What is Stronghold in Minecraft?

Stronghold mostly will get generated underground and in biomes above sea level. But this doesn’t stop them from generating underwater if necessary and may even generate at bedrock level cutting through the bedrock in some instances.

Most parts of the strongholds can be overwritten by caves, ocean monuments, ancient cities, mineshafts, amethyst geodes, and dungeons but it is rare for the end portal to get destroyed or replaced by other generated structures.

The mechanics of strongholds

As of Java Edition v1.9, up to 128 strongholds spawn per map whereas only 4 spawn in the Xbox and PS Editions. Most strongholds will have a silverfish spawner along with an abundance of stone bricks, torches, and chests with randomized loot. A notable danger of strongholds is the silverfish which have 8 health and are small in size and move quickly making them hard to target and hit accurately.

Some of the most common loot that can be found in strongholds include coal, apples, string, compasses, paper, books, iron bars, redstone, and a clock or gold ingots. It is quite common and possible for caves, underground ravines, mineshafts, and dungeons to intersect with a stronghold.

When the End portal is completed with a total of 12 eyes of ender it will be activated and can be used to travel to the End. Sometimes a few eyes are already placed in the portal

Bedrock Edition

In Bedrock Edition strongholds are generated randomly throughout the world and they are usually generated under villages. Unlike a lot of other structures, they dont have a fixed set distance which means they rarely overlap.

A stronghold may generate in the ocean or could generate perfectly fine above ground, in caves, and even in canyons if they have to. It is quite rare to find a strong hold without a portal room.

Java Edition

Strongholds in Java Edition are located in Random locations within rings in all biomes where each ring is a certain radius from the center of the world (X=0, Z=0). The strongholds are generated at almost equal angles from the center point of the world. There are eight total rings that contain 128 strongholds in total :

1. The first ring has 3 strongholds within 1,280-2,816 blocks of the origin
2. The second ring has 6 strongholds within 4,352-5,888 blocks of the origin
3. The third ring has 10 strongholds within 7,424-8960 blocks of the origin
4. The fourth ring has 15 strongholds within 10,496-12,032 blocks of the origin
5. The fifth ring has 21 strongholds within 13,568-15,104 blocks of the origin
6. The sixth ring has 28 strongholds within 16,640-18176 blocks of the origin
7. The seventh ring has 36 strongholds within 19,712-21,248 blocks of the origin
8. The eighth and final ring has 9 strongholds within 22,784-24,320 blocks of the origin

Stronghold sizes differ from one another. They have lots of doors and several rooms which are mostly made from stone bricks (45%), mossy stone bricks (30%), cracked stone bricks (5%), and infested stone bricks or infested mossy stone bricks do not generate unless silverfishes enter these blocks.

Most areas of the stronghold are lit enough by torches to a degree that provides visibility, but the light level isn’t enough to stop mob spawns.

Rooms

Strongholds feature lots of main rooms and each one of them has an entrance that is either a 3×3 opening, a wall with a wooden door, a wall with an iron door, or a 3×3 opening with a gate of iron bars along the top and sides. Rooms may lead to other rooms or dead ends.

The generation of a stronghold begins with a spiral staircase room at the bottom, with additional rooms getting randomly generated for a maximum of up to 50 rooms or 112 blocks horizontally. If a portal room doesn’t generate the generation of the stronghold is redone.

End Portal room

This room contains an end portal along with a silverfish spawner. There is a pool of lava right below the end portal and two other smaller pools flanking the entrance of the room. In most cases, other generated structures cannot overwrite the generation of this room.

There will only be one of these rooms in a stronghold, and it will never be closer than 5 rooms from the staircase. Each portal frame has a 10% chance to generate with a single eye of ender already placed inside it, the chances of the entire portal frame being completed with the eyes of enders are one in a trillion (1:1,000,000,000,000).

The end portal and the silverfish spawner in the end portal room (via screenshot)

Library

Libraries can get generated in two different sizes: small single leveled and larger duplex libraries. All libraries will contain bookshelves, and one (single leveled) or two (duplex) chests with some cobwebs that are dispersed around randomly.

If the second level of the library is blocked by another room of the stronghold a single-leveled library will be generated, if there are no obstructions, then large libraries will be able to generate. Large libraries with a second level consist of a surrounding balcony that has oak fences that act as railings and fences & torches arranged as a chandelier over the center of the rooms. The two levels are connected with a ladder and no cobwebs will generate there.

