Stronghold

Stronghold
Biomes	All Overworld biomes
Mobs	Silverfish (from monster spawner and infested blocks)
Generates in; existing chunks	No
Consists of	See § Structure; See § Blocks;

There is a related tutorial page for this topic!

See Tutorial:Defeating a stronghold.

A stronghold is an underground structure in the Overworld, and is the only place where an End portal can be found. Strongholds can be located by using an eye of ender.

Generation

Strongholds generate at any Y-level, mostly underground, but generate underwater if necessary. Strongholds may generate at bedrock level, cutting the bedrock.

Most parts of the stronghold can be overwritten by caves, ocean monuments, ancient cities, mineshafts, fossils, amethyst geodes, trial chambers, and monster rooms; but it is rare for the End portal to be replaced, which would force a player to find one of the other strongholds, as a portal can be activated only with all 12 End portal frames present. Canyons do not overwrite strongholds; rather, a stronghold can occasionally be found exposed by a canyon.

Bedrock Edition

In Bedrock Edition, strongholds generate randomly throughout the world and they are at least 160 blocks away from the world origin. There is no limit to the number of strongholds that can generate, unlike in Java Edition. There are 3 extra strongholds at least 453 blocks away from the world origin, which tend to be close to the 453-block boundary, and are guaranteed to generate below meeting points of a village. In rare cases, these 3 extra strongholds can be very far from the world origin, sometimes over 10,000 blocks away.

Java Edition

In Java Edition, all strongholds are located at random coordinates within rings in all biomes, where each ring is a certain radius from the center of the world (X=0, Z=0). For a given ring, the strongholds are generated at roughly equal angles from the center point of the world (for instance, each stronghold in a ring of 3 is in the region of 120 degrees from the others, measured from the origin). The game does not generate a stronghold partially above ground; any portion above the sea level is replaced with air, leaving a cutaway. If a stronghold generates in an ocean, which occurs rarely, it typically generates with terrain covered above it. Strongholds are biased toward biomes in the #stronghold_biased_to biome tag by searching horizontally for biomes in that tag (similar to the /locate biome command, except that also searches up and down) and moving the start of the stronghold to the location found this way.

There are eight rings, containing 128 strongholds in total:

The first ring has 3 strongholds within 1,280–2,816 blocks of the origin.
The second ring has 6 strongholds within 4,352–5,888 blocks of the origin.
The third ring has 10 strongholds within 7,424–8,960 blocks of the origin.
The fourth ring has 15 strongholds within 10,496–12,032 blocks of the origin.
The fifth ring has 21 strongholds within 13,568–15,104 blocks of the origin.
The sixth ring has 28 strongholds within 16,640–18,176 blocks of the origin.
The seventh ring has 36 strongholds within 19,712–21,248 blocks of the origin.
The eighth and outermost ring has 9 strongholds within 22,784–24,320 blocks of the origin.

The number of strongholds in each ring is the triangular number of the number one more than the ring number, except for the outermost ring, where 45 would be expected.

The outermost ring has the further unusual property of putting the strongholds at angles of roughly 36° (not the expected 40°) as if there were to be ten equally spaced strongholds, like in the third ring. One of these ten does not generate, however, keeping the number at nine.

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Structure

Stronghold generation starts with a spiral staircase room that leads down to a five-way intersection. From there, additional rooms are randomly generated. The layout can extend up to 50 rooms away from the original room and within a horizontal radius of 112 blocks.^{[more information needed]} If no portal room is generated during this process, the stronghold generation restarts.

