Nether Update

This article is about the update that revamped the Nether. For the soundtrack, see Minecraft: Nether Update (Original Game Soundtrack). For the update that added the Nether, see Halloween Update.

For a guide about all content in this update for Java Edition, see Java Edition guides/Nether Update. For the Bedrock Edition guide, see Bedrock Edition guides/Nether Update.

Official logo for the Nether Update.

Official artwork released by Mojang for the Nether Update.

The Nether Update is a major update themed around revamping the Nether. It adds multiple new features to this dimension, such as new biomes and mobs. The update was announced at MINECON Live 2019 and was released on June 23, 2020, only for the Java and Bedrock editions of Minecraft. It was released as Java Edition 1.16 and Bedrock Edition 1.16.0.

This update's development on Java Edition started with snapshot 20w06a, which was released on February 5, 2020. The first pre-release was released on June 4, 2020, followed by the second on June 5, the third on June 10, the fourth on June 11, the fifth on June 12, the sixth on June 15, the seventh on June 16, and the eighth on June 17. The first release candidate was released on June 18.

This update's development on Bedrock Edition started with beta 1.15.0.51, which was released on February 12, 2020. Bedrock Edition 1.15.0 was skipped to bring parity between Java and Bedrock release versions.

Notable features

Main articles: Java Edition 1.16 and Bedrock Edition 1.16.0

An example of the biomes in the Nether as of the update, with a crimson forest to the far left, nether wastes up close, warped forest on the back, and basalt deltas to the far right.

