Blind Travel (Educated Travel)
HardNavigationCover the distance to a stronghold in the Nether, where every block counts for eight in the Overworld, and only come out when you are close. Blind travel means choosing a spot in the first stronghold ring before throwing any eye. Educated travel uses information: throw eyes first, work out the distance, divide it by 8 and travel that far in the Nether.
When to Use
At the end of the Nether section, when you still have obsidian and are about to leave anyway. Go blind when you have no eye information yet, and educated when you have already thrown eyes in the Overworld. Short on obsidian with less than about 600 blocks to go? Walking in the Overworld is fine.
Estimated Time Save
Up to 7 of every 8 blocks walked
Step-by-Step Guide
Know the first ring
In Java Edition the first ring holds 3 strongholds between 1,280 and 2,816 blocks from 0, 0, at roughly equal angles around the center. In Nether blocks that is 160 to 352 from 0, 0. The second ring only starts at 4,352 blocks, so the first ring is the target.
Rate the blind spot
With Ninjabrain Bot running, press F3+C in the Nether. It rates your coordinates as excellent, good for highroll, okay for highroll, bad but in ring, bad, or not in any ring, and shows the chance that a stronghold is less than 400 blocks away. If the spot is not excellent it gives a heading and a distance to better coordinates; for the first ring it aims at about 226 blocks from 0, 0.
Build the exit portal
A frame without corners takes 10 obsidian. On the other side the game looks for an existing portal within 128 blocks of your Nether X and Z multiplied by 8, and builds a new one within 16 blocks of that point if there is none.
Throw from a standstill
Come to a complete stop, throw an eye, look straight at it and press F3+C. Ninjabrain Bot turns each throw into probabilities for the possible stronghold chunks and takes the ring positions into account. If one throw is not enough, move a little and throw again.
Or travel educated
Without a calculator: throw, note the angle, walk 17.5 blocks at a right angle to the eye's path, throw again and note the second angle. 1,000 divided by the difference in degrees is roughly the distance. Divide that by 8, go back into the Nether and travel that far in the eye's direction before you build your exit.
Dig in
Throw once more when you come out to confirm, then dig where the eye starts flying down. Strongholds generate at any height, so do not dig to a fixed Y level and hope.
Pros
- +Each block travelled in the Nether moves you 8 in the Overworld
- +Blind travel uses no eyes before you exit
- +Ninjabrain Bot rates a blind spot before you spend obsidian on it
- +You leave the Nether already close to the stronghold
Cons
- -Every exit portal needs 10 obsidian
- -A blind spot only gives a chance of landing close, never a promise
- -Eyes of ender shatter 20% of the time when thrown
- -Moving while you throw wrecks the angle, even if F3 shows you standing still
- -Nether travel brings its own dangers, from lava to ghasts