How to Build a Gold Farm in the Nether

How to Build a Gold Farm in the Nether

A gold farm in the Nether is an automated structure that collects Gold Nuggets from Zombified Piglins without player intervention. It is built above the Nether roof, where no other mobs can spawn naturally, so the platforms made of Magma Blocks become the only valid spawning spaces within range. This guide covers a compact three-platform design using fall damage: it is cheap to build, works in singleplayer, and yields about 188 Gold Ingots per hour. You can easily build this farm in Minecraft Java Edition in one session.

Preparation

Gather these resources in your inventory beforehand, as you won't be able to easily restock once you are on the roof.

You will also need a Pickaxe with the Efficiency enchantment to quickly dig upwards, and some food. You must build this strictly in the Nether Wastes biome — otherwise, Zombified Piglins will not spawn.

Step 1. Getting onto the Nether Roof

Build a portal, enter the Nether, and dig straight up until you hit the Bedrock ceiling. Look at the block above your head and press F3 to find a spot where the Targeted Block height is Y=127 — this is the topmost layer of the ceiling, with no blocks above it.

Stand right under this block, aim at the corner of the bedrock pixels, and throw an Ender Pearl upwards. The teleportation will move you directly onto the roof (Y=128), where mobs cannot spawn naturally and the farm won't compete for the mob cap.

Passing through the top block using an Ender Pearl and ladders

Step 2. Checking the Biome

While standing on the roof, open F3 again and ensure the current biome is Nether Wastes (minecraft:nether_wastes). This is where Zombified Piglins spawn in packs; in other biomes, spawning works differently.

Step 3. Loot Collection

At the bottom of the future drop column, place double Chests, and right above them add another row of double Chests offset by 1 block to the side. Under the drop point, build a floor out of Hoppers: three rows of five pointing towards the chests, and add three hoppers in a row on each side. All loot falling here will automatically go into storage.

Loot collection area utilizing Hoppers and Chests

Step 4. Drop Column and Bottom Platform

Stand on the edge Hopper and build a 23-block-tall pillar of temporary blocks. Place a Magma Block on the top. From there, build a 5x5 square of magma exactly above the hoppers, leaving the center block empty — this is the hole piglins will fall through.

The hole above the Hopper platform 

Step 5. Turtle Egg Column

Place a solid building block in the center of the square (in the hole). Build up 3 temporary blocks, place another building block on top, and put a Turtle Egg on it. Remove the three temporary blocks — the top egg will remain floating. Place the second egg on the bottom building block.

Having two eggs at different heights ensures that piglins from each platform level "see" the bait: the mob reacts to an egg within 23 blocks horizontally and 3 blocks vertically.

Turtle Eggs stacked above each other to attract piglins

Step 6. Trapdoors Around the Column

From the bottom building block, place 9 Trapdoors upwards and open them. Repeat for all four sides — 36 open trapdoors in total. Piglins do not perceive an open trapdoor as a hazard: reaching the edge for the bait, they walk off the platform and fall down the column.

Pillar of Trapdoors around the Turtle Eggs

Step 7. Three Spawning Platforms

Expand the bottom platform from 5x5 to 15x15: add 5 Magma Blocks extending from each side of the central block, connect them, and fill the square completely, leaving the central 3x3 area empty.

Place 2 temporary blocks up from any Magma Block and build an identical 15x15 platform as a second layer — also with an empty 3x3 center. Remove the temporary blocks. Repeat once more to get three magma platforms stacked with a 2-block gap between them. This will require 648 Magma Blocks in total.

Three 15x15 magma platforms with an empty 3x3 hole in the center, side view

Step 8. Glass Roof

Go up 2 temporary blocks above the top platform and place a Glass block. Build a solid glass line straight across the center of the farm from edge to edge. Move 2 blocks to the side and place the next parallel line; repeat this pattern for the entire roof. Remove the temporary blocks. The roof restricts the space above the platforms and prevents Ghasts from spawning.

Glass lines above the magma platforms

Step 9. AFK Spot

Stand on the central glass block and build up 92 Scaffolding. Place a block on top to stand on — this is your AFK spot. This height ensures that only the farm platforms remain within the spawn radius, ignoring the Nether floor below: the mob cap is spent entirely on the needed piglins. Remove all remaining temporary blocks. The farm is ready.

In 30 minutes of AFK time, this build yields around 849 Gold Nuggets — approximately 188 Gold Ingots per hour, plus Rotten Flesh.

How It Works

The platforms are made of magma because regular piglins don't spawn on it — only Zombified Piglins do, providing gold. Upon spawning, a piglin detects the Turtle Egg in the center and paths towards it, walking off the open trapdoors into the column and falling 23 blocks. This height is enough to kill them instantly on impact; the Hoppers collect the loot, and the glass roof stops Ghasts from spawning.

Common Mistakes

• mobGriefing is disabled. Piglins will completely ignore the eggs. Enable the rule before running the farm.

• No 2 air blocks above the egg. Without free space above, the bait won't be recognized.

• Eggs placed after spawn. Piglins might ignore them for a long time — place the eggs first, then start spawning.

• Wrong biome. Without the Nether Wastes, the correct spawning won't happen — always check F3.

• AFK spot at the wrong height. Too high, and the farm is out of range; too low, and the mob cap gets wasted below.

• Drop height too short. If the column is shorter than 23 blocks, some piglins will survive and build up at the bottom.

Alternatives

This design is tailored for singleplayer and a moderate flow of gold. For significantly higher output, portal-based farms and multi-platform structures spanning dozens of levels exist, but they are more complex, expensive, and often require a second player or chunk loaders. For solo survival, a compact fall-damage farm remains the easiest working solution.

Conclusion

A gold farm on the Nether roof provides renewable gold and Rotten Flesh without complex redstone logic: it runs entirely on magma, open trapdoors, and two Turtle Eggs. The trade-offs are a modest rate of about 188 ingots per hour and the need to break through the roof once. Compared to portal designs, this structure yields less, but wins in simplicity and cost, making it perfect for solo Minecraft players who want a steady source of gold in the mid-game.