A Bastion or Bastion Remnant is an enormous, dangerous structure found in the Nether. Bastions come in four main varieties, each of which features different structural generations and loot.
The castle-like Nether Bastion is one of the hardest areas in the game to survive, but it also offers some of the best loot.
We put this guide together to show you how to find Bastions, how to survive them, and share all the other information you should know!
What Are Minecraft Bastions?
Bastions (not to be confused with a Nether Fortress), are a type of massive structure or dungeon found within the Nether. These are filled with the scarily formidable Piglin and Piglin Brute mobs – which will kill you very quickly if you’re not prepared.
There are four types of different Bastion Remnants – Residential, Hoglin Stables, Bridges, and Treasure Rooms. We’ll explain this in more detail later.
These have a different appearance and color scheme to Fortresses (and different textures). Bastions use mostly black and grey blocks – typically Blackstone, whereas a Nether Fortress uses dark red blocks.
Looting Bastions is one of the best ways to get XP, high-level items, and an adrenaline rush! Because they are so deadly, we recommend you develop your combat skills and equipment before trying to tackle one.
What is the point of Minecraft Bastions
Other than the powerful items and loot, Bastions are also filled with gold blocks, which give you huge amounts of gold bars. This is one of the main reasons to raid a Bastion, as having a bunch of gold lets you neutralize and barter with Piglins.
Bartering with Piglins often gives a large number of Nether pearls, which are required to activate an End Portal, so you can defeat the final Ender Dragon boss and beat the game. Having the gold also makes it easy to bypass Piglins in Nether Fortresses, so you can more easily defeat the Blazes for Blaze Powder, which you also need for The End.
How To Find Minecraft Bastions
Finding Bastions in Minecraft can be a little bit tricky (without commands or cheats), but after you practice the method you should be able to find them pretty quickly. We’ve tried out a few techniques, and these are the most effective.
Just make sure you’re well equipped first – bring the toughest weapons and armor you have, and plenty of food!
Note – Bastion Remnants spawn in any Nether Biome other than Basalt Deltas.
First, it’s worth understanding how Minecraft’s algorithms generate Bastions as this will help you to find them.
Bastion Generation
During the Nether realm’s generation process, Bastion Remnants and Fortress structures are created using a grid system.
The generation algorithm places either a Fortress or Bastion Remnant between 400-500 blocks away from a Nether entry point (portal). It could be in any direction, but looking at the following grid will give you more of an idea.
The chance of either spawning is weighted 60:40 in favor of Bastions.
Using this measurement, statistically, you should be able to find either structure type within a relatively short distance from the portal.
Therefore, if you find a Fortress before a Bastion, the best idea is to search on the other side of the Nether portal, as these structures are programmed not to spawn next to each other.
Finding a Bastion – The Real Way
Based on the grid above, you should check out any of the potential spawn points to see if a Bastion structure was generated.
Because there are four different Bastion types, it might not initially be obvious what you are looking for, due to the potential variation.
The easiest way to identify a structure is by looking at the color of the main material. Bastions are made from a distinct and unique Blackstone brick block. Familiarize yourself with the image below and keep an eye out for it.
It’s generally easier to spot these structures in open terrain, rather than in tighter biomes, or digging.
Using a spyglass can help by giving you longer vision. Alternatively, you can change your field of view in the options to zoom in or out.
You should also look for a large concentration of Piglins or Piglin brutes, as they sometimes walk out of the Bastion and patrol the surrounding area.
This method is the “roleplaying” method, however, if you want a bit of a techy trick, try this…
The Secret Trick for Finding Nether Bastions
Depending on your values, this could be considered cheating. Although this mechanic is built into the game and works in standard survival mode – it’s even accepted in the very strict Minecraft speedrunning community.
The tip is to use Minecraft’s debug screen, which shows a range of statistical information that can give you clues to find a Bastion. By shrinking your FOV (field of view) to the smallest, you can essentially “snipe” the location of Bastions through walls.
Here’s the strategy:
Hit F3 to toggle debug screen. At first, you might feel like you just entered the matrix – but it’s easier to understand than it looks.
There are 4 different values that you need to interpret.
E – The total amount of entities within your FOV, even through walls.
E2 – The number of entities currently loaded in surrounding chunks.
M – The amount of permanent hostile mobs in surrounding chunks.
