Nether Wastes

For the mission in Minecraft Dungeons, see MCD:Nether Wastes.

"Hell" redirects here. For the dimension, see The Nether. For the map theme in Indev, see Hell (map theme).

Nether Wastes

Structures	Bastion remnant Nether fortress Ruined portal
Features	Glowstone blob Lava sea
Blocks	Netherrack Glowstone Soul Sand Nether Quartz Ore Nether Gold Ore Ancient Debris Magma Block Lava Blackstone Gravel Red Mushroom Brown Mushroom Fire
Climate
Temperature	2.0
Downfall	0.0
Precipitation	No
Colors
Fog color	#330808
Grass color	#BFB755
Foliage color	#AEA42A
Dry foliage color	#A38046
Water color	#3F76E4‌[JE only]  #905957‌[BE only]
Water fog distance	15‌[BE only]
Vibrant Visuals
Atmospherics	Hell
Lighting	Nether
Volumetric fog	Default
Color grading	Default

The Nether wastes or hell‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]} is the most common biome found in the Nether.

The Nether wastes is the most common Nether biome and makes up around 36% of the Nether by volume. Unlike other Nether biomes, which tend to generate in large patches, the Nether wastes more often generates in thinner strips, often separating two or more other biomes. In particular, a thin strip of Nether wastes always separates the crimson forest and the basalt deltas, or the warped forest and soul sand valley, pairs of biomes that can never border each other.

The Nether wastes is a barren biome composed of mostly netherrack. It has extensive lava seas with glowstone blobs hanging from the ceiling. Blobs of Nether quartz, Nether gold ore, and blackstone generate in the wastes (where ore is most visible) with the rarer ancient debris found unexposed within the terrain. Gravel and soul sand are found among its coastlines.

Most of the Nether's mobs can spawn here, including ghasts, zombified piglins, magma cubes, striders, piglins, and the occasional endermen. Nether fortresses, ruined portals and bastion remnants are present as well.

The following mobs naturally spawn here:

In Java Edition

Mob	Spawn weight	Group size
Monster category
Zombified Piglin[note 1]	100⁄168	4
Ghast[note 2]	50⁄168	4
Piglin	15⁄168	4
Magma Cube	2⁄168	4
Enderman	1⁄168	4
Creature category
Strider[note 3]	1	2–4

In Bedrock Edition

Mob	Spawn weight	Group size
Monster category
Zombified Piglin	100	2–4
Ghast	40	1
Piglin	15	4
Magma Cube	10	1–4
Enderman	6	1
Creature category
Strider[note 1]	1	2–4

These music tracks play while the player is in the Nether wastes:

Nether ambience plays while the player is in the Nether.

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Translation key
Nether Wastes	nether_wastes	8	biome.minecraft.nether_wastes

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID
[No displayed name]	hell	8

Icon		Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Gamerscore earned	Trophy type (PS)
PS4	Other
		Adventuring Time	Discover 17 biomes.	Visit any 17 biomes. Does not have to be in a single world.	40	Silver
		Hot tourist destination	Visit all Nether biomes	Note: Can be completed if the player visits the biomes in different worlds.	30	Silver

Icon	Advancement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)
	Hot Tourist Destinations	Explore all Nether biomes	Visit all of the 5 following biomes: Basalt Deltas Crimson Forest Nether Wastes Soul Sand Valley Warped Forest The advancement is only for Nether biomes. Other biomes may also be visited, but are ignored for this advancement.

Issues relating to "Nether biome" or "Nether Wastes" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

• In Bedrock Edition, if the Nether wastes is used as the biome for Overworld generation, although the terrain is entirely netherrack, no ore is generated (including Nether quartz ore, Nether gold ore, ancient debris, etc.). Caverns and lakes (with red-colored water) still generate. The player is still able to place water in an Overworld Nether wastes biome, but trying to sleep in a bed still causes an explosion.

• 
  A view of a Nether wastes cliff
• 
  Glowstone cluster in Nether wastes
• 
  Nether fortress in Nether wastes
• 
  Two ghasts in Nether wastes
• 
  Nether wastes terrain
• 
  Lava sea in Nether wastes
• 
  A Nether wastes single biome world as seen in the Overworld

• 
  A Nether wastes single biome world before 1.18, with Nether terrain but also water, stone, and a blue sky.
• 
  A screenshot of the Nether prior to 1.16.
• 
  A screenshot without fog in the Nether in 15w31a.
• 
  The hell biome with ray tracing. Note that there are no ray tracing effects because of the lack of daylight, but Nether fog is disabled.

• 
  A Nether Wastes as it appears in Minecraft Dungeons.
• 
  A Nether Wastes as it appears in Minecraft Legends.

• "Around the Block: Nether Wastes" by Duncan Geere – Minecraft.net, May 26, 2022.

v t e Biomes
Overworld Landforms Beach Snowy Stony Shore River Frozen Snowy Frozen Peaks Grove Jagged Peaks Snowy Plains Ice Spikes Snowy Slopes Snowy Taiga Cold Taiga Old Growth Pine Old Growth Spruce Windswept Hills Forest Gravelly Dappled Forest​[upcoming: Third Drop 2026] Temperate Birch Forest Old Growth Cherry Grove Dark Forest Pale Garden Forest Flower Meadow Mushroom Fields Plains Sunflower Swamp Warm Badlands Eroded Wooded Desert Jungle Bamboo Sparse Mangrove Swamp Savanna Plateau Windswept Stony Peaks Ocean Frozen Ocean Deep Cold Ocean Deep Ocean Deep Lukewarm Ocean Deep Warm Ocean Caves Deep Dark Dripstone Caves Lush Caves Sulfur Caves
The Nether Basalt Deltas Crimson Forest Nether Wastes Soul Sand Valley Warped Forest
The End JE Central The End Outer End Barrens End Highlands End Midlands Small End Islands BE The End
Other Specialized JE only The Void Unused/removed Hills Birch Forest Hills Desert Hills Jungle Hills Bamboo Snowy Mountains Taiga Hills Giant Tree Snowy Wooded Hills Modified Dark Forest Hills Desert Lakes Modified Badlands Plateau Wooded Modified Jungle Edge Swamp Hills Taiga Mountains Snowy Modified hills Giant Spruce Taiga Hills Gravelly Mountains+ Shattered Savanna Plateau Tall Birch Hills Other Badlands Plateau Deep Warm Ocean Mountain Edge Mushroom Field Shore BE only Legacy Frozen Ocean Proto-biomes Removed Ice Desert Rainforest Seasonal Forest Shrubland Tundra Unimplemented Sky Joke 20w14∞ _generated:id Between Biome For Player With No Time For Nonsense Shapes 24w14potato Arboretum Corruption Fields Hash Wasteland Others Hub The Moon