How to Build a Fast Nether Portal with a Water Bucket
Construct a functional Nether portal rapidly using a 4x1 lava pool, a single water bucket, and temporary scaffolding blocks.
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- Allow camera and microphone. Point your phone at the work; the coach watches your progress and tells you the next step.
🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Water Bucket
- ✓ Pickaxe (any tier, iron or diamond recommended)
- ✓ Flint and Steel (or fire charge)
- ✓ Empty Hand (or off-hand slot)
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ A surface lava pool with at least 10 lava source blocks
- ✓ 10-15 solid non-flammable blocks (cobblestone or dirt)
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Verify no hostile mobs or creepers are approaching before standing still near lava.
- • Ensure the water flow is controlled to prevent pushing the player into deep lava.
- • Confirm the fire spread will not ignite wooden tools or surrounding flammable terrain.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Locate Pool and Place Base Scaffold
Approach a flat 4-block wide edge of a deep lava pool. Place one solid block directly against the edge where you want the portal frame to stand. Ensure the block sits immediately adjacent to the lava surface.
- • A single solid block rests adjacent to a 4-block wide strip of still lava.
- • Placing the block directly inside the lava source instead of on the adjacent bank.
Place Water Source Beside Scaffold
Aim your cursor at the side of the scaffold block away from the lava and empty your water bucket. The water will flow across the adjacent lava blocks, creating the bottom obsidian frame and giving you an active water stream.
- • Water stream covers the adjacent lava, creating obsidian, without extinguishing the whole pool.
- • Placing water directly into the lava pool rather than on the scaffold side.
Break the Scaffold and Cast the Base
Break the temporary scaffold block you placed earlier using your pickaxe. Use your empty bucket to scoop lava from nearby source blocks and place it into the remaining bottom frame spots under the water stream to turn them into obsidian.
- • A two-block wide obsidian base is visible submerged beneath the controlled water flow.
- • Scooping flowing lava instead of source blocks.
Build the Pillar Scaffold (Upside-Down L)
Build a 3-block high vertical pillar directly behind one side of the portal frame, then extend one block outward over the portal opening. Place two diagonal backing blocks behind the opposite frame location to catch the water stream properly.
- • An inverted L-shaped cobblestone structure stands 3 blocks high directly behind the portal footprint.
- • Building the pillar too low or forgetting the outward extension.
Redirect Water and Cast Side and Top Obsidian
Pick up your water source and place it on the extended overhang of your scaffolding so it flows straight down the frame. Scoop lava source blocks one by one with your bucket and place them directly into the running water along the left pillar, right pillar, and two top ceiling spots.
- • A complete 2x3 hollow rectangular frame of obsidian (10 blocks minimum) forms inside the water flow.
- • Placing lava outside the water column, causing it to remain loose lava.
Retrieve Water and Ignite Portal
Aim at the top water source block with your empty bucket and collect the water. Equip your flint and steel and right-click inside the lower interior opening of the obsidian frame to light the portal.
- • The water is gone and a shimmering purple portal vortex fills the 2x3 frame.
- • Clicking the outside of the frame with flint and steel instead of the interior bottom block.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Sam Dao — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Flint and Steel? Fire Charge or Wood Planks placed adjacent to lava for natural ignition
- No Cobblestone? Dirt or any non-flammable solid block