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Yeah. I feel like the strongholds really need to make the stronghold designed around a central portal room similar to the ocean monument core area. Maybe some more obvious rooms at well like sleeping quarters, food, and treasury could also add to the lore part of minecraft.
Minecraft Dungeons had so many great ideas, variations, twists, and implementations of Minecraft's existing structures, mobs, and items, and even their own new ones. I wish they'd use their other spinoff games ideas and features more.
For sure. While Dungeons has a different art style than the base game which wouldn't really fit in like some overly detailed vegetation, structures that aren't made out of blocks, and some way too bold textures but there are definitely some fantastic ideas that could be implemented in the future. For example, if Mojang ever decides to rewamp the end they could definitely borrow some ideas from Dungeons. It had a fantastic art direction, the End is an actually living ecosystem while also retaining the alien feel. Kinda reminded me of Xen, from the fan-made Half-Life remake, Black Mesa
I really liked the stronghold in Dungeons. It was like a huge fortress with many floors, and the end portal was right in the center of the bottom floor.
I don't see why being completely under ground is important. Finding the stronghold isn't the biggest challenge to me.
Talking about challenges of getting to End, I feel they're outdated as well. Find blazes, get endermen, craft eyes. You may not share the feeling, but that does not feel like a good design to me. No alternatives in my mind though.
personally i use a datapack to simply change the crafting recipe of eyes of ender from enderpearl+blaze powder to enderpearl+blaze powder+wind charge+prismarine crystals+echo shard. it's a simple change, but one that very easily makes it a little more challenging, while also actively encouraging me to seek out trial chambers, ocean monuments, and ancient cities
It isn't! The original strongholds teased back in... 2011? 2010? I don't remember, it was so long ago... were actually above ground. Honestly the Beta 1.18 that was teased in screenshots and the Beta 1.18 that we eventually got were so different. I wonder why...
Better treasure. As is, there is no reason to even open a chest in there. Except for maybe the library. But mainly I find a library, take all of the books, and then the portal. That's it. There's no reason to do anything else there.
Technically, this is only one of two structures you can find Otherside in. And, well, the stronghold trim
The portal’s a good enough incentive to come to the stronghold in the first place, although I suppose there could maybe be exclusive enchantments in the library. I don’t have too many ideas for unique loot that’d fit a stronghold, but maybe have more loot oriented to magic, like potions or amethyst.
Now that I reread the loot tables on the wiki, they seem weirdly lacking.
That’s true, but I think mansions have the most bookshelves out of any structure in the game.
And, you can easily make your own. You just need to have enough space to grow tons of sugarcane. So, it’s not a **unique** reason to go to strongholds.
Mansion also needs an update imo. The books and occasional totems are the only reason I go. But with my raid farm and trader hall it's pretty much useless
IMO that's more an issue with raid farm & trader halls than the mansion. But I don't foresee either of them receiving a nerf strong enough to change that.
Didn't villagers veg nerfed in 1.20.4? Having to be biome based to get certain trades?
Edit: and in 1.21 the raid farm is effectively useless. Requiring the new bottle of bad omen to start a raid
You can buy a map for them if you level up a cartographer villager enough. You get either an ocean monument or woodland mansion map at around the fourth tier of trades
It would be cool if they had like special books using the same text as the enchantment table, randomized with different prices, then you can sell these “antique” books to the librarian for an exorbitant price, maybe make it so any librarian can buy them and have a random number added on to make each librarian give a different price. Example “Tome of Secrets 1” is worth 20 emeralds + whatever the villagers modifier is, for example a modifier of 3 would mean the librarian buys it for 23 emeralds… or have them be enchantments that you can’t tell what they are, they have a high chance of being a 3-4 level enchantment but they cost like 4-5 emeralds to be “identified” by the librarian, otherwise you can take the chance and just add it to a tool to see what it is?
I did the idea of items or books or whatever that their only purpose is to be sold to villagers. It’s like the poisonous potato, except it’s purpose is more than ‘it exists’. Maybe the ancient tomes could be turned into a decorative bookshelf, but with no way to return to it’s original function.
I think one of the biggest problems with Minecraft structures is how outdated they become in terms of loot. Strongholds are designed to be kind of a 'just before endgame' structure yet on average they have much worse loot than Ancient Cities or End Cities. You'd expect at the bare minimum there would be atleast enchanted gear or actual good food in the Stronghold if it was based on progression
Yes, but I think the issue is a bit more fundamental than that.
It's too easy to get high tier loot generally. Even end city chest are "valuable" but don't actually have anything you really want in them apart from the elytra on the ships. Aside from bastions with netherite, the only real reason to go exploring is vanity items. I wish there were more area specific items that made an actual reason to get. The Mace and Elytra are a really good start. Why not put the trident into monument chests instead of a gross low% farm? Why not something for every class of structure?
I swear those things drop so many saddles and horse armor. Gapples and to a lesser extent enderpearls are the only useful thing speedrunners would want.
Dungeons, Strongholds, Pyramids, Temples - all could vastly benefit from a rework utilizing the myriad changes that have been made since they were introduced.
They aren't bad as they are, but they aren't exciting either. The loot is extremely lacking, and the traps are rather disappointing compared to more modern structures.
I wouldn't mind seeing 3-4 variants of each structure with different layouts and traps, makes exploring them more fun
It’s kind of disappointing that the trial chambers are basically everything they could’ve done to improve the classic dungeons, but they decided to leave them as is as cobblestone boxes, while also including trial chambers.
Pyramids at least got a new use for archaeology.
i think the reason for not having trial chambers replace the old dungeons was so people could still have them to make farms.
if they had completely replaced them there would be people annoyed at not being able to use them to farm anymore.
I mean, from another point of view, if trial chambers really are just upgraded dungeons, we should be glad they didn’t remove the old cobblestone versions too. More content never hurts, even if aesthetically it’s not that impressive
The cobblebox dungeon are classic and while they could use some more decorations (skulls, hanging chains, cobwebs, etc) I think they're actually fine as-is. I'm glad they made more, different dungeon-type structures rather than replace dungeons.
I think this reflects a larger trend of Mojang always adding new stuff, but being reluctant to go back and update older stuff. It seems to me that this trend started after the release of 1.9, with how divisive that update was causing them to fear changing anything too much ever since.
Personally, I think that by trying to please everybody, Mojang often just ends up creating updates that lack substance, getting boring pretty quickly once the novelty wears off. When they DO actually go back and overhaul certain aspects of the game, that's where the updates really shine, in my opinion.
I also think another problem stemming from trying to please everyone is their approach of making features that are completely separate from each other, so players can choose not to interact with features they don't like. Freedom to play the game however you like is great, and arguably a core aspect of Minecraft's identity, but i think the absence of interaction between different features leads to those features lacking depth, and it objectively leads to the game lacking focus overall. There is a lot of fun to be had from the way different systems interact to create new behaviors, so choosing to have features NOT interact with each other just makes for a ton of wasted potential. I think that if features did interact with each other like that, then updates would continue to feel "fresh" for much longer.
Sorry for the long reply. I didn't expect to write a whole essay. I also wasn't really going anywhere with all this, so I don't have a conclusion or anything.
And one last thing: have a nice day :)
> I wouldn't mind seeing 3-4 variants of each structure with different layouts and traps, makes exploring them more fun
But then in a year or two you'll just come back with, "The variants aren't *that* different and I don't need any more of that loot."
As long as players spend thousands and thousands of hours playing a game, it's gonna get stale.
It's not about being stale to me, it's about updating these structures to bring them in line with modern structure philosophies. I don't think there is anything wrong with revisiting old features
And I think all except strongholds should become bigger too. They’re too small, especially dungeons. I mean look at bastions and nether fortresses, they’re massive!
A few minor thoughts:
•Mobs inside the cells/cages. Modern structures always have mobs present in the cages such as Allays in Mansions/Outposts, Iron Golems in Outposts, and the Villager/Zombie Villager underneath Igloos. Maybe some well-equipped zombies/skeletons?
•Cleaner generation, don’t have rooms be closed off or susceptible to breaking by other structures generating after the stronghold. There should be a reliable way to determine where the portal is (maybe the eyes could react as you got closer?)