Blocks

The distribution of stone brick variants is roughly as follows:

Stone Bricks: 45%
Mossy Stone Bricks: 30%
Cracked Stone Bricks: 20%
Infested Stone Bricks: 5%

Infested cracked stone bricks and infested mossy stone bricks do not naturally generate; they only appear when silverfish infest these blocks.^[1]

Components

Pieces
Name `id`	Description	Blocks
Straight `minecraft:SHS`	This sub-structure consists of a corridor; it generates with an entrance and an exit on opposite sides, making it a 5 block long corridor. On each side, a side exit has a 50% chance to generate; if it does not, the corresponding side is sealed with a stone bricks wall. This sub-structure can also include up to 4 torches, each with a 10% chance to generate. They are placed hanging on the walls beside the potential side exits, regardless of whether the exits generate. The render on the side depicts the sub-structure with all the features generated.	94-112 Stone Bricks^{[n 3]} 0-4 Torch
Right turn `minecraft:SHRT`	These sub-structures are corridors with 90° turns. Both types have an equal chance of appearing.	80 Stone Bricks^{[n 3]}
Left turn `minecraft:SHLT`		80 Stone Bricks^{[n 3]}
Spiral staircase `minecraft:SHSD`	This sub-structure consists of a staircase, with its entrance at the top and its exit at the bottom. Between 0 and 5 spiral staircases can generate per stronghold, plus a starter staircase. When an eye of ender is thrown, it will fly toward chunk coordinates 0, ~, 0 of the chunk the start piece is in. The center of the starter staircase will always generate at chunk coordinates 4, ~, 4. The starter staircase will always generate with an opening as its entrance.	187 Stone Bricks^{[n 3]} 6 Smooth Stone Slab
Start piece `minecraft:SHStart`		187 Stone Bricks^{[n 3]} 6 Smooth Stone Slab
Straight staircase `minecraft:SHSSD`	This sub-structure consists of a staircase, with its entrance at the top and its exit at the bottom. There is also an empty alcove under the stairs. Between 0 and 5 straight staircases can generate per stronghold.	275 Stone Bricks^{[n 3]} 18 Cobblestone stairs
Five-way crossing `minecraft:SH5C`	This room consists of a small atrium from which 2 to 6 paths can branch out: The first exit (1), located in front of the stairway, always generates, as it acts as the entrance to the room. The second exit (2), located down the stairway, always generates. The upper exit facing east or south (+x or +z) (4 or 5) has a ²⁄₃ chance to generate. The remaining three exits each have an independent ¹⁄₂ chance to generate. The layout of a five-way crossing This room can branch out to hidden rooms. If the room is rotated such that the player faces west or north (-x or -z) when entering it, a hidden room may try to generate. Hidden rooms always attempt to generate directly adjacent to indentations on the same wall; the attempt can sometimes fail meaning no hidden room generates. The indentation (on the left, marked in green) indicates a hidden room attempted to generate behind the wall (on the right, marked in red). In other words, a hidden room can be found behind a smooth wall where an exit can generate. Between 0 and 4 five-way crossings can generate per stronghold. In addition to these, an extra five-way crossing always generates as part of the starting point of the structure.	536-572 Stone Bricks^{[n 3]} 36 Smooth Stone Slab 1 Torch
Prison hall `minecraft:SHPH`	This room consists of a corridor with two cells located on one of its sides. In Bedrock Edition, jail cells generate without iron doors. Between 0 and 5 prison halls can generate per stronghold.	300 Stone Bricks^{[n 3]} 20 Iron Bars 2 Iron Door‌^{[JE only]}
Chest corridor `minecraft:SHCC`	This sub-structure consists in a chest on an altar in a corridor. Between 0 and 4 chest corridors can generate per stronghold.	115 Stone Bricks^{[n 3]} 7 Stone Brick Slab 1 Chest^{[n 4]}
Room crossing `minecraft:SHRC`	This large room consists of a cross junction; four exits (including the entrance) always generate. Large rooms come in 4 variants: Empty: has no decoration. Fountain: has a fountain. Pillar: has a stone brick pillar with torches. Store: has 2 floors, each 2 blocks high, with a cobblestone center structure joining the two and a torch housed within the structure; a ladder runs up the side wall, providing access to the second floor, which is a chamber made of oak planks and that contains a loot chest. Between 0 and 6 large rooms, regardless of variants, can generate per stronghold.	406 Stone Bricks^{[n 3]} (all) Fountain: 19 Stone Bricks^{[n 5]} 1 Water Pillar: 3 Stone Bricks^{[n 5]} 8 Smooth Stone Slab 4 Torch Store: 51 Cobblestone 40 Oak Planks 3 Ladder 1 Chest^{[n 6]} 1 Torch
Library `minecraft:SHLi`	Libraries come in 2 variants: Large: a duplex library containing 2 chests. Small: a single-level library containing 1 chest. Libraries generate in their small variant only when there isn't enough space for the large variant; otherwise, they always generate in their large variant. Each air block within 4 blocks above the ground (inclusive) has a 7% chance of being replaced by a cobweb upon generation. Between 0 and 2 libraries can generate per stronghold. Additionally, libraries can never generate within four rooms of the starting staircase.	Large: 895 Stone Bricks^{[n 3]} 233 Bookshelf 166 Oak Planks 46 Oak Fence 14 Torch 7 Ladder 2 Chest^{[n 7]} 0-417 Cobweb (avg.: 29) Small: 627 Stone Bricks^{[n 3]} 161 Bookshelf 32 Oak Planks 8 Torch 1 Chest^{[n 7]} 0-422 Cobweb (avg.: 29)
Portal room `minecraft:SHPR`	The End portal room is the only room guaranteed to generate in a stronghold. It never generates within five rooms of the starting staircase, although it is less likely to generate farther away. Unlike all other rooms in the stronghold, it always generates with a complete outer wall, making it the only room that is consistently fully formed after generation. Each portal frame has a 10% chance to generate containing an eye of ender; the average number of portal frames found prefilled is 1.2. The chance of the portal being completely pre-filled is one in a trillion (1:1,000,000,000,000 or 10^-12). Its entry door is always grates.	704 Stone Bricks^{[n 3]} 39 Iron Bars 15 Lava 8 Stone Brick Stairs 12 End Portal Frame 1 Monster Spawner

