Wow #1 · Typical miss
~4.5
Nether blocks sideways from the divide-by-8 aim to the middle landing (of 9 arrivals).
Wow #2 · Close enough
8 of 9
First exits within 16 Nether blocks of that aim — in this Java test.
A Java playtest of first portals — nothing already waiting in the Nether to catch the link. The game had to build a fresh exit. That is not the same question as why one Nether step covers eight Overworld ones.
You do the divide-by-8 math, step through, and the exit is a little off. On a brand-new portal, that is often normal. It does not mean you broke the portal.
1. The usual map guess
In Java, 1 block in the Nether = 8 blocks in the Overworld on the map. So the usual guess for “where should I come out?” is: take your Overworld spot and divide by 8.
Example: Overworld map X = 800 → people aim near Nether X = 100.
I wanted the messy first trip — when no matching Nether portal is waiting yet.
2. I sent pigs through fresh portals
Each try looked the same: build a lit Overworld portal, send a pig through, mark where it landed in the Nether. No old Nether portal nearby. Portals spaced far apart so one exit would not steal the next.
3. Most landings were only a few blocks off
Not perfect. Not a disaster either.
Of the nine pigs that arrived, the middle miss was about 4.5 blocks sideways from the divide-by-8 aim. (Map distance only — I ignored height.)
How far each landing missed (Nether blocks)
Shorter bar = closer to the usual aim. Nine arrivals, sorted. Green is within 16 blocks.
Closest was under 1 block. Farthest was about 21. Six of nine landed within 8 blocks.
So the divide-by-8 aim still worked as a compass. The exit frame just refused to sit on the exact block.
4. What that means when you step through
Keep using divide-by-8. It still points the right way.
Don’t expect the first exit to land on that exact block. The Nether is lava, cliffs, and awkward ground. The game picks a nearby place that is safer than dropping you in fire — not a perfect math landing pad.
Two Overworld portals fighting over one Nether exit is a different problem. I spaced these trials so that fight would not show up here.
In this Java test, a brand-new portal usually missed by only a few blocks — about 4.5 in the middle — and almost always stayed within 16 blocks of the usual aim. A little miss is often normal. It does not mean the portal is broken. For why the Nether shortens long trips at all, see why the Nether shortens every journey.