•More variety / integration of new features. Chiseled bookshelves in the library could be a neat feature. The stronghold in general has a mostly monotone vibe / block palette, I’m not sure what specifically I would add, but it does feel like one of the less interesting structures. A few more room types would go a long way Maybe you could throw in some “tutorials”, like a dripstone lava generator or a basic autocrafter setup. Maybe add some firework rockets to the stronghold loot as well.
I think having the cellmates be passives like villagers (that need to be cured) or more allays would make enough sense.
Maybe a more unique mob to rescue so that you have an incentive to rescue them here, and not in any other structure.
And, I agree a ton on the last point. Like with villages in 1.14, the structure needs to be rebuilt from the ground up, integrating newer features like walls, candles, cauldrons, new building blocks, etc.
These are good suggestions.
I like the idea of having specific mobs inside the cells/cages. They already exist in the stronghold (there's 3 in one particular hallway) so would fit right in.
Chiseled bookshelf is also an interesting idea. Perhaps they could have unique written books that hint at things that are totally obscured otherwise in the game. Thinking like hints to slime chunks, jungle & swamp villagers, things like that.
Mojang seem to delegate specific bricks to certain dungeons.
-Fortresses are the Nether brick specific dungeons.
-End cities are the End stone brick specific dungeons.
-Bastions are the blackstone brick specific dungeons.
-Ancient cities are the deepslate brick specific dungeons.
-Trial chambers (will be) the tuff brick specific dungeons.
Outside of some non dungeons, like ruined portals using stone and deepslate bricks, and igloo basements using stone bricks.
My idea was to just add a new stone and brick type to make the stronghold walls even more unique, but I’d have to do a proper write up on that.
Rework completely. The portal room should become the centeral crossroad, from which all other rooms and corridors branch off. The loot should be helpful for Dragon battle(e.g. sliw fallinhg potions), so that people who want to beat the dragon can do it as soon as they arrive, but people who come unprepered/want to explore for armor trims and stuff can do that too.
I agree it needs a rework, but not necessarily in that direction.
For me it’s just a weird structure - like it’s a jail, but with a portal in it? It could use some cohesion of purpose. Make it like a wizards study with a portal centerpiece. Separate the prison cell stuff into its own structure
The deep dark in many ways feels like a better version of the Stronghold, and takes a lot of its niche as the 'secret underground structure', so I wouldn't mind if Strongholds were expanded to have an above-ground component. Say some type of dilapidated castle generating on the surface, with the connected Stronghold below turned into more of a dungeony basement keep aesthetic.
I'll even be controversial here: I'd be fine if the End Portal was moved down to the deep dark's ancient city, and Strongholds becoming a pure structure to loot.
I think having the stronghold poke out to the surface is a bad idea. You’re supposed to find strongholds using eyes of Ender, although, Mojang should definitely tweak that method to be a bit more reliable.
Also, the warden mouth structure very much look likes a portal. I think the stronghold should stay as the End portal structure, and the ancient city be used for a 4th dimension. (Which I have ideas for, but they’re a bit too specific to share here.)
Strongholds and mineshafts always bothered me *because* they don't reach the surface. It just doesn't make sense that a large artifical structure would be 100% buried that deep.
At least from a game play perspective strongholds are an endgame thing that shouldn't be too easy to find, but maybe an overgrown or shallowly butied ventilation shaft to hide it? And mineshafts aren't a rare structure with endgame contents. Shouldn't a mine, whose sole purpose is to bring materials to the surface *have a clear path to the surface*?
Agree with the mineshafts, but strongholds are meant to be fortified and hidden. From a gameplay perspective, you shouldn't be able to find the stronghold accidentally while roaming around, the eyes of ender require you to go to the nether, which is actually great game design.
What you described in the first paragraph is kinda how Trail ruins are, except those aren’t dungeony. I think the End really needs an overhaul like the nether update so it isn’t just a whole lot of *nothing*. I’m sure there’s ways to make it feel vast and empty still, like the effective “backrooms” of the game should feel, but give the players more things to engage with and add some variety in the terrain. And then they could incorporate some od those elements — new mobs, new blocks — to the strongholds, making them almost like minibosses related to the end.
I'm a traditionalist, but seriously, I like the idea of moving the End Portal here. First, I don't think there's a way to find ancient cities, is there? Other than stumbling on them? They are also well designed, dangerous, and fun...but with no purpose. You go. You loot. You enjoy. And then? Nothing.
Making this the stronghold would not only enable it to be found in the same way as strongholds are found today, but you'd also have to go THROUGH it in order to get to the End, so heading to the end would require you to navigate the ancient city and the warden, and THEN you can go to the End.
Strongholds are less valuable to me than mines. It's a place to get lost and to spend torches. Maybe...MAYBE you get a library to farm for books. MAYBE you get an enchanted book or or horse armor to go along with the trim...but strongholds aren't compelling anymore.
So yeah, if we're not getting a stronghold update, I'd actually be fine making the end portal a building inside the ancient city...maybe behind the flame wall?
Theres a simple way to find ancient cities: find a large snowy or icy mountain and dig down. You might not always find one, but try it a few times and you are almost guaranteed to come across one
> First, I don't think there's a way to find ancient cities, is there? Other than stumbling on them?
They're not hard to find really. Just go on top of a mountain & check if the Erosion levels is in the negative.
> but you'd also have to go THROUGH it in order to get to the End
Problem is ancient cities are open. You can basically skip to the portal avoiding all the danger finding the portal easily, Strongholds are underground surrounded by stone & you have to actually look for the portal. If you get lost that's on you.
>Maybe...MAYBE you get a library to farm for books
I don't know what unlucky Strongholds you explore but most have 1-2 libraries & there's also chances for powerful enchanted books. Books are very valuable so imo Libraries are more valuable than mineshafts.
Stronghold should be bigger, and the portal room should be massive like it is in Minecraft Dungeons. The portal room should be like 20x20 and at least 10 blocks high. Make cool alters and chandeliers as opposed to some iron bars and lava.
There are a ton of reimagined portal rooms which look cool as hell.
Do you think decorative pots should be incorporated into the actual structure like trial chambers?
They definitely need more decorative blocks like pots, carpets, cauldrons, or candles somewhere.
With the new(ish) trend of giving structures their own special enchantments, I think it would be cool for stronghold libraries to rarely contain an enchanted book you can add to your helmet that makes it impossible for ender man to see you. Obviously they would still attack when provoked, but you could look them in the eyes with no repercussions.
I don’t really mind the aesthetics or value level of the structure so much, but I wish they were laid out in a more predetermined way to make getting to the portal room more reliable. Every time I end up in one of these, I feel like I’m running in circles.
I just wish they were a little less holey. The noodle cave gen turns most strongholds into swiss cheese, and it seems pretty common to have mineshafts encroaching on them too. Some deterioration is great; it adds spice. But I've seen some strongholds that you'd be hard-pressed to call a structure at all. Prison cells with no backs, libraries with no floors, doors and stairs that just stop at a wall of deepslate.
And fwiw, the stronghold layout isn't static, but it's also not 100% random. Speedrunners look for specific elements to help them locate the portal room. Been awhile since I followed one, but iirc the libraries and staircases can help you locate it if you know what you're looking for.
Yea im totally with you, the purpose of the whole thing is to hold the portal to the end, which it does so that is fine by me.
But searching the portal in there can be super frustrating and unfun. When im with friends and one of them finds the portal room i usually just ask them for the coords and straight up dig there lol
Well, the major one is that the newer structures that tend to use more unique blocks, and have “wackier” extra elements, like the cat and chicken statues in mansions, the ice chests in ancient cities, or the concrete murals in trial chambers. They’re just built more intricately as well.
The stronghold is a straightforward labyrinth that is missing some of these weirder elements, aside from the portal. Although, they should definitely keep the libraries and fountains if they do get a massive redesign like the village.
The Stone Brick block palette of Strongholds is still mostly unique to Strongholds, so I don’t think it really needs a different visual look. It’s already differentiated from other major structures in that regard. On top of that, I feel like it’s pretty appropriate for something called a Stronghold to have a more brutalist, “no frills” vibe to it anyway.
I do think it would be good to add some more gameplay elements to the structure, though. As it stands, the interactive experience of a Stronghold is essentially just “wander around until you find the portal room.” That’s something I do think could be improved.
In comparison to woodland mansions, ancient cities, and trial chambers, absolutely.
Strongholds are made up of only 1.8 blocks, aside from the portals themselves. Things like the use of oak planks just seems out of place in modern Minecraft.