Small doors
Name	Description	Blocks
Opening	Small doors are the separating sub-structures that generate at the entrance of various rooms of strongholds. There are 4 types of door: the empty opening, the grates of iron bars, the wood door and the iron door. They are generated randomly, with each having an equal chance of appearing, except for the empty opening which is twice as likely to occur. The start piece will always generate an opening, and the portal room will always generate grates. In order to prevent two doors from generating directly adjacent to each other, they are generated only as room entrances. Wood and iron doors always face the direction in which the stronghold generates: a door that is flush with the wall always leads away from the starting staircase, while a door that is indented into the wall leads toward it.	9 Air
Grates		7 Iron Bars
Wood door		7 Stone Bricks^{[n 5]} 1 Oak Door
Iron door		7 Stone Bricks^{[n 5]} 1 Iron Door 1 Stone Button

Name
id Description Blocks Image

Filler corridor
minecraft:SHFC

Filler corridors, also known as dead-end corridors, are a special kind of sub-structure that generates when a normal stronghold room fails to generate, but the exit from where came the generation attempt is close enough to other parts of the stronghold. You can distinguish these from normal corridors by two details:

they are composed of only normal stone bricks: no mossy, nor cracked, nor infested.
their generation is always complete and cannot be overwritten by caves (like the portal room). This can result in them appearing like they are totally disconnected from the rest of the stronghold, if they are generated in caves.

They consist of a vertical one-block wide ring of stone bricks, the same size as a normal corridor. For them to generate, the game checks for, in order:

failed generation of rooms from exits;
other parts of the stronghold that are 4 blocks or less away horizontally from the selected exit, and at the same y-level of the exit.

When these criteria are met, it generates up to 3 filler corridors sub-structures, stacked horizontally on the same y-level, starting from the selected exit until it hits the other room's outer wall, in which in most cases makes a dent or an opening. In this way, the filler corridor is usually able to connects up near parts of the strongholds in order to form a denser network of passages.

Unlike every other stronghold room, these pieces do not generate doors.

