Compatibility
Minecraft: Java Edition
Platforms
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Details
Follow the Eye, See the Difference
Biome Strongholds replaces the vanilla Stronghold with new variations based on the biome it spawns in. Each Stronghold is designed to be unique, offering different layouts and block palettes to serve as more than just a reskin, both of the vanilla Stronghold and of one another. Additonally, care has been taken to add updated mechanics, both vanilla and custom, to keep up with the direction Minecraft has evolved in since the addition of Strongholds. All of this is in pursuit of making the experience of following your Eyes of Ender new and exciting each and every time.
The Strongholds
Although each Stronghold offers different challenges, enemies, and mechanics, they all share the following features:
- A single Starting Staircase, which Eyes of Ender point to
- Exactly one End Portal Room
- Improved Loot Tables
- Large Rooms/Library Rooms
- Assorted Rooms and Corridors
- Trial Spawners and Trial Vaults
- Support for Ominous Trials
- Learnable navigation
Included Biomes
Currently, Biome Strongholds features four new Stronghold variants, which appear in groups of similar biomes. More Biome Strongholds will be added over time, with the inevitable goal of replacing all biomes, thereby preventing the vanilla Stronghold from spawning at all.
Biome Strongholds
Desert Stronghold
- Generates in Desert, Badlands, Wooded Badlands, and Eroded Badlands biomes
- Made of Sandstone and Red Sandstone blocks
- Composed of many winding hallways and small rooms, which adjoin to more detailed rooms on the way to the Portal Room
- Trial Spawners spawn the following mobs:
- Husks
- Silverfish
- Skeletons wielding Golden Swords
- Sandstorm Breezes
- Drop Golden Nuggets and Sand instead of Breeze Rods
- Emit sand particles
- Occasionally emiy extra particles and deal damage in a small radius around them for a few seconds
Ocean Stronghold
- Generates in all Ocean biomes, including Frozen Ocean biomes
- Made of assorted Prismarine blocks and Sea Lanterns
- Features both flooded and unflooded sections
- Contains frequent chests with Potions of Water Breathing
- Trial Spawners spawn the following mobs:
- Slimes
- These are larger-sized Slimes that can deal damage, but have been scaled down to fit
- Only spawn in unflooded sections
- Drowned
- Can spawn with Tridents in certain rooms
- Guardians
- Praetors
- Scaled-up Guardians
- Have increased health
- Emit particles
- Drop solid Prismarine and Sea Lantern blocks
- Elder Guardians
- Slightly scaled down
- Have reduced health
- Give Blindness instead of Mining Fatigue
- Slimes
Jungle Stronghold
- Generates in all Jungle biomes, and Stony Peaks
- Made of Mossy Cobblestone, Cobblestone, and Polished Tuff blocks
- Many rooms feature puzzles or hidden buttons/levers
- Many rooms have variants of different sizes
- Trial Spawners spawn the following mobs:
- Bogged wielding Wooden Swords
- Skeletons wielding Blindness Tipped Arrows
- Smoking Creepers
- Explode periodically in smaller explosions if an enemy is close
- Do not die when they explode
- Vexes
- Slightly scaled up
- Emit particles to help find them easier
Snowy Stronghold
- Generates in all Frozen biomes, all Snowy biomes, Groves, Jagged Peaks, Ice Spikes, regular Taigas, and the Deep Dark
- Made of assorted Deepslate, Packed Ice, Nether Quartz, and Polished Andesite floors that are peppered with Packed Ice, Snow Blocks, and Powdered Snow
- Features very large rooms that adjoin to other rooms and hallways on the way to/from the Portal Room, and many secret doors opened by buttons
- The End Portal is in the middle of the Stronghold rather than the end
- The End Portal Frames are frozen by magical ice. You will need to find Portal Frame Keys throughout the Stronghold to unlock them and fill them with Eyes of Ender
- Portal Frame Keys can be found in most rooms, but there will only be exactly enough for the number of unfilled End Portal Frames
- Portal Frame Keys are indestructible and do not despawn if dropped
- Trial Spawners spawn the folloing mobs:
- Ice Zombies
- Zombies with Ice on their heads
- Emit snowflake particles
- Players hit by these Zombies lose the ability to jump for 10 seconds, indicated by sounds and particles
- Ice Zombies spawned by Ominous Trial Spawners apply this effect to all nearby players, not just those they hit
- Strays
- Mini Phantoms
- Slightly scaled down Phantoms
- Have reduced health and damage
- Emit particles to help find them easier
- Giant Spiders
- Scaled-up Spiders
- Spawn with 5 seconds of Invisibility
- Have increased health and damage
- Have Fire Resistance
- Ice Zombies
The End Portal
End Portals in Biome Strongholds are not arranged in the typical configuration. Instead, the typical End Portal is made of Bedrock, and the End Portal Frames are spread throughout the Portal Room. They may be hidden, but are always within the bounds of the Portal Room, which are designed to clearly guide the player towards them. Like vanilla Strongholds, each End Portal Frame has a 10% chance of already being filled.