C – Total amount of creatures in the world.
Open the options menu, and slide the FOV setting fully right. This zooms in your view to the maximum value.
Now, look around the Nether realm while focusing on the 4 values.If the value of E2 is larger or equal to M + C, it means there should be a Bastion in your local area.This is because Bastions spawn with around 30 Piglins. Because Piglins count as permanent hostile mobs, it means there is potentially a high amount of them in the surrounding chunks.If E2 is around 30, there is one Bastion, if it’s closer to 60 there could be two. If E2 is lower than M+C, you need to look elsewhere because there are no Bastions close.
Next, you use the E value to pinpoint the direction of the Bastion.
Return your FOV to the minimum (30)
Now rotate the camera, and keep an eye on the E value
If the E value spikes in one direction, that indicates a concentration of Nether mobs, therefore this is the direction of a Bastion structure.
The above method is by far the easiest (unless you want to use commands).
Finding a bastion with commands
If you have access to cheats or commands, use the following method to instantly find a Bastion.
In chat, type /locate structure bastion_remnant
You will now be given three coordinates – X, Y, Z
Now type /tp x y z
Hit enter, and you’ll be teleported to the Bastion.
The 4 Types of Minecraft Bastions
There are four different types of Bastion Remnant structures. Each features a unique construction and loot tables. These were added with new biomes such as the soul sand valley in v1.16
Housing Bastion
Bastion Remnant consists of a central courtyard surrounded by broken walls and buildings. The courtyard will be full of Nether warts and soul sand. Typically you should find at least a single chest somewhere inside the housing units, although sometimes more.
Housing Bastions offer a relatively good amount of loot and should have a few blocks of gold, although not as many as Treasure Room Bastions.
Hoglin Stables
The Hoglin Stable Bastion is a three-storied building filled with Hoglin enclosures. Hoglins are hostile towards Piglins, so you can use this to your advantage. Statistically, saddles have a higher drop rate here.
Because Hoglins are also hostile to Piglins, you can release them from their enclosures to give you a bit of a hand against those pesky piggies. Hoglin Stable Bastions offer a decent selection of loot, including enchanted golden apples and other sweet rewards.
Bridges
As the name implies, the Bridge Bastion uses a bridge-like structure. These long, thin Bastions are typically higher up in the world, and also have multiple tiers. One unique feature will be the bridge leads into a huge building that looks like the face of a Piglin.
Unfortunately, these have much lower chances of spawning with blocks of gold.
Treasure Rooms
These are the largest and most distinctive types of Nether Bastion and feature three separate areas, and sometimes two structures linked by a bridge. They also feature the most, and best loot of all Bastions.
The bottom floor features a Magma Cube spawner. The middle level is where you will find the loot chests. The top area features a recognizable row of lava pools – be careful not to get knocked in.
While these are the most dangerous type, they have the highest chances for better loot and gold blocks stored in their walls
Treasure rooms are the only place out of the nether Bastion Remnants that have a chance to give diamond armor and weapons as loot. If you are looking for valuable items, try to find a Treasure Room Bastion.
What Loot Can You Get From A Minecraft Bastion?
Bastions are one of the best places to go loot hunting in Minecraft. If you’re looking for treasure then you’ve come to the right place. While tackling a Bastion Remnant might be a tough challenge for noobs, experienced players should have no problem raiding them.
You’ll find great loot no matter which Bastion Remnants you end up pillaging, although each type uses different loot tables. This means that you will find different loot and treasure in each type of Bastion.
It’s worth noting that Treasure Room Bastion remnants have higher drop rates for better items (like gold gear) compared to other structures, and are also the only type to drop diamond, and enchanted diamond gear. It’s also the only type where you’ll find diamond swords.