16-48

Stone bricks

Loot

Altars

In Java Edition, each stronghold altar chest contains items drawn from 2 pools, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size		Weight		Chance	Avg. per chest	Avg. # chests to search
Item	2–3×	1×	2–3×	1×	Chance	Avg. per chest	Avg. # chests to search
Nothing^[A]	—	1	—	⁹⁄₁₀	90.0%	0.900	1.1
Apple	1–3	—	¹⁵⁄₁₀₁	—	32.9%	0.743	3.0
Bread	1–3	—	¹⁵⁄₁₀₁	—	32.9%	0.743	3.0
Iron Ingot	1–5	—	¹⁰⁄₁₀₁	—	22.8%	0.743	4.4
Ender Pearl	1	—	¹⁰⁄₁₀₁	—	22.8%	0.248	4.4
Redstone Dust	4–9	—	⁵⁄₁₀₁	—	11.9%	0.804	8.4
Gold Ingot	1–3	—	⁵⁄₁₀₁	—	11.9%	0.248	8.4
Iron Pickaxe	1	—	⁵⁄₁₀₁	—	11.9%	0.124	8.4
Iron Sword	1	—	⁵⁄₁₀₁	—	11.9%	0.124	8.4
Iron Helmet	1	—	⁵⁄₁₀₁	—	11.9%	0.124	8.4
Iron Chestplate	1	—	⁵⁄₁₀₁	—	11.9%	0.124	8.4
Iron Leggings	1	—	⁵⁄₁₀₁	—	11.9%	0.124	8.4
Iron Boots	1	—	⁵⁄₁₀₁	—	11.9%	0.124	8.4
Eye Armor Trim	—	1	—	¹⁄₁₀	10.0%	0.100	10.0
Diamond	1–3	—	³⁄₁₀₁	—	7.3%	0.149	13.8
Leather	1–5	—	¹⁄₁₀₁	—	2.5%	0.074	40.7
Copper Horse Armor	1	—	¹⁄₁₀₁	—	2.5%	0.025	40.7
Music Disc (otherside)	1	—	¹⁄₁₀₁	—	2.5%	0.025	40.7
Enchanted Book^[B]	1	—	¹⁄₁₀₁	—	2.5%	0.025	40.7
Iron Horse Armor	1	—	¹⁄₁₀₁	—	2.5%	0.025	40.7
Golden Apple	1	—	¹⁄₁₀₁	—	2.5%	0.025	40.7
Golden Horse Armor	1	—	¹⁄₁₀₁	—	2.5%	0.025	40.7
Diamond Horse Armor	1	—	¹⁄₁₀₁	—	2.5%	0.025	40.7

In Bedrock Edition, each stronghold altar chest contains items drawn from 2 pools, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size		Weight		Chance	Avg. per chest	Avg. # chests to search
Item	2–3×	1×	2–3×	1×	Chance	Avg. per chest	Avg. # chests to search
Nothing^[A]	—	1	—	⁹⁄₁₀	90.0%	0.900	1.1
Apple	1–3	—	⁷⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	32.0%	0.720	3.1
Bread	1–3	—	⁷⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	32.0%	0.720	3.1
Iron Ingot	1–5	—	⁵⁰⁄₅₂₁	—	22.2%	0.720	4.5
Ender Pearl	1	—	⁵⁰⁄₅₂₁	—	22.2%	0.240	4.5
Redstone Dust	4–9	—	²⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	11.5%	0.780	8.7
Gold Ingot	1–3	—	²⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	11.5%	0.240	8.7
Iron Pickaxe	1	—	²⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	11.5%	0.120	8.7
Iron Sword	1	—	²⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	11.5%	0.120	8.7
Iron Helmet	1	—	²⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	11.5%	0.120	8.7
Iron Chestplate	1	—	²⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	11.5%	0.120	8.7
Iron Leggings	1	—	²⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	11.5%	0.120	8.7
Iron Boots	1	—	²⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	11.5%	0.120	8.7
Eye Armor Trim	—	1	—	¹⁄₁₀	10.0%	0.100	10.0
Emerald	1–3	—	¹⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	7.0%	0.144	14.2
Diamond	1–3	—	¹⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	7.0%	0.144	14.2
Enchanted Book^[B]	1	—	⁶⁄₅₂₁	—	2.9%	0.029	35.1
Leather	1–5	—	⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	2.4%	0.072	42.0
Copper Horse Armor	1	—	⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	2.4%	0.024	42.0
Music Disc (otherside)	1	—	⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	2.4%	0.024	42.0
Iron Horse Armor	1	—	⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	2.4%	0.024	42.0
Golden Apple	1	—	⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	2.4%	0.024	42.0
Golden Horse Armor	1	—	⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	2.4%	0.024	42.0
Diamond Horse Armor	1	—	⁵⁄₅₂₁	—	2.4%	0.024	42.0