Additionally, filled End Portal Frames will project particles towards the Bedrock End Portal. Once all 12 are filled, the End Portal will spawn in the Bedrock frame as normal, some extra particles will display, and the trails of particles from the End Portal Frames will cease.
Traps
All Strongholds are filled with Decorated Pots, but some of these Pots have traps hidden inside them. Breaking them will trigger the trap, dealing a small amount of damage to nearby players and applying a biome-specific effect.
Some Strongholds also feature traps hidden in the walls, floors, and ceilings, some of which can be collected and used by the player. Pay close attention as you explore the Biome Strongholds.
- Lava Pitfall: Generates in Desert Strongholds. Stepping on the blocks here will turn them into Lava beneath your feet
- Spike Ceiling: Generates in Desert Strongholds. Stepping under these blocks will cause a Pointed Dripstone Spike to fall from the ceiling, dealing damage to entities it hits
- Noxious Gas Emitter: Generates in Desert and Jungle Strongholds, and can be collected and placed by the player. These are Chiseled Tuff blocks in the ground. When an entity is nearby, they will start to project green gas particles upwards. If an entity steps directly on one of these blocks, they will be given the Poison effect.
- Flame Emitter: Generates in Jungle Strongholds, and can be collected and placed by the player. These are Dispensers that, when powered, emit a trail of Flame particles in the direction they are facing that deal damage to entities in range (but do not set them on fire).
Puzzles
Some Strongholds feature puzzles, either as features within specific rooms or as obstacles for exploring the Stronghold. Not all of these are strictly "puzzles" but more like "secrets", but they are included here for ease. Below are descriptions of the puzzles as well as how to solve them.
Puzzles
Secret Button
- Generates in Jungle and Snowy Strongholds
- Buttons hidden in walls, often but not always at dead ends
- Clicking the button removes the wall, revealing more to explore
Secret Lever
- Generates in Jungle Strongholds
- One or two Levers hidden on walls or in alcoves in the wall
- Finding one or both Levers (depending on the room type) will open a secret passage to the other half of the room
- Can be opened from both sides, and closed again
Color Puzzle
- Generates in Jungle Strongholds
- A button in the middle-ish of the Room, with 4 Chiseled Tuff Brick pedestals spread throughout the room, and 4 different-colored Glazed Terracotta blocks in the wall of the room
- Pressing the button starts the puzzle
- Each pedestal will periodically project particles (both colored and elemental) to indicate which color of Glazed Terracotta should be placed on that pedestal
- When all four pedestals have the correct block placed on top of them, a Treasure Chest will appear in the room
Chest Puzzle
- Generates in Jungle Strongholds
- A two-story room filled with empty Chests, and a button in the middle of the room
- Pressing the button starts the puzzle, removing all but 4 of the Chests
- When you open a Chest, a number between 1-4 will display above it for a few seconds, and an appropriate sound effect will play
- After all 4 Chests are opened in ascending order, a Treasure Chest will appear in the middle of the room
Library Puzzle
- Generates in Jungle Strongholds
- A large two-story Library
- There are 4 Chiseled Bookshelves spread throughout the room, that periodically play sound effects and emit particles, and 4 Ancient Tome books in item frames
- Entering the room in Survival Mode for the first time starts the puzzle
- Each Chiseled Bookshelf must have exactly one Book in it (does not have to be an Ancient Tome) in the correct position. If the Chiseled Bookshelf does not have the correct book placed, it will emit red skull particles, or green particles if the book is in the correct position
- When all 4 Chiseled Bookshelves have the correct books placed in them, a Treasure Chest will appear on the second floor of the room