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I made a Nether portal some time ago, but I didn't need to go through it until today because I need glowstone. Anyway, when I spawned in the Nether I was in a small cavern of Netherrack and bedrock. At first I thought it was kinda cool because I wouldn't need to protect my portal from Ghasts, but I realized the cavern didn't actually lead to anywhere. I dug miles in all directions except down because that's where the bedrock is, and it never opens up into the main part of the Nether. I tried digging up, but no matter where I dig I hit lava after four blocks or so. I also haven't heard the sounds of any enemies anywhere, except for one time when a zombie pigman spawned. I fear that I may be underneath a lake of lava.

Currently, I do not have another good location to build a second Nether portal. If I break my current portal and relight it, will I spawn in a different location? Any comments and suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Your coords in the overworld correspond to that of the Nether

X & Z coordinates in the nether are 1/3 the values of X & Z in the main world. (Y is the same value in both worlds.) But when the game creates portals for you, it can put them pretty far away from where that simple math says they should go. Unless you create a new portal pretty far from where you built the first, chances are the game will send you back to the same one it created earlier.

To be assured of having each portal go to a unique place in the other world, you must create both portals in each pair (one in the nether, one in the main world) based on the math, and destroy any portals the game created itself.

Example: A portal in the main world at 300, 50, -100 should have a matching portal in the nether at 100, 50, -33. The Y coordinate (elevation) can pretty much be ignored, unless you're going to stack portals vertically (and even then, I'm not sure what would happen), so 100, [any Y], -33 would also work. X & Z don't have to match exactly either, but the closer you can get them to the ideal, the closer together you can build working pairs of portals.

Quote from Cobra951

X & Z coordinates in the nether are 1/3 the values of X & Z in the main world. (Y is the same value in both worlds.) But when the game creates portals for you, it can put them pretty far away from where that simple math says they should go. Unless you create a new portal pretty far from where you built the first, chances are the game will send you back to the same one it created earlier.

To be assured of having each portal go to a unique place in the other world, you must create both portals in each pair (one in the nether, one in the main world) based on the math, and destroy any portals the game created itself.

Example: A portal in the main world at 300, 50, -100 should have a matching portal in the nether at 100, 50, -33. The Y coordinate (elevation) can pretty much be ignored, unless you're going to stack portals vertically (and even then, I'm not sure what would happen), so 100, [any Y], -33 would also work. X & Z don't have to match exactly either, but the closer you can get them to the ideal, the closer together you can build working pairs of portals.

So if I go into the Nether and destroy the portal and build a new one somewhere else better in the Nether, will I still appear where I originally constructed the portal in the main world when I go through the new portal I made in the Nether?

Sorry if this is a stupid question. I just want to make sure I'm understanding all of this and I have a few options.

Yes, if you build the new nether portal close enough to the corresponding coordinates in the main world. Remember, not the same coordinates, but the corresponding ones. The main world is 9 times the size of the nether (3 times in X range, 3 times in Z range). X in the main world equals X in the nether times 3. Same for Z. (Z_{main world} = Z_nether * 3) Y can be ignored.

Quote from Cobra951

Yes, if you build the new nether portal close enough to the corresponding coordinates in the main world. Remember, not the same coordinates, but the corresponding ones. The main world is 9 times the size of the nether (3 times in X range, 3 times in Z range). X in the main world equals X in the nether times 3. Same for Z. (Z_{main world} = Z_nether * 3) Y can be ignored.

Okay thanks! I'll attempt to make a new portal in the Nether, but if it doesn't work out well I'll just construct one somewhere else in the main world.

Thanks everyone!

The same exact thing happened to me lol. I ended up filling a double chest with netherack before i found my way out. Once I dug out I saw that I had spawned under the biggest lava lake I've ever seen.

I had that happen to me a couple of times, too. Best thing is to demolish your existing portal on the normal world and rebuild it somewhere else, preferably at least a couple of hundred meters away from where you built it first. Also, I had the best results when I built my portals a bit above sea level, around Y coordinate 80 - 90.

I answered this above, in 2 posts. Short answer: You can have as many matched pairs of portals across worlds as you want. You just have to build all the portals yourself, in both worlds, based on where the coordinates match. (Destroy all portals the game auto-generates.) Since the nether is is only 1/3 as long in width (X) and depth (Z), you need to adjust the locations accordingly. (Divide X & Z by 3 in the nether, or multiply them by 3 in the main world.)

No problem. I speak from experience too, not just theory. I have 7 matched pairs of portals right now. The game never gets confused and sends me to the wrong one.