bastion. Bring warped fungus, which drives them away and clears a safe path to the chests.

Treasure Room

The most sought-after bastion type. The central room holds a vault protected by lava and piglin brutes, and inside are chests with netherite ingots, smithing templates, enchanted diamond tools and large amounts of gold. The treasure room is surrounded by lava, so getting in without dying takes a smart approach. The key tactics are bridging over the lava with cobblestone or tunneling through the blackstone, avoiding the main entrance guarded by the brutes.

3. Mobs in bastions

Piglin

Regular piglins (16 HP) are neutral toward players wearing gold armor. They attack immediately if you open a chest, break gold blocks or mine gilded blackstone. Wearing full gold armor keeps them calm until you do one of those things. Bastions spawn far more of them than the open world, often 15-25 across the whole structure. Piglins barter for gold ingots: throw one an ingot and after a few seconds it gives you a random item. This mechanic is the core of Nether farms.

Piglin Brute

Elite guards (50 HP) armed with golden axes. They attack regardless of gold armor: you can't calm them down or distract them with bartering. 1-4 of them spawn per bastion, always near chests with valuable loot. They deal 13-19 damage (depending on difficulty), and on Hard they can kill you in 2-3 hits even in diamond armor. The best strategy is fighting them one on one in a narrow passage and avoiding open areas where other mobs can join in. Get armor with Protection IV to survive their heavy hits.

Hoglin

Hostile mobs (40 HP) that show up in large numbers, especially in Hoglin Stables. They attack by launching you into the air, which is dangerous on bridges and platforms over lava. They're afraid of warped fungus: place some and the hoglins run away. Hoglins are the only source of meat in the Nether, dropping 2-4 raw porkchops when killed, which makes them a valuable food source on long expeditions.

4. Loot and chests

Bastions hold some of the best items in the game. Each bastion type has its own loot table, but some items show up in every variant. These are the most valuable things you can find:

• Netherite Ingot: a ready-made ingot that skips the whole process of mining Ancient Debris (rare, mostly in the Treasure Room).
• Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template: required to upgrade your gear (since 1.20).
• Enchanted diamond tools and armor: often with valuable enchantments like Mending, Efficiency V and Protection IV.
• Blocks of gold: part of the bastion's decoration, and you can mine them (but that angers the piglins!).
• Ancient Debris: 1-2 in some chests.
• Crying Obsidian: for crafting a respawn anchor, which you need to respawn in the Nether.
• Gilded Blackstone: a 10% chance to drop gold nuggets.
• Snout Banner Pattern: a unique banner pattern, available only in bastions.
• Music Disc "Pigstep": the rarest music disc in the game, found only in bastions.
• Lodestone: a block that a compass can point to, ready to use without crafting.

The chests in Treasure Room bastions have by far the best loot tables. On average they give 2-3 times more valuable items than the chests in the other types. If you're specifically after netherite ingots or smithing templates, make this bastion type your priority.

5. Exploration strategies

Preparation

• Gold armor: at least one piece (ideally boots or a helmet, so you don't lose too much protection). A gold chestplate with Unbreaking III is a good compromise.
• Diamond/netherite armor: the remaining slots, with Protection IV for maximum protection.
• Sharpness V sword: for fighting piglin brutes. Consider Smite V too if there's a fortress with wither skeletons nearby.
• Building blocks: cobblestone or end stone for blocking passages and bridging over lava.
• Warped Fungus: to scare off hoglins. You'll find it in the Warped Forest.
• Ender Pearls: for a quick escape and for teleporting to chests. You can get them from endermen in the Warped Forest.
• Potion of Fire Resistance: protection against lava, especially in the Treasure Room.
• Potion of Invisibility: piglins don't react to an invisible player (unless you open a chest).

The "kill the brutes, then loot" tactic

The most effective strategy: first find and kill every piglin brute in the bastion (1-4 mobs). They have 50 HP, but they don't regenerate and don't respawn after death. Once they're gone you can explore the bastion fairly safely: regular piglins only attack after you open a chest, and you can distract them by throwing gold ingots. It's important to separate each brute from the other mobs by luring it into a narrow passage.

The "sneak and grab" tactic

The fast method: drink a potion of Invisibility, find the chests, open them and grab the loot before the piglins react. After you open a chest you have a few seconds before the piglins start attacking, so throw an ender pearl to teleport to safety right away. This tactic works best in the Bridge and the Treasure Room, where the chests are concentrated in one place.

6. Bartering with piglins

Piglins in bastions (and outside them) barter with players. Throw a piglin a gold ingot and after a few seconds it drops a random item. Bartering with piglins is one of the best sources of many items in the game and a key part of many Nether farms:

The most important bartering items

• Ender Pearls: a great source of pearls without farming endermen.
• Potion of Fire Resistance (1.7%): instant fire resistance.
• Soul Speed boots (1.7%): the only source of this enchantment besides bastions.
• Crying Obsidian (8.7%, 1-3): for a respawn anchor.
• Obsidian (8.7%, 1): for portals.
• Gravel (8.7%, 8-16): for arrows (via flint).
• String (4.7%, 3-9): for bows and fishing rods.
• Iron Nuggets (2.2%, 10-36): plenty of iron in nugget form.
• Nether Quartz (4.7%, 5-12): quartz without mining.
• Blackstone (8.7%, 8-16): a building material.

Piglin bartering is a key mechanic in speedruns: getting ender pearls and obsidian quickly lets you skip many stages of normal play. In regular survival it's an excellent source of ender pearls for the End, potions and building materials. Building an automatic bartering farm lets you passively collect hundreds of valuable items.

7. Bastions in speedruns

Bastions play a key role in the speedrunning community. The main goal is to get ender pearls from piglin bartering quickly, plus obsidian for building a portal. Speedrunners often look for Bridge or Treasure Room bastions, because they give the fastest access to chests with the gold needed for bartering.

Experienced players can clear a bastion in 2-3 minutes using precise movement and knowing the layout of each structure type. The gold blocks on the platforms are the fastest source of bartering material: you can mine them with a pickaxe and get 9 gold ingots from each block. The key to fast exploration is avoiding fights with piglin brutes and crafting the gold ingots on the spot.

Bastions are also the only place where you can find a ready-made lodestone, which is useful for navigating the Nether while you search for a Nether Fortress and later on your way to defeating the Wither or reaching the End.