• New blocks:
  • Soul Fire
    • Generates naturally in Soulsand Valleys, or by lighting Soul Soil or Soulsand on fire. Burns infinitely on these blocks. It glows in a blue light. It scares and wards off any nearby Piglins.
  • Soul Torch
    • Crafted similarly to a torch, but with a Soulsand or Soul Soil block on the bottom. It glows with a light level of 10, in a blue appearance, and scares off nearby Piglins.
  • Soul Lantern
    • Crafted as a regular lantern would, but with a Soul Torch replacing the regular torch. Glows blue, and emits a light level of 10. It wards off nearby Piglins.
  • Soul Campfire
    • Crafted as a regular campfire, but with Soul Soil or Soulsand replacing the coal. Emits a blue glow, with a light level of 10. Wards off nearby Piglins.
  • Crimson and Warped Fungi
    • Generates naturally in their corresponding biomes, the Crimson and Warped forests, on Crimson or Warped Nylium. When bonemealed, it grows into Crimson or Warped Large Fungi, as long as it is planted on its corresponding Nylium block. Can be obtained infinitely from bonemealing Nylium of either type.
  • Crimson and Warped Stems
    • Woodlike blocks that make up the stems of Crimson and Warped Large Fungi. Can be crafted into corresponding plank, slab, stair, fence, fence gate, door, trapdoor, button, or pressure plate variants. Does not burn, and can be stripped with an axe.
  • Crimson and Warped Hyphae
    • Crafted with 4 Crimson or Warped Stems. Resembles Crimson or Warped stems, but with the bark on all sides.
  • Crimson and Warped Planks
    • Four are crafted from a single Crimson or Warped stem.
  • Warped Wart Block
    • Grows as a representation of the "leaves" of Warped Large Fungi. Cannot be crafted.
  • Shroomlight
    • Sometimes generates on the inside of Large Fungi. Glows with a light level of 15.
  • Weeping Vines
    • Generates hanging from the Netherwart Blocks of Crimson Large Fungi. Bonemealing makes it grow downward.
  • Twisting Vines
    • Grows from Warped Nylium. Can be obtained by bonemealing Warped Nylium, and can be bonemealed to grow upward.
  • Crimson and Warped Nylium
    • Makes up the "grass" of the Crimson and Warped large fungi. Can be spread onto adjacent Netherrack by bonemealing the Netherrack.
  • Crimson and Warped Roots
    • Generates in their corresponding Forest biomes. Grows on Nylium blocks, and can be obtained by bonemealing either Nylium type.
  • Nether Sprouts
    • Grows in Warped Forests naturally. Can be bonemealed and obtained from Warped Nylium. Can be obtained only with shears.
  • Soul Soil
    • Generates naturally in Soulsand Valleys. Is affected by the Soul Speed enchantment.
  • Basalt
    • Generates in large patches in the Basalt Deltas, forming stacking structures, although it can also generate in Basalt Pillars in the Soulsand Valleys. Can be infinitely generated by placing a lava source or flowing block next to blue ice, as long as it is also adjacent to Soul Soil. Can be crafted into four Polished Basalt by crafting 4 raw basalt.
  • Blackstone (and its variants)
    • Generates in both brick and raw form in Bastion Remnant structures. Can be polished through a stonecutter or by crafting 4 together. Polished variants can also be turned into button or pressure plates, or bricks. All variants have corresponding slab, stair, and wall variants. Also generates in Basalt Deltas in large patches, and rarely underground or on the surface in smaller patches.
  • Nether Gold Ore
    • Generates in all biomes, drops 2-4 gold nuggets upon mining, although this can be increased with Fortune. Mining with Silk Touch gives the block itself, which can be smelted into a gold ingot. Aggravates any nearby Piglins if mined.
  • Crying Obsidian
    • Can be obtained via bartering with Piglins or from a ruined portal. Emits a light level of 10, and purple "teardrop" particles. Six Crying Obsidian and 3 Glowstone create a Respawn Anchor.
  • Ancient Debris
    • Rare ore block found in the nether, that is most commonly found below lava level, at y = 15. Can be smelted into Netherite Scraps, and generates in veins of 1-3, always unexposed to air. Does not burn up in fire or lava when dropped.
  • Block of Netherite
    • Crafted using 9 netherite ingots. Can be used to activate a Beacon. Does not burn up in fire or lava when dropped.
  • Target
    • A redstone block that is crafted with 1 hay bale and 4 redstone dust. When hit with any projectile, it emits a redstone signal for a short period, without the necessity of a comparator.
  • Respawn Anchor
    • A block that can be used to set a spawnpoint in the Nether. For it to work, it must be charged using a maximum of four Glowstone blocks, and a minimum of one. It explodes violently in the Overworld or the End but can set the spawn as normal in the Nether.
  • Lodestone
    • Crafted with 1 Netherite Ingot and 8 chiseled stone bricks, or rarely found in Bastion Remnant loot chests. When a compass is used on it, the compass always points to the lodestone, unless it is in a different dimension as the lodestone (in which it swerves in random directions), the lodestone is broken, or it is used on a different lodestone.
  • Chain
    • Generates hanging lanterns in Bastion Remnants, or crafted from 2 iron nuggets and one iron ingot. Can be waterlogged, and can hang lanterns and various other blocks.
  • Nether bricks variants
    • Cracked and chiseled nether bricks, crafted similar to other cracked and chiseled blocks. The chiseled variant resembles a skull face.
  • Quartz bricks
    • Crafted with 4 quartz in a 2x2 formation.
• New items:
  • Netherite Scrap
    • Smelted from Ancient Debris. Four Netherite Scraps and four gold ingots craft a Netherite Ingot. Does not burn up in fire or lava when dropped.
  • Netherite Ingot
    • Can be used on diamond armor/tools in a smithing table interface to create Netherite armor/tools, retaining the name, enchantments, and durability. Does not burn up in fire or lava when dropped.
  • Netherite armor
    • Significantly stronger and more durable than diamond armor, with a new statistic which affects knockback called Knockback Resistance. Does not burn up in fire or lava when dropped.
  • Netherite tools
    • More durable than diamond tools, does not burn up in fire or lava when dropped.
  • Warped Fungus on a Stick
    • Crafted with one fishing rod and one warped fungus. Attracts nearby Striders, and when a Strider is ridden, it leads it in the direction the Warped Fungus on a stick is held. When riding the Strider, using the Warped Fungus on a stick with the use key boosts the Strider's movement speed for a significant amount of time, but also remove some durability.
  • Pigstep music disc
    • Can be found only in Bastion Remnant loot chests. When played in a Jukebox, it plays the song Pigstep by Lena Raine.
  • Lodestone compass
    • Created when a compass is used on a lodestone. Always points to the lodestone.
  • Snout banner pattern
    • A rare banner patter found as loot in Bastion Remnant loot chests. When placed onto a banner, it resembles a Piglin's snout.
• New mobs:
  • Piglins
    • Spawns in the Crimson Forests, rarely in Nether Wastes, and in Bastion Remnants. Attacks unless the player is wearing at least one piece of gold armor. Attacks Wither Skeletons on sight, while occasionally attacking Hoglins for food. Picks up and wears gold armor, and pick up other gold-related items (although not including some) to keep in their personal inventory. Piglins are afraid of soul light-related blocks. Can be bartered by throwing a gold ingot in front of them. This causes them to throw a random item in their bartering loot table back.
  • Striders
    • Spawns walking across lava lakes in the Nether. Can be bred by using Warped Fungus, creating a baby Strider. Can be saddled and ridden, with the movement controlled using a Warped Fungus on a Stick.
  • Zoglins
    • A rare mob that spawns only if a Hoglin stays in the Overworld or End for too long. Is aggressive to all mobs except for Creepers, other Zoglins, the Ender Dragon and the Wither.
  • Hoglins
    • A hostile mob that spawns in Crimson Forests and in Hoglin Stable Bastion Remnants. Is afraid of Warped Fungus, and can be bred using Crimson Fungus. Babies still attempt to attack, but if attacked back once, they run away immediately.
  • Piglin Brute
    • A dangerous hostile mob that spawns in Bastion Remnants. They deal extreme damage to the player on sight using a golden axe, and still attacks whether the player is wearing gold armor or not. They cannot be bartered with or distracted, unlike regular Piglins, making them a terrifying threat.
• New generated structures:
  • Bastion remnants
    • A rare structure that generates out of four different types, and can generate in any biome except for the Basalt Delta. Made entirely of Blackstone, it spawns Piglins, Piglin Brutes, and, if is the Hoglin Stables variant, Hoglins. Contains loot chests and gold-related ores and blocks that aggravates any nearby piglin if mined or opened.
  • Basalt pillars
    • Spawns in Soulsand Valleys, made entirely out of Basalt.
  • Huge fungi
    • Large tree-like structures that generate in their corresponding Forest biome, made of stem blocks, wart blocks, shroomlights, and, if a Crimson Large Fungi, weeping vines.
  • Ruined Portals
    • A new generated structure that comes in many different sizes, always containing 1 loot chest. They can spawn in any Nether or Overworld biome, even underground, in water, or in lava lakes. Occasionally contains a gold block, and is made of stone bricks if generated in the Overworld, and Blackstone in the Nether.
  • Nether fossils
    • Large fossil-like builds made of bone blocks that generate in Soulsand Valleys.
• New biomes:
  • Soul Sand Valley
    • A dangerous landscape made entirely out of Soul Soil and Soulsand, with an occasional Basalt Pillar or Nether Fossil. Generates soul fire on the ground as well. Spawns frequent Ghasts and Skeletons.
  • Crimson Forest
    • A biome floored with Crimson Nylium, containing tree-like Crimson Fungi, and Crimson-related foliage. Weeping Vines occasionally generate on the Nether Roof in this biome. Hoglins, Piglins, and the occasional Zombified Piglin spawn here.
  • Warped Forest
    • A biome containing similar traits to the Crimson Forest, although floored with Warped Nylium, containing Warped Large Fungi, and all Warped Foliage. Twisted Vines generate in large stalks in this biome. Endermen spawn frequently here.
  • Basalt Deltas
    • A hard-to-surpass biome made of stalk-like Basalt pillars and patches of Blackstone. Lava pools ringed with magma blocks appear in this biome frequently, and a surplus of Magma Cubes stalk the area.
• New enchantment:
  • Soul Speed: allows players to walk quickly on soul sand.
• New soundtrack for the new biomes:
  • Minecraft: Nether Update (Original Game Soundtrack) by Lena Raine.

