The Nether Keeper is one of the bosses provided by Stalwart Dungeons, and resides in the Nether. Defeating this boss is how players obtain the Nether Hammer, which provides some unique buffs, and the base of the Nether Keeper also provides Tungsten, used in some armor and weaponry.
Summoning the Nether Keeper
The Nether Keeper is one of two bosses that can be found in the Nether, and this one spawns in the Keeping Castle. To find this structure, you’ll need to search the Crimson Forest and the Nether Wastes biome, as that’s where it spawns.
It consists of a series of towers with a larger structure in the middle. The Keeping Castle is dangerous to explore, as small statues can be found throughout, which turn into Giddy Blaze once the player gets close. Spore Dispensers are also dotted around, which hit players with the Spore effect.
Once the timer on the Spore effect hits 0, players will be placed in a Cocoon, blocking their vision, and they’ll need to break it. The cocoon has 20 HP, so its health will be depleted quickly when using a Sword. One way of negating the damage and annoyances dealt from Spore is by wearing Tungsten Armor.
Navigating the Keeping Castle can be confusing, as it’s quite maze-like. Many of the areas are closed off with Transient Blocks, which can be opened by right-clicking them. To find the Nether Keeper, players will need to search the larger central tower, and head downwards into an underground section.
It’s here that the Nether Keeper Altar can be found hanging from the ceiling. By holding a Nether Star and right-clicking the Altar, the Nether Star will be consumed, and the Nether Keeper will spawn.
To obtain a Nether Star, the Wither needs to be killed, as it will drop a Nether Star each time it is defeated.
Fighting the Nether Keeper
The first thing to note about the Nether Keeper is that it emits the Spore debuff, so getting too close will cause you to receive it constantly. Again, this can be countered by either wearing Tungsten Armor or by keeping your distance and using ranged weaponry.
Eight more Spore Dispensers can also be found in the room, specifically in the corners. Getting too close will also cause you to get hit by the debuff. However, it’s also possible for the Nether Keeper to get hit by Spore and be placed in a Cocoon, which can be used to your advantage, giving you time to heal, drink potions, and change strategies.
One option is to mine these Spore Dispensers, which will make the arena safer. They can even be mined before summoning the Nether Keeper. As it’s a melee boss, the Nether Keeper deals high amounts of damage, and might even one-shot players who are under-prepared. Bring high-level equipment and possibly potions that give Regeneration and Resistance.
There are two phases to the fight, with both being relatively easy. Once the Nether Keeper reaches half health, it will repeatedly spawn multiple Giddy Blaze around it, which will instantly target players. So try and get the Nether Keepers health down to 0 at this stage.
Nether Keeper Loot
Two items are dropped by the Nether Keeper. The first is Ancient Fire, which is a unique drop that will drop around 2 Nether Bricks each time it’s slain. The Nether Keeper can be killed multiple times, as the Altar won’t disappear, so multiple Ancient Fire can easily be obtained.
Ancient Fire is a very powerful item. When held in your main-hand, it can quickly smelt items in your off-hand, or even cook food, without requiring any fuel. The cool-down is also really short, so it’s perfect for quickly smelting items like Raw Iron while on the move.
When combined with Nether Bricks, the Ancient Fire can instead be used to create your own Transient Blocks. These are the blocks that spawn within the Keeping Castle, and can be right-clicked to open. However, these can also be mined inside the Keeping Castle, so this isn’t the best use of Ancient Fire, and should be used when other items have been obtained.
Though it’s also used in three different recipes, with the first being the Igniter. This block can be placed down, and when a player or mob walks on it, they’ll be set on fire and receive the Burning debuff for 30 seconds. Crafting the Igniter requires an Ancient Fire and a Soul Brick. The Burning effect can be negated by wearing a full set of Tungsten Armor.
The final item, and likely the most desirable to most players, is the Nether Hammer. Out of all the Hammers provided by Stalwart Dungeons, this one is the strongest, with it having 14 Attack Damage, and 0.9 Attack Speed.
As well as dealing high amounts of damage, the Nether Hammer has some other interesting abilities when used in mining. It can instantly smelt blocks, a bonus gained from the Ancient Fire. So when mining the likes of Raw Iron or Raw Gold 
, you’ll receive Iron Bars or Gold Bars instead. Creating the Nether Hammer will require an Ancient Fire to be combined with a Stone Hammer, and 7 Nether Bricks.
Don’t forget to explore the rest of the Keeping Castle, as there is plenty more loot to be collected. Chests can be found throughout the complex, and a maze can also be found underneath the structure, though it’s filled with hostile Giddy Blaze, so be careful. A lot of this loot will consist of Nether Warts, Diamonds, Gold, and Iron.
