Around the Block: Nether Wastes

When the Nether was first added to Minecraft, way back in the ancient era of October 2010, it was a pretty terrifying place. There were zombie pigmen, ghasts, glowstone, and lava – a loooot of lava. Later on, we discovered the Nether was home to giant, ancient fortresses stuffed with wither skeletons and blazes, too. Those devilish developers just had to make it even more hostile!

In the Nether Update in 2020, however, everything changed. It became possible to visit the Nether’s basalt deltas, crimson and warped forests, and soul sand valleys. But we needed a name for the original Nether biome. So we decided to call it “Nether wastes”, and it just so happens to be our biome of the week.

It’s easy to tell the different Nether biomes apart. The deltas are filled with ash and basalt, soul sand valleys burn with blue soul fire, warped forests are filled with cyan mushrooms, while crimson forests are – well – crimson in hue. 

Nether wastes are a dark red, like the crimson forests, but that’s where the similarities end. They’re barren places, with seas of lava below and globules of glowstone above. 

Ghasts, zombified piglins, magma cubes, and endermen patrol these areas – as well as striders in the lava pools. But it’s still worth visiting for its resources – nether quartz, gold, soul sand, glowstone, ancient debris, and the occasional mushroom.

But we can’t recommend setting up home in the Nether wastes. It’s a highly dangerous place to hang out thanks to the huge seas of lava, and the lack of cover making you vulnerable to ghasts. While you’ll sometimes find bastion remnants, nether fortresses, and ruined portals for shelter, they’re few and far between.

If you do find yourself needing to traverse the Nether wastes, then keep your wits about you, a bow at hand to deal with any ghasts, and a plentiful supply of food to keep your health topped up. You’ve been warned.