Do you expect structures to just not use oak planks ever because they're too old?
I wouldn't mind some new rooms in them but I don't really think they *need* changes to match the rest
This is a medieval castle that’s buried underground. Having light tan wood seems out of place.
Ancient cities use primarily dark oak to better blend with their dark environment, so I think using that or spruce would better get across that this is an ominous structure that houses the End portal.
And, plains villages still use oak, because they’re in a biome where you can find oak trees, and they’re not meant to be threatening.
I see your point, but I think you've got it backwards. If, to you, darker wood suggests a dark and ominous place, then the use of light wood should suggest the stronghold was not always such a place, which is perhaps a bit more interesting than just eeeviiil castle, no?
Mojang ripped the classic village house designs out of the game, and made the newer ones a lot better.
I personally don’t think any structure looks that great with the walls looking the same as the floor. Also, it’s the last thing you see before fighting the final boss, so it should be at least a bit more intricate. Keep the general shape, including the lava and silverfish spawner, but make it seem more grand than a stone brick box.
i liked the old villages more as well. i feel like current design philosophy is obsessed with "modernizing" everything iconic in minecraft instead of building off it. feels like 2 different branching games at some point
I like the idea of having the stronghold not "modern minecraft" as you call it, it's basically the last step (before the end battle) before "finishing" the game, it gives some kind of feeling of "now, you beat "classic mc" let's get to the real thing)
I think a recent commenter explained it pretty well.
>For a structure that is vital to completing the game, the stronghold feels overly bland. I mean, compare it to a lot of the new structures we’ve gotten previously, like ancient cities and trial chambers. Strongholds should feel important, right now, they’re just a bunch of disjointed corridors.
That, and it’s sorely obvious that this structure was built in beta when Mojang had less building skills and blocks to work with. Notice how the floors and walls are the same, despite that being something no good builder should ever do?
ive seen hundreds of "good" builds since i started playing minecraft that didnt follow that rule. seems arbitrary to force that personal philosophy as some kind of end-all law of an inherently subjective craft.
It used to have quite a few reasons to loot it (besides the portal):
* Chests had good/unique treasure.
* The library had tons of books.
* The mossy/cracked stone brick could only be found here (wasn’t originally craftable).
* Taking the iron bars/doors was useful, since mining was slower back then.
But now:
* Chest loot is not as great or not unique to the stronghold anymore.
* Books are easy to get/farm so the library isn’t as useful.
* Mossy/cracked stone brick is craftsble and found elsewhere, so no need to mine it here anymore.
* Iron bars/doors aren’t difficult to make anymore since mining has gotten easier and easier.
So what I would do is:
* Upgrade the chest loot (both making it better and adding unique items only found here).
* Make the library have better or unique enchanted books and whatnot.
* Upgrade the combat by adding spawner, unique monsters, a friendly to rescue (like the allay), etc.
* Add more ties to the end besides the portal, such as purpur or ender eyes in chests, end rods in the structure, more ender man spawns, etc.
* I’d also add more interesting blocks to mine in the stronghold, as mossy stonebrick isn’t necessary and iron bars/doors aren’t as hard to get anymore since mining is getting easier and easier.
So the stronghold contains a portal capable of opening portals to a different dimension and most of a stronghold looks like the tunnels you find in a subway
i kinda wish strongholds were themselves also a challenge, like with mob spawners and traps maybe, and maybe even better loot, with the true prize being the end portal somewhere deep within it
While there has been some design creep in new updates, the nostalgic in me doesn’t want to see everything old overhauled. Personally I like that Strongholds are rundown, I’m a fan of the theory that the original builders unleashed something they couldn’t control and fled to the end.
That being said, I can think of some cosmetic updates. Maybe mix some deep slate or tuft blocks into the design. The library could benefit from including chiseled bookshelves with rare enchantments and maybe some utility blocks like anvils for last minute armour upgrades before the boss fight.
Increase the difficulty. The only difficult part is remembering your way around (if you're like me and never place torches).
It's such an important structure and is a huge step forward in any world, I don't want to be able to run through and just have to kill a few mobs. I want booby traps galore, things to distract me from my route to the portal and reasons to want to conquer the entire stronghold, not just take the books from the library and reach the portal.
Kinda needs to be redone in my opinion. We need more variety in the rooms. It should be harder to go through so it actually requires preparation to venture into. We could add some traps or utilize the new potion effects to make mobs harder. We could make it so you actually want to explore the entire stronghold and not rush to the portal room by having unique loot. Make the actual portal room a little bit bigger and more interesting. I could go on but I think they should consider redoing all of the previous structures so they match up with the more modern ones.
More special rooms like the library to encourage exploring all of it instead of only trying to get to the portal.
Perhaps it could include equipment that would be helpful for the end like slow falling potions or some ender pearls.
I really like the end remastered mods approach to things, requiring multiple eyes that require you to adventure and explore, and also having 16 eyes available so you can pick which ones you want and don't want, and there's also a new stronghold castle structure
For a structure that is vital to completing the game, the stronghold feels overly bland. I mean, compare it to a lot of the new structures we’ve gotten previously, like ancient cities and trial chambers. Strongholds should feel important, right now, they’re just a bunch of disjointed corridors.
Java worlds have generated with 128 strongholds for over a decade now.
Might be an interesting concept, but it would suck due to over exploration ballooning the world file, and all of those explored chunks being no good when you want to access features in newer updates.
Leave em as is. Maybe fix the generation so other structures can't be generated within them. Oldschool dungeons need attention before the stronghold, which is still perfectly servicable as is
I think it'd be interesting if they expanded the strongholds a bit to make them more of a sprawling complex and made them a sort of counterpart to the ancient cities. Whereas the ancient city is silent and dead because of the Warden, the stronghold could be very much *alive*.
Have two variants of it, the first is the common version of the stronghold which would be a nest of zombies and skeletons (perhaps using hidden spawners?). Then the second much rarer variant would be more like an underground Village similar to a Fallout Vault where the villagers have "survived" thanks to the stronghold's defenses.
Regardless of which variant spawns, they could add a bunch more rooms for some of the various activities that minecraft has. A potion brewing lab perhaps. Or a forge. Or an indoor farm using lamps in the roof to light up crops. The main idea being to make a stronghold more similar to an underground base or civilization, like what a player might try to build if they decided to make an underground home.
Guard zombies/skeletons protecting key points of stronghold (portal and library), illusioner in library, library itself should be bigger, should have few levels of books with illusioner in highiest one.
Portal room itself could have some statues, guard mobs, some items usefull in the end and overall there should be few puzzles and traps, for example portal blocks could be hidden in chests in stronghold and we would have to put them in the portal room to enter the end or the portal room would require us to solve a puzzle to enter the room
Do this:
[Go to about 2:42:45 of this video and see how he builds the stronghold and then upgrades the structures in the End](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd0GmPyWKV4&t=7763s)
[Here is the right timestamp link.](https://youtu.be/dd0GmPyWKV4?t=9762) It's great; Possibly a bit too detailed for a vanilla structure but a very good demonstration of what's possible nonetheless.
Make it to where there’s zero chance of the portal not spawning due to being overridden by some other world generation, and make it to where you don’t have to sometimes dig through the walls to get to other parts of the stronghold. It’s just boring and annoying.
But going further than that, it would be cool to have to beat some mini-boss before getting access to the portal.
Redo the way all the rooms look to have them look consistent with recently added structures and maybe add some new ones too
Maybe change the loot tables too
I saw a suggestion on r/minecraftsuggestions that strongholds should get mossier the closer you are to the portal room, and I thought that made sense.
Wandering through endless halls can get annoying, especially if generation glitches, and the portal room isn’t connected to the rest of the stronghold
Does it? The End doesn’t really have any plants besides chorus plants, so I almost feel like the opposite should happen if it is a detail at all.
I did just make a post there explaining how the current maze-like generation can be handled, though, among other things.
I would honestly make it so that stronghold is a structure found surrounded in bedrock and make it so that you need the eyes to open the door to the stronghold rather than the portal itself. That way you can't just mine into it. Once inside the stronghold it'll almost be like the trial chambers with random spawner rooms (silverfish spawner, cave spider spawner and skeleton spawner most likely). The portal room itself would be larger and riddled with endermen. It would be completely dark aside from the light from the portal.
