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In order to find myself some nice lapis lazuli and get away from my current base, I'm building a little tunnel in the Nether to allow me to get into the midst of some fresh chunks fairly quickly.

I have a nice little stone house, but as Ghasts and zombie pigmen can spawn at "any light level" in the Nether, how do I keep them from popping up in my Nether regions where I don't want them? Will they even spawn on "foreign" blocks (e.g. those that aren't Netherrack, slow sand, etc.)

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81  
Question should be renamed "How can I keep monsters out of my nether regions?" – bwarner Jan 14 '11 at 21:42
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@bwarner, your wish is my command. – Nick T Jan 30 '11 at 19:05
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This question is now on par with How can I tell if a corpse is safe to eat? – Kevin Y Jan 30 '11 at 19:43
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@Kevin, and "My wife is stuck in a wall, can I save her?" – Nick T Jan 30 '11 at 19:47
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Wear pants,preferrably not tight ones,those will just tempt them more. – user13258 Oct 18 '11 at 11:54

6 Answers

up vote 46 down vote accepted

As of the Halloween Update:

You don't have to worry about Zombie Pigmen (they are, after all, neutral mobs until provoked).

Ghasts can safely be kept out by restricting yourself to not using any of the 4x4x4 (or larger!) areas that they need to spawn. Keep a tight ceiling, and you'll be fine.

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And even if they do spawn to a bug or freak occurrence, they will quickly suffocate due to the lack of free space. – Raven Dreamer♦ Jan 14 '11 at 20:51
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Remember gasts occasionally spawn in the regular world near the nether gates, be sure to do the same on both ends. – Ronan Forman Jan 15 '11 at 21:59
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If you don't want an uncomfortably low ceiling, you can also use stalactites - columns of block that extend from the ceiling, with space in between (but never a space 4x4x4 or larger). I use glass, it looks cool. – Keaanu Feb 16 '11 at 18:15
Once you accidentally provoke them...then what? >.> – John the Green 20 hours ago
@JohntheGreen You wait. Zombie Pigmen eventually forgive... Eventually. – Raven Dreamer♦ 20 hours ago
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up vote 12 down vote

Hehe, Withers and Blazes only spawn in certain locations, namely Nether Forts and between a height of 64-74 (ish, I do not have the exact values with me). The easiest way to get them to not spawn is to simply move out of the nether fort that you have set up shop in. The pigmen will be and always are a problem but if left alone they are just annoying.

If you are set on being in a nether fort though, then I suggest half slabs. Nothing likes spawning on top of half slabs regardless of how much space overhead you need.. Also keep in mind a Ghast loves to spawn in a 5x5x5 area. Having one of them appear in your house really really sucks.

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Good call. Half slabs are definitely the way to go. – Russ Whitchurch yesterday
up vote 5 down vote

Ghasts are the real problem; if you want to have large rooms, build pillars or let some blocks float in the air (not very handy). You can also make a trap with some dispensers to get some pork and gunpowder.

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up vote 2 down vote

Close the door, keep the ceiling tight, maybe brick up the door.

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up vote 1 down vote

To keep out Ghasts I make the ceiling low (I can barely walk in my house!), only one floor and a really, really tiny panic room just in case a ghast decided to screw the spawn limits.

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up vote -2 down vote

If you have a problem with pigmen, you could make iron golems in the Nether to protect you. To make sure they don't fall in lava put walls around the cliff edges. If any blazes are flying around your area make water walls and they will die.

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