Bastion Remnant Routing
MediumNether NavigationFind a bastion remnant, take its gold and barter with the piglins for ender pearls, obsidian, string and fire resistance potions. Modern Any% routes visit the bastion before the fortress, because bartering covers most of what the rest of the run needs: pearls for eyes of ender, obsidian for portals, string for beds and potions for the blaze fight.
When to Use
In nearly every Java Any% run on 1.16 and later. Those runs are mostly played on 1.16.1 for exactly this reason: pearls come up more often in its barter table than in any later version, and piglin brutes, which cannot be calmed down, had not been added yet.
Estimated Time Save
Hunting endermen for pearls
Step-by-Step Guide
Find one
Bastions generate in every Nether biome except basalt deltas. The Nether is divided into regions of 432 by 432 blocks and each region gets either a bastion or a fortress, so a fortress close by can mean there is no bastion in that region. Without line of sight, the classic method is a spike in entities on the debug pie chart.
Work out the type
There are four: bridge, hoglin stables, housing units and treasure. Hoglins spawn in bridges and stables, and the treasure type has a magma cube spawner. Knowing which one you are in tells you where to look for gold and chests.
Wear gold
One piece of golden armor keeps piglins neutral. It does not cover everything: breaking gold blocks, gilded blackstone or Nether gold ore still angers them, and so does opening or breaking a chest or barrel. Angry piglins stay hostile for 30 seconds.
Collect gold
Gold blocks and chests with gold are common in all four types, and all four bastion chest loot tables include gold blocks. One block crafts into 9 ingots, so a few blocks go a long way.
Barter
Drop ingots near the piglins; each one admires an ingot and then drops what it bartered. In 26.2 ender pearls are 10 of 469 weight in the barter table, about 2.1% per ingot, for 2 to 4 pearls. Obsidian, crying obsidian, fire charges and leather are 40 each, string is 20 (3 to 9 per trade), and fire resistance comes as both a drinkable and a splash potion. On 1.16.1 pearls were closer to 5%, 4 to 8 at a time.
Know when to leave
A common target is at least 16 pearls, 21 obsidian, 48 string and some fire resistance. 48 string makes 12 wool, which is 4 beds. If string runs short, crying obsidian and glowstone make respawn anchors instead, 6 crying obsidian and 3 glowstone blocks each. Then go and find a fortress.
Pros
- +One stop for pearls, obsidian, string, fire resistance and crying obsidian
- +Gold armor keeps most piglins neutral while you work
- +Gold blocks are common in all four bastion types
- +Fire resistance from bartering makes blaze fireballs harmless in the fortress
- +Spare crying obsidian and glowstone turn into respawn anchors, a second explosive for the dragon
Cons
- -Bartering is random, and a bad streak means mining more gold
- -Opening chests or breaking gold angers piglins even when you wear gold
- -Hoglins in bridge and stable bastions attack any player within 16 blocks
- -Piglin brutes, added after 1.16.1, cannot be calmed down