Here are some essential Minecraft tips for new players to help you get your bearings as you begin your journey.
Fighting is not always the solution
While you’ll naturally have to fight to survive in Minecraft, it’s not always necessary. In some cases, the solution is simply to build barriers between yourself and the monsters, without using weapons at all.
Therefore, it’s a good idea to have a supply of building blocks in your inventory, whether it’s dirt, wood, or anything else that’s easily obtainable. If you see the situation getting dangerous, start building walls between yourself and the enemy, and then use the resulting safe space to heal up and figure out what to do (unless you’re being chased by a Creeper).
Use lots of torches
In Minecraft, torches can be used for more than just lighting. If you’re new to the game, you might not know that torches have a variety of uses:
Torch light prevents monsters from spawning within its radius.
Torches can be used to break up gravel or sand deposits by placing them underneath them.
Placing a torch underwater creates a temporary air pocket.
The torch will help you melt ice and snow.
You can even build with torches!
Resources and tools
When you start creating a new world, first craft a wooden pickaxe; this will allow you to mine stone. Then, craft a set of stone tools (a pickaxe, an axe, a hoe, and a shovel). They’re stronger and much more efficient than wooden ones, saving you time.
A set of stone tools will open the way to creating iron equipment.
Besides this, there are other important and useful tools that you need to find or create:
- Any stone to later build furnaces
- Iron ore, from which you can craft iron tools (focus on creating buckets to collect water and scissors, which will help you in making a bed)
- Coal for torches
And of course, try to improve your tools with enchantments to make your normal actions more effective.
Don’t dig holes only downwards
When exploring a dungeon, never dig straight down below you. You might actually find yourself standing on the roof of a huge cavern!
It’s better to dig diagonally downwards, which will help you avoid unnecessary death.
How to get infinite water
You can get an infinite supply of water. All you need is a bucket and a 2×2 square hole. Fill the hole with water so that it flows out the middle, not the sides.
Water in Minecraft behaves strangely: instead of decreasing in size as you draw it, it becomes inexhaustible.
Cook over a fire
If you don’t have a cooking stove yet, use a campfire. You don’t need any fuel to start a campfire. Plus, you can cook four dishes at once over a campfire. You’ll still need one thing, though: a fire starter. A fire starter will help you rekindle the fire if it goes out.
How to quickly clear an area
If you want to remove all unnecessary bushes and grass before starting construction, there are two ways:
Pour water onto the area
Water destroys any grass it touches, which means you can use a bucket and pour water on the place where you are going to build something and thus get rid of the grass (you can scoop up the water with an empty bucket).
Using fire steel and flint, burn the grass.
You can burn the area where you plan to build. But the fire could get out of control and destroy much more than you expect. Therefore, build several fire walls around the edge of the area you plan to clear beforehand.
What to do with creepers?
I think you already know that creepers explode. This damages not only you but also nearby blocks, making them very heavy.
There are several options:
1) Hit-and-run tactics (or just run);
2) Use ranged weapons to kill creepers before they explode;
3) Place any block between you and the creeper to prevent damage. When the creeper starts flashing, pour some water on it to prevent it from destroying nearby blocks.
And of course, keep creepers away from fire, otherwise they will explode immediately.
Using ecology as a weapon
Speaking of open fire, you can use fire, lava, and even an anvil as weapons. If you notice monsters attacking you underground, build a safe spot and either douse the enemies with lava or set them on fire with flint and steel. Throwing an anvil from above also works.
How to heal in Minecraft
At the beginning of your Minecraft adventure, your best bet is to eat any cooked food. Your health will gradually regenerate until your hunger bar fills.