↑ ^a ^b 'Nothing' does not refer to the chance of an empty chest. Instead, it refers to the chance that the random loot generator does not add any loot on a single roll.
↑ ^a ^b Enchantment probabilities are the same as a level-30 enchantment on an enchanting table that was able to apply treasure enchantments (except Soul Speed, Swift Sneak, and Wind Burst), and where the chance of multiple enchantments is not reduced.

Storerooms

Storeroom chests are found in the "store" room variant of large rooms.

In Java Edition, each stronghold storeroom chest contains 1–4 item stacks, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size	Weight	Chance	Avg. per chest	Avg. # chests to search
Apple	1–3	¹⁵⁄₆₂	47.5%	1.210	2.1
Bread	1–3	¹⁵⁄₆₂	47.5%	1.210	2.1
Coal	3–8	¹⁰⁄₆₂	34.3%	2.218	2.9
Iron Ingot	1–5	¹⁰⁄₆₂	34.3%	1.210	2.9
Redstone Dust	4–9	⁵⁄₆₂	18.6%	1.310	5.4
Gold Ingot	1–3	⁵⁄₆₂	18.6%	0.403	5.4
Enchanted Book^[A]	1	¹⁄₆₂	4.0%	0.040	25.2
Iron Pickaxe	1	¹⁄₆₂	4.0%	0.040	25.2

In Bedrock Edition, each stronghold storeroom chest contains 1–4 item stacks, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size	Weight	Chance	Avg. per chest	Avg. # chests to search
Apple	1–3	⁷⁵⁄₃₈₆	40.0%	0.972	2.5
Bread	1–3	⁷⁵⁄₃₈₆	40.0%	0.972	2.5
Ink Sac	1–3	⁷⁵⁄₃₈₆	40.0%	0.972	2.5
Coal	3–8	⁵⁰⁄₃₈₆	28.5%	1.781	3.5
Iron Ingot	1–5	⁵⁰⁄₃₈₆	28.5%	0.972	3.5
Redstone Dust	4–9	²⁵⁄₃₈₆	15.2%	1.052	6.6
Gold Ingot	1–3	²⁵⁄₃₈₆	15.2%	0.324	6.6
Enchanted Book^[A]	1	⁶⁄₃₈₆	3.8%	0.039	26.1
Iron Pickaxe	1	⁵⁄₃₈₆	3.2%	0.032	31.3

↑ ^a ^b Enchantment probabilities are the same as a level-30 enchantment on an enchanting table that was able to apply treasure enchantments (except Soul Speed, Swift Sneak, and Wind Burst), and where the chance of multiple enchantments is not reduced.

Libraries

In Java Edition, each stronghold library chest contains items drawn from 2 pools, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size		Weight		Chance	Avg. per chest	Avg. # chests to search
Item	2–10×	1×	2–10×	1×	Chance	Avg. per chest	Avg. # chests to search
Eye Armor Trim	—	1	—	¹⁄₁	100.0%	1.000	1.0
Paper	2–7	—	²⁰⁄₅₂	—	89.2%	10.385	1.1
Book	1–3	—	²⁰⁄₅₂	—	89.2%	4.615	1.1
Enchanted Book^[A]	1	—	¹⁰⁄₅₂	—	67.8%	1.154	1.5
Compass	1	—	¹⁄₅₂	—	10.9%	0.115	9.2
Empty Map	1	—	¹⁄₅₂	—	10.9%	0.115	9.2