A duplex library (via screenshot)

Strongholds have multiple rooms with all kinds of items to loot. Each room has a chest with specific loot pools.

Altars

In Java Edition altar chests contain loot in 2-3 item stacks in the following distribution:

An altar chest (via screenshot)

1. Apple (33.2% chance)
2. Bread (33.2% chance)
3. Iron Ingot (23% chance)
4. Ender Pearl (23% chance)
5. Redstone Dust (12% chance)
6. Gold ingot (12% chance)
7. Iron Pickaxe (12% chance)
8. Iron Sword (12% chance)
9. Iron Helmet (12% chance)
10. Iron Chest Plate (12% chance)
11. Iron Leggings (12% chance)
12. Iron Boot (12% chance)
13. Diamond (7.3% chance)
14. Music disc – Otherside (2.5% chance)
15. Enchanted Book (2.5% chance)
16. Saddle (2.5% chance)
17. Iron Horse Armor (2.5% chance)
18. Golden Apple (2.5% chance)
19. Golden Horse Armor (2.5% chance)
20. Diamond Horse Armor (2.5% chance)

In Bedrock Edition altar chests contain loot in 2-3 item stacks in the following distribution:

1. Apple (32.3% chance)
2. Bread (32.3% chance)
3. Iron Ingot (22.4% chance)
4. Ender Pearl (22.4% chance)
5. Redstone Dust (11.6% chance)
6. Gold Ingot (11.6% chance)
7. Iron Pickaxe (11.6% chance)
8. Iron Sword (11.6% chance)
9. Iron Helmet (11.6% chance)
10. Iron Chest Plate (11.6% chance)
11. Iron Leggings (11.6% chance)
12. Iron Boots (11.6% chance)
13. Emerald (7.1% chance)
14. Diamond (7.1% chance)
15. Enchanted Book (2.9% chance)
16. Music Disc – Otherside (2.4% chance)
17. Saddle (2.4% chance)
18. Iron Horse Armor (2.4% chance)
19. Golden Apple (2.4% chance)
20. Golden Horse Armor (2.4% chance)
21. Diamond Horse Armor (2.4% chance)

Storerooms

In Java Edition store room chests contain loot in 1-4 item stacks in the following distribution:

A storeroom chest (via screenshot)

1. Apple (47.5% chance)
2. Bread (47.5% chance)
3. Coal (34.3% chance)
4. Iron Ingot (34.3% chance)
5. Redstone Dust (18.6% chance)
6. Gold Ingot (18.6% chance)
7. Enchanted Book (4% chance)
8. Iron Pickaxe (4% chance)

In Bedrock Edition storeroom chests contain loot in 1-4 item stacks in the following distribution:

1. Apple (40% chance)
2. Bread (40% chance)
3. Ink Sac (40% chance)
4. Coal (28.5% chance)
5. Iron Ingot (28.5% chance)
6. Redstone Dust (15.2% chance)
7. Gold Ingot (15.2% chance)
8. Enchanted Book (3.8% chance)
9. Iron Pickaxe (3.8% chance)

Libraries

In Java Edition library chests contain loot in 2-10 item stacks in the following distribution:

1. Paper (89.2% chance)
2. Book (89.2% chance)
3. Enchanted Book (67.8% chance)
4. Compass (10.9% chance)
5. Empty Map (10.9% chance)

In Bedrock Edition library chests contain loot in 2-10 item stacks in the following distribution:

1. Paper (88.3% chance)
2. Book (88.3% chance)
3. Enchanted Book (72.9% chance)
4. Compass (10.5% chance)
5. Map (10.5% chance)

Strongholds can be hard to find but it is a requirement if you are looking to defeat the Ender Dragon. They can sometimes have mobs spawn inside them due to bad lighting conditions which is why a good set of armor and weapons along with items to heal yourself are a must-have when in a stronghold.

Q. What is the fastest way to find a stronghold?

A. Following the direction, an eye of ender moves towards after being thrown is the best way to locate a stronghold.

Q. How deep are strongholds?

A. On average strongholds will be 10 blocks below the surface where y=0.

Q. Can a stronghold be found underwater?

A. Yes, strongholds can spawn even underwater as they are not restricted to any specific biomes.