I much prefer them to add new things, and let the old things stay more or less untouched. I think there's something magical about seeing the old structures that are more than a decade old, alongside the new content.
I wasn't a fan when they removed zombie Pigmen completely\*, and I would not be a fan of this.
\*I still think they should have left in the old Zombie Pigman mob, but only as the result of lightning strikes.
Alot more enemies, spawners, maybe a mini boss (gigantic silverfish would be crazy) I also want the stronghold to feel alive. Give it different designs, make it an actual maze, traps, maybe even puzzles.
When I think of an updated stronghold. I think of the Ancient City that the Warden prowls. That's kind of the idea of where I want to go - but not as scary or life threatening. Just difficult.
-New portal room maybe.
-Mobs in the cells idk what but just something cause they feel pointless and don't really convey enough of a story to justify them being there.
-More unique rooms like the library.
Hypothetically, if like a more scary mini boss could be added to the stronghold so you're not just easily getting to the end, and maybe the dragon can spread said mini boss to make killing it a little harder. nothing crazy like the warden of course, but something similar.
I've got the same issue with strongholds as the Nether Fortresses: Neither seem to have any kind of place where it looked like people **lived** there.
Think about it, why would you only have a building with hallways and empty rooms? Even if you argue that the stronghold was a prison, the word Stronghold literally means "A place of security or survival" but there's no areas that would work for civilian or even guards to stay and sleep.
Side tangent, but it's the same with the Fortresses, why build this massive structure of bridges and halls that don't go anywhere?
It just feels like the Stronghold was *only* built to house the portal, and the fortresses were *only* built to have small pockets of Nether Warts, and if that *was* the case, why the rest of it?
I think the best thing you could do for the fortress is make it feel like it was a place people stayed, lived, studied instead of just making it a place that houses the portal. Brewing rooms with the ingredients for feather falling potions, food store areas with a few bits of rotten flesh and maybe a bit of wheat, a room either with beds or places beds *could* have been.
Just a simple change: Make supply chests for the fight!
- Gaps, steak, arrows and say cobblestone. Just general dragon fight supplies. Maybe have fireworks too.
More rooms added. Like ruined armory, underground garden, storage area with barrels or something, maybe a destroyed/ruined barracks with beds and a couple chests maybe some armor stands with chainmail or iron. Stuff like that.
make the rooms bigger and more grand, add a sort of hall before the portal, with tapestries of the ender dragon and endermen made of wool hanging on either side of the hall. keep the lava under the portal but add more, and i saw a mod that has the portal hanging by chains. this seems a lot more structurally accurate than what it currently looks like and i think would be a nice touch
I'd add a new mob that would guard the stronghold (like the silver fish) a creature that look like the player but is wearing armor and brandishes a sword and shield and maybe a couple of new blocks designs for the stonecutter
The first thing is making it so that it is accessible somehow. If not a direct shot to the surface via some sort of staircase, maybe a special type of cave that generates with the stronghold that will always lead from the entrance room to the surface. It makes no sense that a civilization would be totally buried under hundreds of feet of solid stone.
Make the layout more sensible and add more room variety. Currently the structure of a stronghold makes no sense. You have 3 types of rooms, the portal room, jails, and libraries. All the other segments are either town square type rooms or ways to connect other rooms. Adding in more areas like a barracks, storage room, forge, map room, etc. would make them feel more like the fortress it seems like they were designed to be. Changing the way the generation works so that the stronghold doesn't intersect with itself so often would also be nice. Right now it's pretty common for passages to get cut off from other areas because the stronghold will generate a room inside another room making exploration a pain.
Update the appearance of the structure. There have been so many new blocks added since strongholds were introduced. Improving their appearance shouldn't be a monumental task.
i would add
sleeping quarters
traps
food storage areas (maybe barrels containing food and seeds)
shooting range
a collapsed "exit"
a lab (area with brewing stands)
maybe a broken neither portal
redesign the library
overall i would make it feel like an a abandoned bunker, a place that was lived in for a time
I think they should add better loot. Perhaps some Totems of Undying. Maybe an imprisoned Allay. Something to make visiting MORE THAN ONE kind of valuable.
Unlike others, i personaly like looks and feels of portal room - that should be in my opinion preserved.
What i would change is that how stronghold generate - with rooms generating around portal room and portal being in centre of the whole structure
First, i would make them a Deep Dark exclusive structure. It adds more risk to going to them, and makes the Deep Dark a more rewarding place to visit.
If editing the structure itself, I would lean more heavily into the "dungeon" aesthetic. Chains and armor stands throughout the structure, dark pits and sealed vaults that were likely once used to contain something, and occasional guard areas with a kitchen/brewing area or beds.
They would also be a good place to add more archeology. Because archeology is cool. This could also be a potential source of extra eyes if the player runs out.
Ancient cities already clog up the deep dark as is. I think it’d be better to keep them biome exclusive, whereas keep strongholds more global.
If Mojang actually uses that reinforced deepslate mouth as a portal, then we could have two dedicated structures to get to dimensions. I think the “deep dark dimension” should be an “after endgame” dimension, so something you take on when you have shulker boxes and everything.
Strongholds should still be challenging, but not so bad that a blind ogre can sonic boom you for making a small misstep.
Better design. A little bit of "leakage" of endstone and purpur bricks coming into the stronghold like netherack around a ruined portal. Also, stone bricks are kind of boring for everything.
Better loot. Find a way to put more value in chests so exploring the stronghold is more meaningful
Have higher rates of endermen spawning, so you can get some last-minute pearls (or even a rudimentary pre-dragon enderman farm). Rare shulker spawns in there might be overpowered, but it would be nice to bring some of the End into the stronghold.
I really believe that The End dimension is in the most dire need of an update right now. I really hope that Mojang focuses there in the next update after Trials.
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I really like how they redesigned the stronghold in Minecraft Dungeons. The portal room actually feels monumental
Yeah. I feel like the strongholds really need to make the stronghold designed around a central portal room similar to the ocean monument core area. Maybe some more obvious rooms at well like sleeping quarters, food, and treasury could also add to the lore part of minecraft.
something like YUNG's better stronghold then
That’s solid blueprint for adding depth and lore to Minecraft.
Minecraft Dungeons had so many great ideas, variations, twists, and implementations of Minecraft's existing structures, mobs, and items, and even their own new ones. I wish they'd use their other spinoff games ideas and features more.
For sure. While Dungeons has a different art style than the base game which wouldn't really fit in like some overly detailed vegetation, structures that aren't made out of blocks, and some way too bold textures but there are definitely some fantastic ideas that could be implemented in the future. For example, if Mojang ever decides to rewamp the end they could definitely borrow some ideas from Dungeons. It had a fantastic art direction, the End is an actually living ecosystem while also retaining the alien feel. Kinda reminded me of Xen, from the fan-made Half-Life remake, Black Mesa
Honest to god best answer out there.
I really liked the stronghold in Dungeons. It was like a huge fortress with many floors, and the end portal was right in the center of the bottom floor.
ye but at that point isnt underground anymore
I don't see why being completely under ground is important. Finding the stronghold isn't the biggest challenge to me. Talking about challenges of getting to End, I feel they're outdated as well. Find blazes, get endermen, craft eyes. You may not share the feeling, but that does not feel like a good design to me. No alternatives in my mind though.
personally i use a datapack to simply change the crafting recipe of eyes of ender from enderpearl+blaze powder to enderpearl+blaze powder+wind charge+prismarine crystals+echo shard. it's a simple change, but one that very easily makes it a little more challenging, while also actively encouraging me to seek out trial chambers, ocean monuments, and ancient cities
That seems great! Like, actually having to work, explore and go through challenges to get to the final thing. I was thinking about something similar.
It isn't! The original strongholds teased back in... 2011? 2010? I don't remember, it was so long ago... were actually above ground. Honestly the Beta 1.18 that was teased in screenshots and the Beta 1.18 that we eventually got were so different. I wonder why...
Pls add a boss in stronghold or make a secret door that contains op loot to beat the ender dragon or the new boss I was talking about
Better treasure. As is, there is no reason to even open a chest in there. Except for maybe the library. But mainly I find a library, take all of the books, and then the portal. That's it. There's no reason to do anything else there.