In Bedrock Edition, each stronghold library chest contains items drawn from 2 pools, with the following distribution:

Item	Stack Size		Weight		Chance	Avg. per chest	Avg. # chests to search
Item	2–10×	1×	2–10×	1×	Chance	Avg. per chest	Avg. # chests to search
Eye Armor Trim	—	1	—	¹⁄₁	100.0%	1.000	1.0
Paper	2–7	—	¹⁰⁰⁄₂₇₀	—	88.3%	10.000	1.1
Book	1–3	—	¹⁰⁰⁄₂₇₀	—	88.3%	4.444	1.1
Enchanted Book^[A]	1	—	⁶⁰⁄₂₇₀	—	72.9%	1.333	1.4
Compass	1	—	⁵⁄₂₇₀	—	10.5%	0.111	9.5
Map^[B]	1	—	⁵⁄₂₇₀	—	10.5%	0.111	9.5

↑ ^a ^b Enchantment probabilities are the same as a level-30 enchantment on an enchanting table that was able to apply treasure enchantments (except Soul Speed, Swift Sneak, and Wind Burst), and where the chance of multiple enchantments is not reduced.
↑ Named unknown map, but changed to map 0, the scale level is 1:4, Maps from the same stack are stackable, but maps that are not stacked are unstackable despite looking identical.

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Structure type	Identifier
Stronghold	`stronghold`

Structure	Identifier
Stronghold	`stronghold`

Bedrock Edition:

Structure	Identifier	Translation key
Stronghold	`stronghold`	`feature.stronghold`

Config

Java Edition:

[NBT Compound / JSON Object] Structure configuration
- [String] type: minecraft:stronghold
- Fields common to all structures see Template:Nbt inherit/structure/template

Advancements

Icon	Advancement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)
	Eye Spy	Follow an Eye of Ender	Enter a stronghold.

History

Java Edition

Java Edition Beta
July 01, 2011		Jens Bergensten shares an image of mysterious ruins that resemble a stronghold. Unlike the implemented strongholds, a large part of these ruins are above-ground.
1.8	Pre-release	Added strongholds as part of the Adventure Update. A single one generates per world. They are vacant except for regular mobs that spawn under normal conditions.
		Strongholds have chests in libraries and in storerooms.
		Due to a bug, strongholds do not generate correctly. Only the central staircase generates; the rest of the stronghold does not generate.
	Pre-release (reupload)	Strongholds now generate as intended.
	Pre-release 2 ;)	Increased stronghold count to three per world instead of one.
Java Edition
1.0.0	Beta 1.9 Prerelease 3	The End portal room was added to the stronghold. The portal frames can be filled in using eyes of ender, but does not activate.
		A pair of glass towers indicated the location of a stronghold's start (aka main entrance) and second for the portal room on top of them, extending from the top of the map to the stone bricks. This was a debug feature that Jeb forgot to remove.^[2]
		Strongholds now also have chests in corridor altars.
	Beta 1.9 Prerelease 4	Removed glass towers generating above strongholds.
		The End portal is now functional.
		Eyes of ender now properly point to strongholds.
?		The game no longer prints the coordinates of generated strongholds to the output log.
1.4.2	12w40a	Strongholds can now generate in the air in Superflat worlds with certain customization presets.
1.9	15w43a	Increased stronghold count to 128 per world, rather than 3.
		Library chests now have 2–10 stacks of items, rather than 1–4 stacks.
		Enchanted books found in library chests is now weighted to 10 rather than 2, and in single books rather than in groups of 1–5.
	16w06a	Stronghold placement formula changed.
	pre3	Eyes of ender can now point to the 125 new strongholds.
1.17	21w07a	Strongholds are no longer exposed in oceans. Instead, they get covered by the seabed.^[3]
1.18.2	22w07a	Strongholds now spawn in superflat, but not in the "Classic Flat" preset.
1.19.3	22w42a	The placement code has been changed to be more efficient, causing stronghold positions to shift.
1.19.4 Experiment Update 1.20	23w04a	Eye armor trims are now found in stronghold chests.
1.19.4 Experiment Update 1.20	23w05a	Increased the chance of eye armor trims from 4.7% to 10% in altar chests, and to 100% in library chests.
1.20	23w12a	Changes from 23w04a and 23w05a are now available without using the "Update 1.20" experimental data pack.
1.21.2	pre1	Strongholds can now generate in the pale garden biome.
1.21.4	24w44a	The changes from 1.21.2-pre1 are now available without using the "Winter Drop" experimental data pack.
1.21.6	25w20a	Removed saddles from stronghold corridor loot tables, replaced with 1–5 leather.
1.21.9	25w31a	Copper horse armor now generates in stronghold altar chests.

