1. Ways to Play
Minecraft is an “open-world” game that has a few different ways to play. “Survival” mode places you in a randomly-generated environment where you have to survive by making your weapons and tools. “Creative” mode starts with an infinite number of resources so you can build whatever and wherever you want. A third option is to enter private Minecraft servers. Hosted around the world, these privately-run games are capable of hosting hundreds of thousands of gamers at once. Inside each of these servers, you’ll find any number of mini-games and different ways to play.
2. Punch a Tree
There are not many games where one of the first tips for beginners is to go out and punch a tree. It is a super important tip for new Minecraft players. As you begin the game, you have no tools, weapons or shelter. To get started, you need a tool. Punch a tree until the wood starts dropping. Once you have gathered enough wood, you can turn it into planks. Creating four planks opens up the option to create a Crafting Bench and a whole new world of opportunity to make beds, tools, doors and other important items.
3. Find Shelter Right Away
Having gathered enough wood for tools, it’s now time to think about where you will sleep your first night in the game. Minecraft is full of monsters and mobs, so finding shelter is the best way for your character to survive the night. You must consider location when building your shelter. Look for somewhere high up on a mountain with a 360-degree view. You will want to spend some time locating and killing sheep to use their wool as a bed. You can craft that once you have your tools. Your shelter itself should then consist of dirt, wood or stone, depending on which you can find in time. The shelter only needs to be basic, so do not go and build yourself a palace on your first day.
4. Let There Be Light
Build your shelter to avoid monsters. You will want a light source to keep them away at night. Building a furnace is your next course of action. To do so, you will need to locate cobblestone. Use a wood shovel to dig through the dirt until you find cobblestone. To gather the stone, use your pickaxe to gather 20 cobblestone blocks. Having secured that number of blocks, use your crafting table and begin building a furnace. Crafting a few torches to leave around your home at night will keep the monsters and mobs away. Building torches requires the gathering of coal from the environment or making charcoal with the furnace. If you go the latter route, you will need your wood logs to make charcoal, which is then placed on top of a wood stick. You now have a torch. Place them around a home to generate light. Torches also act as markers on a map or can be placed near doors to help you find your way out of a cave.
5. Discover Raw Materials
As good as they are at helping you get started, wood and stone tools are prone to breaking. To really be successful, you need to upgrade to more durable tools. Find and harness raw materials that are scattered throughout the game. Up next in the technological tier is iron, something that is mostly found underground. Locate a cave that leads underground or dig your way down until you find this resource. Iron ore blocks are identifiable by their small tan “spots.” Dig them up and put them into your furnace alongside some coal. Once the iron has been in the furnace long enough, it can be used to craft iron tools that are vastly more reliable than stone or wood. Having an iron pickaxe is one of the most critical tools in all of Minecraft. Without it, you will be unable to harness the power of diamonds and gold.
6. Where to Dig
If you have not caught on, digging plays a vital role in Minecraft success. Smart digging is done at an angle instead of straight down to significantly reduce the risk of losing your work. Beginners should learn the tricks of the trade with digging by starting around or near a mountain. This is an easy method to learn how to dig into a mine shaft or a big, open cavern.
7. Save Your Gold
In the game, gold can be an exceedingly rare thing to find. When you do come upon gold, you should save it. As a soft metal, it’s not good for weapons or armor. Instead, use it to create something in the future that might help you be more successful in the game. There is no rush!
8. Travel Fast With Mine Carts
Do you want to go from your home to a mountain as quickly as possible? Once you get going with the game, lay down some minecart tracks using your gold. If you are playing Minecraft in easy mode, mine carts can even go up a hill with no issue.
9. Start a Farm
Last but not least is making sure you have food. Starting a farm should only happen after you have upgraded to the iron age so you can build buckets, shovels, boots, etc. Use your bucket to create a pool of water around your home or base. Then craft a hoe or plow to arrange glass blocks up to four blocks away from your water location. Next, remove any grass growing so you can gather seeds for planting in the prepared blocks. Once a few days have passed, you will begin seeing brown wheat that is ready for harvesting. This wheat can be converted into bread, ensuring that you have a nearly endless supply of food. If you have come this far, you have the right tools, the right skills and enough food to carry on in the game. You also have protection against monsters and mobs though it doesn’t hurt to craft a sword along the way as well. Having achieved these steps, the game is now as large or as small as your imagination. Just make sure you are staying safe while playing online. What’s your favorite Minecraft build? Next, you might want to learn about Minecraft mods, like OptiFine and the infamous OptiFine cape.