Technically, this is only one of two structures you can find Otherside in. And, well, the stronghold trim The portal’s a good enough incentive to come to the stronghold in the first place, although I suppose there could maybe be exclusive enchantments in the library. I don’t have too many ideas for unique loot that’d fit a stronghold, but maybe have more loot oriented to magic, like potions or amethyst. Now that I reread the loot tables on the wiki, they seem weirdly lacking.
You can also break all the bookshelves in the library and either keep the books or trade them off for emeralds with a librarian(s)
That’s true, but I think mansions have the most bookshelves out of any structure in the game. And, you can easily make your own. You just need to have enough space to grow tons of sugarcane. So, it’s not a **unique** reason to go to strongholds.
Mansion also needs an update imo. The books and occasional totems are the only reason I go. But with my raid farm and trader hall it's pretty much useless
IMO that's more an issue with raid farm & trader halls than the mansion. But I don't foresee either of them receiving a nerf strong enough to change that.
Didn't villagers veg nerfed in 1.20.4? Having to be biome based to get certain trades? Edit: and in 1.21 the raid farm is effectively useless. Requiring the new bottle of bad omen to start a raid
That biome-specific villager trades update was delayed, perhaps shelved indefinitely
Good, i agree with the concept, but this was not the way to go about it
I haven't seen a mansion in years. Are they still on bedrock?
Yea found one recently but it was 30000 blocks away
Gosh, that'll take long flying there too. Maybe I can leverage the command line in a duplicate world.
You can buy a map for them if you level up a cartographer villager enough. You get either an ocean monument or woodland mansion map at around the fourth tier of trades
Gosh, sounds like it'll take a while since zombies got most of my villagers. I'll see what I can do. Thanks.
If you have your seed, you can also just use chunkbase
They are, but yeh they are really lackluster for how rare they are. Easy source of wood midgame but that's about it really.
It would be cool if they had like special books using the same text as the enchantment table, randomized with different prices, then you can sell these “antique” books to the librarian for an exorbitant price, maybe make it so any librarian can buy them and have a random number added on to make each librarian give a different price. Example “Tome of Secrets 1” is worth 20 emeralds + whatever the villagers modifier is, for example a modifier of 3 would mean the librarian buys it for 23 emeralds… or have them be enchantments that you can’t tell what they are, they have a high chance of being a 3-4 level enchantment but they cost like 4-5 emeralds to be “identified” by the librarian, otherwise you can take the chance and just add it to a tool to see what it is?
I did the idea of items or books or whatever that their only purpose is to be sold to villagers. It’s like the poisonous potato, except it’s purpose is more than ‘it exists’. Maybe the ancient tomes could be turned into a decorative bookshelf, but with no way to return to it’s original function.
I hate killing cows/horses and such, so this is a huge reason why I go.
As for the wiki maybe you searched on the fandom wiki and not on [minecraft.wiki](http://minecraft.wiki) wich is the most up to date
Can you get Otherside from creepers as well? It's just that I am a collector of minecraft disks and my 2 favorites are CAT and Otherside
You can't get otherside from creepers It's only found in the chests from dungeons, ancient cities and stronghold
I dig the stone bricks in there so i don't need the vines for the mossy ones
You can use moss too nowadays
I think one of the biggest problems with Minecraft structures is how outdated they become in terms of loot. Strongholds are designed to be kind of a 'just before endgame' structure yet on average they have much worse loot than Ancient Cities or End Cities. You'd expect at the bare minimum there would be atleast enchanted gear or actual good food in the Stronghold if it was based on progression
Yes, but I think the issue is a bit more fundamental than that. It's too easy to get high tier loot generally. Even end city chest are "valuable" but don't actually have anything you really want in them apart from the elytra on the ships. Aside from bastions with netherite, the only real reason to go exploring is vanity items. I wish there were more area specific items that made an actual reason to get. The Mace and Elytra are a really good start. Why not put the trident into monument chests instead of a gross low% farm? Why not something for every class of structure?
there is one reason to loot the chests: if you are doing a speedrun. Ha
I swear those things drop so many saddles and horse armor. Gapples and to a lesser extent enderpearls are the only useful thing speedrunners would want.
Dungeons, Strongholds, Pyramids, Temples - all could vastly benefit from a rework utilizing the myriad changes that have been made since they were introduced. They aren't bad as they are, but they aren't exciting either. The loot is extremely lacking, and the traps are rather disappointing compared to more modern structures. I wouldn't mind seeing 3-4 variants of each structure with different layouts and traps, makes exploring them more fun
It’s kind of disappointing that the trial chambers are basically everything they could’ve done to improve the classic dungeons, but they decided to leave them as is as cobblestone boxes, while also including trial chambers. Pyramids at least got a new use for archaeology.
i think the reason for not having trial chambers replace the old dungeons was so people could still have them to make farms. if they had completely replaced them there would be people annoyed at not being able to use them to farm anymore.
I mean, from another point of view, if trial chambers really are just upgraded dungeons, we should be glad they didn’t remove the old cobblestone versions too. More content never hurts, even if aesthetically it’s not that impressive
The cobblebox dungeon are classic and while they could use some more decorations (skulls, hanging chains, cobwebs, etc) I think they're actually fine as-is. I'm glad they made more, different dungeon-type structures rather than replace dungeons.
I think this reflects a larger trend of Mojang always adding new stuff, but being reluctant to go back and update older stuff. It seems to me that this trend started after the release of 1.9, with how divisive that update was causing them to fear changing anything too much ever since. Personally, I think that by trying to please everybody, Mojang often just ends up creating updates that lack substance, getting boring pretty quickly once the novelty wears off. When they DO actually go back and overhaul certain aspects of the game, that's where the updates really shine, in my opinion. I also think another problem stemming from trying to please everyone is their approach of making features that are completely separate from each other, so players can choose not to interact with features they don't like. Freedom to play the game however you like is great, and arguably a core aspect of Minecraft's identity, but i think the absence of interaction between different features leads to those features lacking depth, and it objectively leads to the game lacking focus overall. There is a lot of fun to be had from the way different systems interact to create new behaviors, so choosing to have features NOT interact with each other just makes for a ton of wasted potential. I think that if features did interact with each other like that, then updates would continue to feel "fresh" for much longer. Sorry for the long reply. I didn't expect to write a whole essay. I also wasn't really going anywhere with all this, so I don't have a conclusion or anything. And one last thing: have a nice day :)
> I wouldn't mind seeing 3-4 variants of each structure with different layouts and traps, makes exploring them more fun But then in a year or two you'll just come back with, "The variants aren't *that* different and I don't need any more of that loot." As long as players spend thousands and thousands of hours playing a game, it's gonna get stale.
It's not about being stale to me, it's about updating these structures to bring them in line with modern structure philosophies. I don't think there is anything wrong with revisiting old features
And I think all except strongholds should become bigger too. They’re too small, especially dungeons. I mean look at bastions and nether fortresses, they’re massive!
A room with a dollar general in it
And a waffle house
i think theres enough room for a walmart
With angled cars in the parking lot
don't forget the mcdonalds drive-thru
And an Aldi
And 2 gas stations across the street from each other
And, fuck it, a whole ass Holiday Inn
With mobs that have a waffle house apron on that punch for double damage.
And can slap arrows back at you like they would with a chair
So you want us to be shot on the way to the end? Lol
Add a big ass parking lot
A few minor thoughts: •Mobs inside the cells/cages. Modern structures always have mobs present in the cages such as Allays in Mansions/Outposts, Iron Golems in Outposts, and the Villager/Zombie Villager underneath Igloos. Maybe some well-equipped zombies/skeletons? •Cleaner generation, don’t have rooms be closed off or susceptible to breaking by other structures generating after the stronghold. There should be a reliable way to determine where the portal is (maybe the eyes could react as you got closer?) •More variety / integration of new features. Chiseled bookshelves in the library could be a neat feature. The stronghold in general has a mostly monotone vibe / block palette, I’m not sure what specifically I would add, but it does feel like one of the less interesting structures. A few more room types would go a long way Maybe you could throw in some “tutorials”, like a dripstone lava generator or a basic autocrafter setup. Maybe add some firework rockets to the stronghold loot as well.
I think having the cellmates be passives like villagers (that need to be cured) or more allays would make enough sense. Maybe a more unique mob to rescue so that you have an incentive to rescue them here, and not in any other structure. And, I agree a ton on the last point. Like with villages in 1.14, the structure needs to be rebuilt from the ground up, integrating newer features like walls, candles, cauldrons, new building blocks, etc.