Bedrock Edition

Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.9.0	May 6, 2014	Jeb posts on Instagram a photo of one section of a stronghold.
	May 8, 2014	Jeb posts another image of a stronghold, this time within the End portal room.
	build 1	Added strongholds.
	build 1	The End portal block frame exists, but the player cannot travel to the End.
v0.9.2		Strongholds are now more common.
v0.12.0		Enchanted books can now be found in stronghold library chests.
v0.15.0	build 1	Maps can now be found in stronghold library chests.
Pocket Edition
1.0.0	alpha 0.17.0.1	Strongholds now generate in new chunks.
		Strongholds can now be found using eyes of ender.
		Chests now generate in stronghold storerooms.
		Ender pearls now generate in altar chests.
Bedrock Edition
1.9.0	beta 1.9.0.0	Cobblestone stairs in strongholds are replaced with stone stairs.
1.10.0	beta 1.10.0.3	Most strongholds no longer generate under village wells; they now generate under village meeting points.
	beta 1.10.0.3	Reduced chance of strongholds generating under villages.
	beta 1.10.0.4	Stone stairs in strongholds are changed back to cobblestone stairs.
1.18.0	beta 1.18.0.22	Strongholds are no longer able to generate mid-air in large caves.
1.19.80 Experiment Next Major Update	Preview 1.19.80.21	Eye armor trims are now found in stronghold chests.
1.20.70	Preview 1.20.70.22	Strongholds now always generate with an End portal room.
1.21.111	Preview 1.21.110.22	Copper horse armor now generates in stronghold altar chests.
26.30	Preview 26.30.25	Added iron doors and stone buttons for hallways in strongholds, to match Java Edition.

Legacy Console Edition

Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360	Xbox One	PS3	PS4	PS Vita	Wii U	Switch
TU5	CU1	1.00	1.00	1.00	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added strongholds.
TU25	CU14	1.17	1.17	1.17			Strongholds can now generate in the air in Superflat worlds with certain customization presets.
TU25	CU14	1.17	1.17	1.17			It is now possible to change the amount of strongholds that generate in a Superflat world. This means it is possible to have up to 3 strongholds instead of only 1.
TU60	CU51	1.64	1.64	1.64	Patch 30	1.0.11	Stronghold chests can now generate emeralds and ink sacs.

New Nintendo 3DS Edition

New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0							Added strongholds.

The first image of a stronghold that Jeb posted
The first image of a stronghold that Notch posted
Stronghold markers in Beta 1.9 Prerelease 3
A stronghold generated on Superflat using Customization GUI in 12w40a and 12w40b.
The side view of an uncovered stronghold
Overhead view of an uncovered stronghold
Top view of an uncovered stronghold

Issues

Issues relating to "Stronghold" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Trivia

There are always 233 bookshelves in a large library, yielding 699 books if mined without Silk Touch, which is 10 stacks plus 59 left over.
Along with some other older structures, strongholds do not generate with air inside them.
As of Java Edition 1.16, all world seeds that have a pre-activated End portal in the first ring have been found.^[4]

