The Stronghold is underground and marked by Eyes of Ender

The Stronghold is a structure buried deep underground in Minecraft that contains the End Portal — the gateway to the game's final boss fight. You cannot dig straight down to find it. Instead, you craft Eyes of Ender and throw them into the air. Each eye floats toward the nearest Stronghold, then disappears. You follow where it went, craft another eye, and repeat until the eyes start going into the ground. That spot marks the Stronghold's entrance.

This method works in Survival mode on any difficulty. The Stronghold always exists in your world, but it is far from your spawn point — usually between 600 and 1200 blocks away horizontally. You will need to travel, gather materials, and prepare for combat before you reach it.

Key Takeaways

  • Eyes of Ender are crafted from Blaze Powder and Ender Pearls, and they float toward the nearest Stronghold when thrown.
  • You obtain Blaze Powder by killing Blazes in the Nether, which requires a Nether Portal made from Obsidian.
  • When Eyes of Ender start disappearing into the ground, dig down carefully at that location to find the Stronghold entrance.
  • Bring armor, weapons, food, and blocks for building when you travel to the Stronghold, because the journey is long and the structure contains hostile mobs.

Gather Ender Pearls from Endermen

To craft an Eye of Ender, you need an Ender Pearl and Blaze Powder. Ender Pearls drop from Endermen — tall black mobs with purple eyes that spawn in the Overworld at night or in dark places like caves. When you hit an Enderman, it becomes hostile and teleports toward you to attack. Kill it with a sword or bow, and it may drop an Ender Pearl.

You do not need many Ender Pearls to start — even one is enough to craft your first Eye of Ender. However, Eyes of Ender can break when they hit the ground, so you will lose some during the journey. Collect at least 8 to 12 Ender Pearls before you begin traveling to the Stronghold. Hunt Endermen at night on the surface or in caves, and keep your eyes on them — staring directly at an Enderman makes it aggressive.

Get Blaze Powder from the Nether

Blaze Powder comes from Blazes, which only spawn in the Nether. To reach the Nether, you must build a Nether Portal from Obsidian blocks. Obsidian forms when water touches lava source blocks. Dig down to lava, pour water over it, and mine the Obsidian that forms. You need 10 Obsidian blocks to build a portal frame (4 blocks wide, 5 blocks tall, with the interior empty).

Once you enter the Nether, find a Nether Fortress — a structure made of dark brick that spawns in the Nether. Blazes spawn inside Fortresses. Kill Blazes with a sword or bow (they fly and shoot fireballs, so keep moving). Each Blaze drops Blaze Rods. Craft Blaze Rods into Blaze Powder in your crafting menu — one rod makes two powder. Collect at least 8 to 12 Blaze Powder before you leave the Nether.

Craft Eyes of Ender and follow them

In your crafting menu, combine one Ender Pearl with one Blaze Powder to make an Eye of Ender. Hold the eye in your hand and right-click (or use your throw button) to toss it into the air. The eye floats in a direction and then disappears. Walk to where it vanished, craft another eye, and throw it again. The eye always moves toward the nearest Stronghold.

This journey takes time. You will travel hundreds of blocks, often through unfamiliar terrain. Bring armor, a sword, a pickaxe, food, and blocks for building bridges or towers. The Stronghold is usually in a different biome from your starting point, so you may encounter new mobs and terrain types. Keep throwing eyes and following them until they start disappearing into the ground instead of floating across the surface.

Dig down to the Stronghold entrance

When Eyes of Ender go into the ground, you have found the Stronghold's location. Dig down carefully at that spot. Strongholds are large structures with multiple rooms, corridors, and staircases. You will encounter Silverfish (small hostile mobs that hide in blocks) and other dangers as you dig deeper. Use your pickaxe to mine downward, and place blocks beneath you as you descend so you can climb back out.

The Stronghold contains the End Portal Frame — a ring of 12 blocks arranged in a square. The portal is inactive until you place an Eye of Ender in each frame block. Once all 12 eyes are placed, the portal activates and opens a gateway to the End dimension. This is where the Ender Dragon spawns. Do not enter the End unless you are ready for a difficult fight.

Prepare before entering the End

The End is a dark dimension with the Ender Dragon, Endermen, and floating islands. Bring full armor (preferably Iron or better), a sword, a bow with arrows, a pickaxe, food, and blocks. The Ender Dragon destroys blocks and heals itself by flying to healing crystals on top of tall pillars. You must destroy the crystals first, then damage the dragon. This fight is the final boss encounter in Minecraft.

If you die in the End, you respawn at your spawn point in the Overworld and lose your items. Consider building a small shelter near the Stronghold entrance so you can store extra supplies and respawn closer to the End Portal if you need to try again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I find the Stronghold without Eyes of Ender?

No. Eyes of Ender are the only way to locate a Stronghold. You cannot find it by exploring randomly or using coordinates. Some players use third-party tools or mods to see the Stronghold's location, but in vanilla Survival mode, Eyes of Ender are required.

What if an Eye of Ender breaks before I reach the Stronghold?

Eyes break when they hit the ground, so you lose them during travel. This is why you should craft 10 to 15 eyes before starting your journey. If you run out of eyes before reaching the Stronghold, return to the Nether to collect more Blaze Powder and Ender Pearls, then craft additional eyes.

How deep underground is the Stronghold?

Strongholds spawn between Y-level 0 and Y-level 64 (in older versions) or deeper in newer versions. You may need to dig 30 to 50 blocks down from the surface, depending on the terrain. Use your Y-coordinate display to track your depth as you dig.

Can I fight the Ender Dragon without finding the Stronghold?

No. The Ender Dragon only spawns in the End dimension, and the End Portal is inside the Stronghold. You must locate and enter the Stronghold to access the End and fight the dragon.

Do I need to kill all the Endermen to get Ender Pearls?

No. Endermen drop Ender Pearls randomly when killed, so you may need to kill 10 to 20 Endermen to collect 8 pearls. Some players find it faster to hunt in caves where Endermen spawn in groups. You can also find Ender Pearls in End Cities after defeating the dragon, but that is not useful for finding the Stronghold the first time.