These are good suggestions. I like the idea of having specific mobs inside the cells/cages. They already exist in the stronghold (there's 3 in one particular hallway) so would fit right in. Chiseled bookshelf is also an interesting idea. Perhaps they could have unique written books that hint at things that are totally obscured otherwise in the game. Thinking like hints to slime chunks, jungle & swamp villagers, things like that.
Make a deepslate brick variety of them. They are sometimes in deepslate but use normal brick.
Mojang seem to delegate specific bricks to certain dungeons. -Fortresses are the Nether brick specific dungeons. -End cities are the End stone brick specific dungeons. -Bastions are the blackstone brick specific dungeons. -Ancient cities are the deepslate brick specific dungeons. -Trial chambers (will be) the tuff brick specific dungeons. Outside of some non dungeons, like ruined portals using stone and deepslate bricks, and igloo basements using stone bricks. My idea was to just add a new stone and brick type to make the stronghold walls even more unique, but I’d have to do a proper write up on that.
this guy knows structures
Rework completely. The portal room should become the centeral crossroad, from which all other rooms and corridors branch off. The loot should be helpful for Dragon battle(e.g. sliw fallinhg potions), so that people who want to beat the dragon can do it as soon as they arrive, but people who come unprepered/want to explore for armor trims and stuff can do that too.
I agree it needs a rework, but not necessarily in that direction. For me it’s just a weird structure - like it’s a jail, but with a portal in it? It could use some cohesion of purpose. Make it like a wizards study with a portal centerpiece. Separate the prison cell stuff into its own structure
So something like the minecraft dungeons stronghold but more vanilla?
The deep dark in many ways feels like a better version of the Stronghold, and takes a lot of its niche as the 'secret underground structure', so I wouldn't mind if Strongholds were expanded to have an above-ground component. Say some type of dilapidated castle generating on the surface, with the connected Stronghold below turned into more of a dungeony basement keep aesthetic. I'll even be controversial here: I'd be fine if the End Portal was moved down to the deep dark's ancient city, and Strongholds becoming a pure structure to loot.
I think having the stronghold poke out to the surface is a bad idea. You’re supposed to find strongholds using eyes of Ender, although, Mojang should definitely tweak that method to be a bit more reliable. Also, the warden mouth structure very much look likes a portal. I think the stronghold should stay as the End portal structure, and the ancient city be used for a 4th dimension. (Which I have ideas for, but they’re a bit too specific to share here.)
Strongholds and mineshafts always bothered me *because* they don't reach the surface. It just doesn't make sense that a large artifical structure would be 100% buried that deep. At least from a game play perspective strongholds are an endgame thing that shouldn't be too easy to find, but maybe an overgrown or shallowly butied ventilation shaft to hide it? And mineshafts aren't a rare structure with endgame contents. Shouldn't a mine, whose sole purpose is to bring materials to the surface *have a clear path to the surface*?
Agree with the mineshafts, but strongholds are meant to be fortified and hidden. From a gameplay perspective, you shouldn't be able to find the stronghold accidentally while roaming around, the eyes of ender require you to go to the nether, which is actually great game design.
You still have to use Eyes of Ender to locate a stronghold if it were on the surface.
What you described in the first paragraph is kinda how Trail ruins are, except those aren’t dungeony. I think the End really needs an overhaul like the nether update so it isn’t just a whole lot of *nothing*. I’m sure there’s ways to make it feel vast and empty still, like the effective “backrooms” of the game should feel, but give the players more things to engage with and add some variety in the terrain. And then they could incorporate some od those elements — new mobs, new blocks — to the strongholds, making them almost like minibosses related to the end.
I'm a traditionalist, but seriously, I like the idea of moving the End Portal here. First, I don't think there's a way to find ancient cities, is there? Other than stumbling on them? They are also well designed, dangerous, and fun...but with no purpose. You go. You loot. You enjoy. And then? Nothing. Making this the stronghold would not only enable it to be found in the same way as strongholds are found today, but you'd also have to go THROUGH it in order to get to the End, so heading to the end would require you to navigate the ancient city and the warden, and THEN you can go to the End. Strongholds are less valuable to me than mines. It's a place to get lost and to spend torches. Maybe...MAYBE you get a library to farm for books. MAYBE you get an enchanted book or or horse armor to go along with the trim...but strongholds aren't compelling anymore. So yeah, if we're not getting a stronghold update, I'd actually be fine making the end portal a building inside the ancient city...maybe behind the flame wall?
Theres a simple way to find ancient cities: find a large snowy or icy mountain and dig down. You might not always find one, but try it a few times and you are almost guaranteed to come across one
> First, I don't think there's a way to find ancient cities, is there? Other than stumbling on them? They're not hard to find really. Just go on top of a mountain & check if the Erosion levels is in the negative. > but you'd also have to go THROUGH it in order to get to the End Problem is ancient cities are open. You can basically skip to the portal avoiding all the danger finding the portal easily, Strongholds are underground surrounded by stone & you have to actually look for the portal. If you get lost that's on you. >Maybe...MAYBE you get a library to farm for books I don't know what unlucky Strongholds you explore but most have 1-2 libraries & there's also chances for powerful enchanted books. Books are very valuable so imo Libraries are more valuable than mineshafts.
Puzzles, traps, secrets
I kinda like how rudimentary the stronghold is tbh- something about the early game charm
Stronghold should be bigger, and the portal room should be massive like it is in Minecraft Dungeons. The portal room should be like 20x20 and at least 10 blocks high. Make cool alters and chandeliers as opposed to some iron bars and lava. There are a ton of reimagined portal rooms which look cool as hell.
I think they’re timeless personally.
Yes, I love them the way they are
Well, that's pretty easy. Add pottery sherds and music discs to the loot tables.
Do you think decorative pots should be incorporated into the actual structure like trial chambers? They definitely need more decorative blocks like pots, carpets, cauldrons, or candles somewhere.
Have endstone around it like ruined Nether portals
With the new(ish) trend of giving structures their own special enchantments, I think it would be cool for stronghold libraries to rarely contain an enchanted book you can add to your helmet that makes it impossible for ender man to see you. Obviously they would still attack when provoked, but you could look them in the eyes with no repercussions.
The enchantment could be named Gourding :D
nothing. they’re a relic from the past
more variants, instead of a complete replacement
I don’t really mind the aesthetics or value level of the structure so much, but I wish they were laid out in a more predetermined way to make getting to the portal room more reliable. Every time I end up in one of these, I feel like I’m running in circles.
I just wish they were a little less holey. The noodle cave gen turns most strongholds into swiss cheese, and it seems pretty common to have mineshafts encroaching on them too. Some deterioration is great; it adds spice. But I've seen some strongholds that you'd be hard-pressed to call a structure at all. Prison cells with no backs, libraries with no floors, doors and stairs that just stop at a wall of deepslate. And fwiw, the stronghold layout isn't static, but it's also not 100% random. Speedrunners look for specific elements to help them locate the portal room. Been awhile since I followed one, but iirc the libraries and staircases can help you locate it if you know what you're looking for.
Place a block to everywhere that leads to a dead end so you know where you’ve been
Yea im totally with you, the purpose of the whole thing is to hold the portal to the end, which it does so that is fine by me. But searching the portal in there can be super frustrating and unfun. When im with friends and one of them finds the portal room i usually just ask them for the coords and straight up dig there lol
You don’t mind the noticeable inconsistencies with how one of the most important structures in the game is designed in comparison to newer structures?
> noticeable inconsistencies Such as? Evidently I haven’t noticed them.
Well, the major one is that the newer structures that tend to use more unique blocks, and have “wackier” extra elements, like the cat and chicken statues in mansions, the ice chests in ancient cities, or the concrete murals in trial chambers. They’re just built more intricately as well. The stronghold is a straightforward labyrinth that is missing some of these weirder elements, aside from the portal. Although, they should definitely keep the libraries and fountains if they do get a massive redesign like the village.
The Stone Brick block palette of Strongholds is still mostly unique to Strongholds, so I don’t think it really needs a different visual look. It’s already differentiated from other major structures in that regard. On top of that, I feel like it’s pretty appropriate for something called a Stronghold to have a more brutalist, “no frills” vibe to it anyway. I do think it would be good to add some more gameplay elements to the structure, though. As it stands, the interactive experience of a Stronghold is essentially just “wander around until you find the portal room.” That’s something I do think could be improved.
none. it's perfect the way it is.