Further revisions

Java Edition

• 1.16.1 was released to fix stability issues with Realms.

Bedrock Edition

• 1.16.1 was released to fix some critical bugs and crashes.
• 1.16.1.03 was released exclusively on PS4 to fix an issue where the game would get stuck on the loading screen and potentially crash.
• 1.16.1.04 was released exclusively on PS4 to improve stability in the game.
• 1.16.10 was released to add a warning for deprecated devices and fixes a bug for mobile devices.

Videos

Trailer

A trailer for the update was released on June 23, 2020.

Nether Update: Official Trailer (view on YouTube)

Showcases

Videos made by slicedlime:

Java Edition

What's New in Minecraft Java Edition 1.16 - The Nether Update? (view on YouTube)

How Bastion Remnants and Ruined Portals are Generated in the Nether Update (view on YouTube)

Technical News in Minecraft Java Edition 1.16 (view on YouTube)

Soundtrack

Videos uploaded to Lena Raine – Topic by Ingrooves

Note:

Lena Raine - "Chrysopoeia" (view on YouTube)

Plays exclusively in the Crimson Forest biome.

Lena Raine - "Rubedo" (view on YouTube)

Plays exclusively in the Nether Wastes biome.

Lena Raine - "So Below" (view on YouTube)

Plays in both the Basalt Deltas and Soul Sand Valley biomes.

Lena Raine - "Pigstep" (view on YouTube)

The thirteenth music disc to be added to Minecraft.

Lena Raine - "Pigstep" (Stereo Mix) (view on YouTube)

The original mix of Pigstep before converted to mono.

Trivia

• Similarly to the announcement of Update Aquatic, this update was announced during the development of the previous release, and before the features of that version were included in a full release.
• Version numbers are the same for both Java and Bedrock editions, starting with this update.

External links

• Official page