Editing Guide:Getting started (section)

=== 29. Surviving the Nether. ===
The first thing you may want to do upon entering the Nether is surrounding your Nether portal in cobblestone. This is because ghasts, a common monster encountered in the Nether, can shoot fireballs at your portal, which will destroy it. If you don't have your fire striker, you'll become stuck in the Nether without any way out other than death.

To deal with ghasts (the large ghost-like white mobs flying around the Nether), you will want to fire at them with your bow. Ghasts take two arrow shots to kill. Additionally, you can try punching back the fireballs they shoot at you, although this is very risky. If you are able to hit back a fireball at a ghast, it will take some damage. You can use this strategy to kill ghasts even after you run out of arrows, but it can take a lot of practice to master.

The other mob you'll encounter are zombie pigmen. These are decaying pig-like monsters holding golden swords. They will wander about aimlessly and won't attack you. However, if you attack one of them, all zombie pigmen in the surrounding area will run towards you and start attacking you. It is typically best to leave them alone, however they can drop raw porkchops and very rarely raw gold ore, so it may be worth killing some if you're running out of food.

The main resource you'll find in the Nether is {{InvSprite|Nether Coal Ore}} Nether coal ore. Mining it drops a much more powerful version of coal called {{InvSprite|Nether Coal}} [[Nether Coal|Nether coal]]. This ore is very important for progressing further in the game. One piece of Nether coal smelts 32 items, and you can craft eight torches with a single piece. Make sure to gather up plenty of this valuable resource.

Additionally, the Nether can be used for fast travel over long distances. Walking one block in the Nether is equivalent to walking eight blocks in the Overworld, so you can create portal networks to more efficiently travel around your ''Minecraft'' world.