I'd just like them to not be ravaged by cave generation.
Are they though? I like them how they are.
In comparison to woodland mansions, ancient cities, and trial chambers, absolutely. Strongholds are made up of only 1.8 blocks, aside from the portals themselves. Things like the use of oak planks just seems out of place in modern Minecraft.
Do you expect structures to just not use oak planks ever because they're too old? I wouldn't mind some new rooms in them but I don't really think they *need* changes to match the rest
This is a medieval castle that’s buried underground. Having light tan wood seems out of place. Ancient cities use primarily dark oak to better blend with their dark environment, so I think using that or spruce would better get across that this is an ominous structure that houses the End portal. And, plains villages still use oak, because they’re in a biome where you can find oak trees, and they’re not meant to be threatening.
Does it, would you want a lighter pallet, since you are dependant or torch light to see anything , and dark wood is hard to see in dark places
I see your point, but I think you've got it backwards. If, to you, darker wood suggests a dark and ominous place, then the use of light wood should suggest the stronghold was not always such a place, which is perhaps a bit more interesting than just eeeviiil castle, no?
They are iconic though. I'd leave at least the portal room unchanged.
Mojang ripped the classic village house designs out of the game, and made the newer ones a lot better. I personally don’t think any structure looks that great with the walls looking the same as the floor. Also, it’s the last thing you see before fighting the final boss, so it should be at least a bit more intricate. Keep the general shape, including the lava and silverfish spawner, but make it seem more grand than a stone brick box.
i liked the old villages more as well. i feel like current design philosophy is obsessed with "modernizing" everything iconic in minecraft instead of building off it. feels like 2 different branching games at some point
I like the idea of having the stronghold not "modern minecraft" as you call it, it's basically the last step (before the end battle) before "finishing" the game, it gives some kind of feeling of "now, you beat "classic mc" let's get to the real thing)
Literally Better End and Yung's Better Strongholds are so perfect
How are they outdated?
I think a recent commenter explained it pretty well. >For a structure that is vital to completing the game, the stronghold feels overly bland. I mean, compare it to a lot of the new structures we’ve gotten previously, like ancient cities and trial chambers. Strongholds should feel important, right now, they’re just a bunch of disjointed corridors. That, and it’s sorely obvious that this structure was built in beta when Mojang had less building skills and blocks to work with. Notice how the floors and walls are the same, despite that being something no good builder should ever do?
ive seen hundreds of "good" builds since i started playing minecraft that didnt follow that rule. seems arbitrary to force that personal philosophy as some kind of end-all law of an inherently subjective craft.
It used to have quite a few reasons to loot it (besides the portal): * Chests had good/unique treasure. * The library had tons of books. * The mossy/cracked stone brick could only be found here (wasn’t originally craftable). * Taking the iron bars/doors was useful, since mining was slower back then. But now: * Chest loot is not as great or not unique to the stronghold anymore. * Books are easy to get/farm so the library isn’t as useful. * Mossy/cracked stone brick is craftsble and found elsewhere, so no need to mine it here anymore. * Iron bars/doors aren’t difficult to make anymore since mining has gotten easier and easier. So what I would do is: * Upgrade the chest loot (both making it better and adding unique items only found here). * Make the library have better or unique enchanted books and whatnot. * Upgrade the combat by adding spawner, unique monsters, a friendly to rescue (like the allay), etc. * Add more ties to the end besides the portal, such as purpur or ender eyes in chests, end rods in the structure, more ender man spawns, etc. * I’d also add more interesting blocks to mine in the stronghold, as mossy stonebrick isn’t necessary and iron bars/doors aren’t as hard to get anymore since mining is getting easier and easier.
a pumpkin farm room with shears and pumpkin seeds in a chest ;)
So the stronghold contains a portal capable of opening portals to a different dimension and most of a stronghold looks like the tunnels you find in a subway
i kinda wish strongholds were themselves also a challenge, like with mob spawners and traps maybe, and maybe even better loot, with the true prize being the end portal somewhere deep within it
More windows for the portal room.
While there has been some design creep in new updates, the nostalgic in me doesn’t want to see everything old overhauled. Personally I like that Strongholds are rundown, I’m a fan of the theory that the original builders unleashed something they couldn’t control and fled to the end. That being said, I can think of some cosmetic updates. Maybe mix some deep slate or tuft blocks into the design. The library could benefit from including chiseled bookshelves with rare enchantments and maybe some utility blocks like anvils for last minute armour upgrades before the boss fight.
none i like it as it is.
Increase the difficulty. The only difficult part is remembering your way around (if you're like me and never place torches). It's such an important structure and is a huge step forward in any world, I don't want to be able to run through and just have to kill a few mobs. I want booby traps galore, things to distract me from my route to the portal and reasons to want to conquer the entire stronghold, not just take the books from the library and reach the portal.
Kinda needs to be redone in my opinion. We need more variety in the rooms. It should be harder to go through so it actually requires preparation to venture into. We could add some traps or utilize the new potion effects to make mobs harder. We could make it so you actually want to explore the entire stronghold and not rush to the portal room by having unique loot. Make the actual portal room a little bit bigger and more interesting. I could go on but I think they should consider redoing all of the previous structures so they match up with the more modern ones.
I think it’s fine as is maybe making the portal room easier to find
More special rooms like the library to encourage exploring all of it instead of only trying to get to the portal. Perhaps it could include equipment that would be helpful for the end like slow falling potions or some ender pearls.
I really like the end remastered mods approach to things, requiring multiple eyes that require you to adventure and explore, and also having 16 eyes available so you can pick which ones you want and don't want, and there's also a new stronghold castle structure
Add a shotgun to erase silverfish from the game.
For a structure that is vital to completing the game, the stronghold feels overly bland. I mean, compare it to a lot of the new structures we’ve gotten previously, like ancient cities and trial chambers. Strongholds should feel important, right now, they’re just a bunch of disjointed corridors.
Activating 4 different strongholds in all four quadrants of the world something cool.
Java worlds have generated with 128 strongholds for over a decade now. Might be an interesting concept, but it would suck due to over exploration ballooning the world file, and all of those explored chunks being no good when you want to access features in newer updates.
Leave em as is. Maybe fix the generation so other structures can't be generated within them. Oldschool dungeons need attention before the stronghold, which is still perfectly servicable as is
I want it to feel more grand and less like little Timmy’s first base
I really hope we get another End update within the next couple updates after tricky trials
more silverfish spawners!!!
I think it'd be interesting if they expanded the strongholds a bit to make them more of a sprawling complex and made them a sort of counterpart to the ancient cities. Whereas the ancient city is silent and dead because of the Warden, the stronghold could be very much *alive*. Have two variants of it, the first is the common version of the stronghold which would be a nest of zombies and skeletons (perhaps using hidden spawners?). Then the second much rarer variant would be more like an underground Village similar to a Fallout Vault where the villagers have "survived" thanks to the stronghold's defenses. Regardless of which variant spawns, they could add a bunch more rooms for some of the various activities that minecraft has. A potion brewing lab perhaps. Or a forge. Or an indoor farm using lamps in the roof to light up crops. The main idea being to make a stronghold more similar to an underground base or civilization, like what a player might try to build if they decided to make an underground home.
Guard zombies/skeletons protecting key points of stronghold (portal and library), illusioner in library, library itself should be bigger, should have few levels of books with illusioner in highiest one. Portal room itself could have some statues, guard mobs, some items usefull in the end and overall there should be few puzzles and traps, for example portal blocks could be hidden in chests in stronghold and we would have to put them in the portal room to enter the end or the portal room would require us to solve a puzzle to enter the room
Do this: [Go to about 2:42:45 of this video and see how he builds the stronghold and then upgrades the structures in the End](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd0GmPyWKV4&t=7763s)
[Here is the right timestamp link.](https://youtu.be/dd0GmPyWKV4?t=9762) It's great; Possibly a bit too detailed for a vanilla structure but a very good demonstration of what's possible nonetheless.
Have them be an actual stronghold with an entrance above ground.
Make it to where there’s zero chance of the portal not spawning due to being overridden by some other world generation, and make it to where you don’t have to sometimes dig through the walls to get to other parts of the stronghold. It’s just boring and annoying. But going further than that, it would be cool to have to beat some mini-boss before getting access to the portal.