Cracking open Bastion chests in any type of Bastion Remnant can give you the following items:
Arrows
Magma Cream
Gilded Blackstone
Chains
Obsidian
String
Iron Nuggets
Gold Nuggets
Bone blocks
Cooked porkchop
Iron ingots
Gold ingots
Crying obsidian
Block of Iron
Damaged enchanted iron sword
Blocks of gold
Golden Carrot
Golden Apples
Ancient debris
Spectral arrows
Enchanted books
Snout Piglin banner pattern
Crossbow
Golden Sword
Enchanted golden axe
Golden helmet
Golden chestplate
Golden leggings
Golden Boots
Enchanted golden boots with Soul Speed
Damaged enchanted crossbow
Diamond shovel
Enchanted diamond pickaxe
Music discs
Netherite scrap
Bridge Bastion chests have the following unique loot drops:
Leather
Enchanted golden axe
Enchanted golden helmet
Enchanted golden chestplate
Enchanted golden leggings
Chests in Hoglin Stables offer the following unique treasure:
Crimson fungus
Crimson nylium
Crimson roots
Glowstone
Soul sand
Raw porkchop
Saddle
Treasure Room Bastion Remnant chests give you a chance to grab these tasty items:
Netherite ingots
Nether quartz
Enchanted diamond gear (all armor types, all tool and weapons types)
Diamond armor
Diamonds
Enchanted golden apples
Mobs Found in Bastions / Minecraft Bastion Mob Mechanics
Bastions are filled with some of Minecraft’s deadliest mobs. If you’re prepared to enter Piglin Bastions, get ready to fight a tonne of enemies.
In this section, we share descriptions of each mob, and a couple of tips to help you beat them more easily.
Piglins
These gold-obsessed human-like pigs are the most common mob found in bastions, and while they are relatively dangerous, you can easily avoid them or “cheese” them.
A core mechanic of Piglins is that they become neutral if you’re wearing a piece of gold armor. Popping on some gold boots or a helmet will mean these pesky Piglins only attack you if you attack them first. Using this mechanic can save your life when things get tight.
However, if you open one of their chests then they will try to attack you.
Piglins come in both melee and ranged forms – some have crossbows. So you can’t simply build a tower to safety – you’re going to have to put your combat skills to the test.
A second mechanic of Piglins (although not Brutes) is bartering. If you throw gold bars on the floor, surrounding Piglins will run over to them and start trading. The Piglin will pick up the gold bar for six seconds, then chuck out an item.
Piglins will potentially return any of the following items for one of your sweet gold bars:
Enchanted book
Iron boots
Potions
Ender Pearls
String (yeah… that’s not a fair trade)
Nether quartz
Obsidian
Fire Charge
Nether bricks
Spectral arrows
A bunch of other random, pretty worthless items…
Piglin Brutes
Unlike the semi-peaceful Piglins, Piglin Brutes are not so passive. Brutes will attack you on sight regardless of how shiny your gold armor is. You can’t pacify them with gold bars or a cute smile – if you see Brutes coming after you it’s time to fight or run.
If you attack a Piglin Brute, all other Piglins will start to attack you, even if you’re in gold armor. Make sure you only fight back if you’re prepared for a big brawl.
You can identify brutes (compared to standard Piglins) by their gold armbands and large, wrestler-style golden belts.
All Brutes are only spawned when the Bastion Remnant generates, meaning you don’t need to worry about more spawning after you clear them out.
Hoglins
These deceptively cute Nether hogs are surprisingly one of the more formidable beasts found amongst the Nether wastes. You can find these in any type of Bastion Remnant, although there is a much higher concentration in Hoglin Stables.
Because these are melee-only enemies, you can take them out pretty easily with a classic cheesy strat. The easiest thing to do is build a tower a couple of blocks high and then either hit them with a melee weapon or snipe them with a ranged weapon.
It’s always worth killing Hoglins because they drop raw pork chops – so you can collect a lot of food to heal yourself through the dangerous Nether.
Tips for Beating a Minecraft Bastion
Surviving a Minecraft Bastion is one of the hardest tasks in the game. Here are some tips.
Wearing golden armor will prevent Piglins from attacking you.
Wear at least one piece of gear with a fire resistance enchantment – you never know when you might fall in the lava.
Take plenty of building blocks to create defensive structures in the heat of battle.
Food, food, and more food…
Bringing a bucket of water or two can be really helpful for lava or if you get set on fire.
Killing Hoglins is a great way to restock your food supplies as they drop raw pork chops.
In Closing, Good Luck Surviving!
Bastion Remnants are one of the most challenging and dangerous environments in Minecraft, although also one of the most rewarding. If you follow the tips in this guide you should have no trouble finding a Bastion and getting rich!
Dane started off gaming at the tender age of 3 with the first Atari console. His favorite video game genres are turn-based RPGs (can I get a shout out for Tactics Ogre?) and fighting games. Read more...
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