Gallery

Screenshots

An iron door in a stronghold
Many stone bricks in a stronghold
A stronghold with a fountain
A stone pillar generated in a large room.
A small library
A large library
A chest in a stronghold chamber
A floating torch in a pillar room, from a rendering glitch
A floating torch in a library
The End portal room, with an inactive End portal
Activated End portal
A ladder in a stronghold library, which gives a player access to a second floor
An End portal with a silverfish spawner
This portal is already activated upon world generation. (1/10^12 chance)
Four silverfish chasing the player in a stronghold
Mushrooms growing in a cell made of iron bars
A glitch where the ladders of a stronghold can appear floating
The portal room
A stronghold under a village
A cross section of a stronghold generating under a village in Bedrock Edition
A part of a stronghold
The Stronghold Below seed template thumbnail showcasing the End portal room

Unique generation

An underground view of the top of a stronghold
An End portal room generated partially above sea level, noted by the windows
A stronghold generating on the surface in Xbox 360 Edition
An underwater End portal room with no other rooms
An underground view of the bottom of a stronghold
Ravine with multiple ores, water and lava falls, and a stronghold bridge over it
A desert pyramid, mineshaft, and stronghold generated together
A zombie monster room overriding a stronghold's generation
A monster room intersecting a stronghold
A canyon cutting through a stronghold
A stronghold intersecting with a mineshaft
A floating library generated in a canyon over a lava lake
A stronghold cut by a canyon
A mineshaft generated inside a stronghold library
A monster room intersecting a stronghold and library room
A stronghold and a mineshaft intersection
A monster room, stronghold, and a mineshaft in one area
A stronghold and a cave system
A skeleton monster room that generated in a stronghold
A monster room generated in a library
An End portal room intersected by a mineshaft
A stronghold library above a cave
A stronghold exposed underwater
A stronghold intersecting the monster spawner corridor in a mineshaft
A stronghold with only 3 rooms
A small stronghold
A small stronghold with a small library, a chest corridor, and a portal room
An End portal room in a stronghold with 2 possible ways to get in. Check the image for the seed and coordinates.
A mineshaft along with a stronghold and jungle pyramid generated in one canyon.
This minecart with chest is trapped inside of a stone brick, due to a stronghold and a mineshaft that generated partially overlapping.
A minecart with chest generated on top of an End portal frame, because there is a mineshaft behind the wall
Two store rooms that are intersecting with a mineshaft.
Stronghold library generated in a ravine, making it float
An amethyst geode intersecting with a stronghold
A portal room at the bottom of an ocean
A stronghold room generated at bedrock level
A staircase leading to bedrock
Stronghold libraries can sometimes be set on fire by naturally-occurring lava.
A stronghold generated within a Deep Dark biome
Three five-way crossings generating back-to-back in a superflat world
A sulfur cave intersecting a stronghold

In other media

Ari and Efe in the stronghold library, from the announcement of Minecraft Live 2023
The stronghold exhibit in 15 Year Journey
A stronghold as it appears in Minecraft Dungeons
A Lego set of a stronghold intersected with a badlands mineshaft
A stronghold represented on the box for a set of action figures

Official artwork

Artwork of the structure

External links

"Building Blocks: Stronghold" by Duncan Geere – Minecraft.net, July 4, 2024.

Notes

↑ In superflat worlds, strongholds generate with the maximum number of rooms possible.
↑ If the portal is lit.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k
For simplicity, this number assumes the rooms are composed solely of stone bricks. However, the actual composition is as follows:
- 45% Stone Bricks
- 30% Mossy Stone Bricks
- 20% Cracked Stone Bricks
- 5% Infested Stone Bricks
↑ This chest uses the altar chest loot. This loot is found in loot_tables/chests/stronghold_corridor.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Unlike other rooms, this structure only generates with stone bricks. It does not include mossy stone bricks, cracked stone bricks, and infested stone bricks.
↑ This chest uses the storeroom chest loot. This loot is found in loot_tables/chests/stronghold_crossing.
↑ ^a ^b This chest uses the library chest loot. This loot is found in loot_tables/chests/stronghold_library.