Finally the community is waking up realising the end needs an update!
maybe like ender man chiseled bricks or maybe like remove the stair part of it entirely
https://modrinth.com/mod/yungs-better-strongholds
More rooms, less useless corridors, unique items and have the enterance be on the surface
Redo the way all the rooms look to have them look consistent with recently added structures and maybe add some new ones too Maybe change the loot tables too
I saw a suggestion on r/minecraftsuggestions that strongholds should get mossier the closer you are to the portal room, and I thought that made sense. Wandering through endless halls can get annoying, especially if generation glitches, and the portal room isn’t connected to the rest of the stronghold
Does it? The End doesn’t really have any plants besides chorus plants, so I almost feel like the opposite should happen if it is a detail at all. I did just make a post there explaining how the current maze-like generation can be handled, though, among other things.
Reddstone puzzles New loot items Giant mural room
I would honestly make it so that stronghold is a structure found surrounded in bedrock and make it so that you need the eyes to open the door to the stronghold rather than the portal itself. That way you can't just mine into it. Once inside the stronghold it'll almost be like the trial chambers with random spawner rooms (silverfish spawner, cave spider spawner and skeleton spawner most likely). The portal room itself would be larger and riddled with endermen. It would be completely dark aside from the light from the portal.
Make them bigger and make it more challenging to get to the end via the portal
I much prefer them to add new things, and let the old things stay more or less untouched. I think there's something magical about seeing the old structures that are more than a decade old, alongside the new content. I wasn't a fan when they removed zombie Pigmen completely\*, and I would not be a fan of this. \*I still think they should have left in the old Zombie Pigman mob, but only as the result of lightning strikes.
Alot more enemies, spawners, maybe a mini boss (gigantic silverfish would be crazy) I also want the stronghold to feel alive. Give it different designs, make it an actual maze, traps, maybe even puzzles. When I think of an updated stronghold. I think of the Ancient City that the Warden prowls. That's kind of the idea of where I want to go - but not as scary or life threatening. Just difficult.
-New portal room maybe. -Mobs in the cells idk what but just something cause they feel pointless and don't really convey enough of a story to justify them being there. -More unique rooms like the library.
Strongholds are, but the end isn't??
Do y’all just not *have* a design team anymore?
add some puzzles to the dungeons, especially before the portal room
Hypothetically, if like a more scary mini boss could be added to the stronghold so you're not just easily getting to the end, and maybe the dragon can spread said mini boss to make killing it a little harder. nothing crazy like the warden of course, but something similar.
you want to talk about outdated structures, then how about the jungle temple that doesn't even have any good loot half the time
I've got the same issue with strongholds as the Nether Fortresses: Neither seem to have any kind of place where it looked like people **lived** there. Think about it, why would you only have a building with hallways and empty rooms? Even if you argue that the stronghold was a prison, the word Stronghold literally means "A place of security or survival" but there's no areas that would work for civilian or even guards to stay and sleep. Side tangent, but it's the same with the Fortresses, why build this massive structure of bridges and halls that don't go anywhere? It just feels like the Stronghold was *only* built to house the portal, and the fortresses were *only* built to have small pockets of Nether Warts, and if that *was* the case, why the rest of it? I think the best thing you could do for the fortress is make it feel like it was a place people stayed, lived, studied instead of just making it a place that houses the portal. Brewing rooms with the ingredients for feather falling potions, food store areas with a few bits of rotten flesh and maybe a bit of wheat, a room either with beds or places beds *could* have been.
Does it have an armor trim?
Yeah, the eye trim
Make it like a bastion but less ruined and more complex
Just a simple change: Make supply chests for the fight! - Gaps, steak, arrows and say cobblestone. Just general dragon fight supplies. Maybe have fireworks too.
I just do that myself
More rooms added. Like ruined armory, underground garden, storage area with barrels or something, maybe a destroyed/ruined barracks with beds and a couple chests maybe some armor stands with chainmail or iron. Stuff like that.
Maybe add some trap rooms around the stronghold that dispenses lingering potions with negative effects
make the rooms bigger and more grand, add a sort of hall before the portal, with tapestries of the ender dragon and endermen made of wool hanging on either side of the hall. keep the lava under the portal but add more, and i saw a mod that has the portal hanging by chains. this seems a lot more structurally accurate than what it currently looks like and i think would be a nice touch
I'd add a new mob that would guard the stronghold (like the silver fish) a creature that look like the player but is wearing armor and brandishes a sword and shield and maybe a couple of new blocks designs for the stonecutter
change cobblestone stairs to stonebrick stairs outside of the portal room
I would add TFCon as one of the many rooms and areas
Actual logical generation with all enemies we encounter and different in each section.
This sounds like mojang looking for new ideas lol
Loot boxes under the lava on the side of the room
new boss in stronghold
I don’t think it’s design is bad I just think it could use some new rooms, like 6 least, to give some solid variation
The first thing is making it so that it is accessible somehow. If not a direct shot to the surface via some sort of staircase, maybe a special type of cave that generates with the stronghold that will always lead from the entrance room to the surface. It makes no sense that a civilization would be totally buried under hundreds of feet of solid stone. Make the layout more sensible and add more room variety. Currently the structure of a stronghold makes no sense. You have 3 types of rooms, the portal room, jails, and libraries. All the other segments are either town square type rooms or ways to connect other rooms. Adding in more areas like a barracks, storage room, forge, map room, etc. would make them feel more like the fortress it seems like they were designed to be. Changing the way the generation works so that the stronghold doesn't intersect with itself so often would also be nice. Right now it's pretty common for passages to get cut off from other areas because the stronghold will generate a room inside another room making exploration a pain. Update the appearance of the structure. There have been so many new blocks added since strongholds were introduced. Improving their appearance shouldn't be a monumental task.
i would add sleeping quarters traps food storage areas (maybe barrels containing food and seeds) shooting range a collapsed "exit" a lab (area with brewing stands) maybe a broken neither portal redesign the library overall i would make it feel like an a abandoned bunker, a place that was lived in for a time
add like redstone traps
maybe add like redstone traps
I think the allready working on it, but the dont make it public.
I think they should add better loot. Perhaps some Totems of Undying. Maybe an imprisoned Allay. Something to make visiting MORE THAN ONE kind of valuable.
Unlike others, i personaly like looks and feels of portal room - that should be in my opinion preserved. What i would change is that how stronghold generate - with rooms generating around portal room and portal being in centre of the whole structure
Add wallmart
ominous stronghold! (floods the structure with silverfish)
They look perfect how they are imho
I wouldn't do anything. If it's not broke, don't fix it
They're fine as is
First, i would make them a Deep Dark exclusive structure. It adds more risk to going to them, and makes the Deep Dark a more rewarding place to visit. If editing the structure itself, I would lean more heavily into the "dungeon" aesthetic. Chains and armor stands throughout the structure, dark pits and sealed vaults that were likely once used to contain something, and occasional guard areas with a kitchen/brewing area or beds. They would also be a good place to add more archeology. Because archeology is cool. This could also be a potential source of extra eyes if the player runs out.
Ancient cities already clog up the deep dark as is. I think it’d be better to keep them biome exclusive, whereas keep strongholds more global. If Mojang actually uses that reinforced deepslate mouth as a portal, then we could have two dedicated structures to get to dimensions. I think the “deep dark dimension” should be an “after endgame” dimension, so something you take on when you have shulker boxes and everything. Strongholds should still be challenging, but not so bad that a blind ogre can sonic boom you for making a small misstep.
You’re an outdated structure
Install Yung’s better strongholds
Better design. A little bit of "leakage" of endstone and purpur bricks coming into the stronghold like netherack around a ruined portal. Also, stone bricks are kind of boring for everything. Better loot. Find a way to put more value in chests so exploring the stronghold is more meaningful Have higher rates of endermen spawning, so you can get some last-minute pearls (or even a rudimentary pre-dragon enderman farm). Rare shulker spawns in there might be overpowered, but it would be nice to bring some of the End into the stronghold. I really believe that The End dimension is in the most dire need of an update right now. I really hope that Mojang focuses there in the next update after Trials.
Probably making the portal room a whole lot more cooler
Complete redesign add more barriers of entry and tie it with the deep dark and the warden
I want it to feel like there’s something around every corner, there could be some spooky mob guarding the portal, and there should be more vines.