Introduction: Basic Minecraft Skills

About: I like doing neat stuff, including playing tennis, biking, DIYing, and making stuff.


This instructable will show you the basic survival skills to get past your first day in Minecraft.

Henceforth, "Harvest" means left click and hold until said block has dissapeared and you are able to collect it, and "Place" means to right click in said place with said block weilded.  Also henceforth,  if "Realtime" is not in front of "Day" it means that the day in an in game day.  If "Realtime" is in front of "day", it means an actual 24-hour day.

To henceforth again, henceforth, a "Mob" is anything that has the ability to move between and across blocks without the player touching, or adding anything to it. (E.G. sheep, ducks, spiders, zombies)

All of this is advice and how-to's for a beginner player in Minecraft.  You should advance and do more daring things once you are comfortable with these skills.  That should not take too long, if you play regularly.

Step 1: Punch That Wood! (or Dirt)

Your going to need a shelter and some light sources.  What do you do?  Get some tools!  (or dirt)  You can make tools by harvesting the tree logs.  Once you have about 5 logs, press "i", and make some planks (http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Crafting  This gives you information on how to make whatever you can make, what you need for them, and many other facts about the item.)  After you make the planks, make a wood pickaxe.  

Now you need to find some coal.  Normally it is quite easy to find.  It looks like a normal stone block with black speck in it.  Mine/Harvest it, and collect the coal.  Then, make a torch (again, please refer to the crafting link I shared above.)

Now you can harvest anything you can see and make it into a house.  The building of the basic house is self explanitory.

At first, it will probably be just a small cube, then you will want to expand it, or build elsewhere.  You get to pick where you want to be.  You could be underwater, which would be a huge hassle on the first day.  You could be on a plain, which would be very good for a beginner, or you could be underground or in/on a cliff.  The last is my favorite, but making it look good is hard sometimes.

Step 2: Crafting/Smithing


Crafting is not exactly like the other parts of minecraft.  You cannot exactly make up a new tool.  But, even though crafting is crafting,  it must be learned.

Once you have punched the wood, and made a workbench,  It is time for you to make a few tools.  I will only be showing you how to make the basic and needed tools and items for now.  These are:
Pickaxes
Shovels
Spades
Axes
Minecart
Minecart tracks
Boat
Flint and steel
Torches
Glass
Ingots (Iron, Gold)
Etc.

Once you have a basic understanding of where the ingredients go for each item, all the other items are quite easy to remember.


These pictures are from the crafting page on the minecraft wiki:
http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Crafting

Step 3: Your House.

When you begin, your house should be near/on the spawn point because it is easy to lose your way in the beggining. Also, do not get discoraged by photos you see online that have huge houses and intricate redstone gates for the doors.  That will be you.  If you have patience, and work at it.  The first day, your house will be small, and you will need to light it... Unless you want to be fighting mobs all throughout the night.  This is simple.  Just place the torches that you have so that they light the house.  Normally, the house is a one room house as you begin, so this should be easy.

Step 4: NIGHT TIME!!! (Dun Dun Dunnnnnn!)

During the night,  monsters come out, and bad things happen to you if you are outside.  Normally, you don't go outside unless you are sure you won't die... or your on peaceful mode.  Anyway, you are on Easy or above, and it's your first night. What do you do?

Wait.

Unless, of course, you happened to get some stone along with that coal I told you to get earlier.  If you did, you may have noticed that the item that you collected was not stone.   Your right.  That's cobblestone you collected.  Ill talk about that later.

If you do have things that you can make into other things, and you want to use those things that you have to make into other things that you will have if you choose to make them with the things that you already have,  then by all means, go ahead and make tools and other things.

But if you don't.

You must wait until DAWN!!!

Step 5: The Next Day. (And Mining)

Congratulations, you survived your first night! (Or, not)

The next day, you can do pretty much what ever you want.  Go kill cows, if you like!

If you choose to mine, then mine.  But, there are always dangers...  As long as you are on easy or above.  When mining, you may still run into some of the creatures of the night.  Because in caves, it's always night.

Step 6: More Mining.


You will find many things when mining.  All of them can be found here : http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Blocks

How to deal with mobs attacking.

If you run into a mob while mining, normally if it is a creeper or skeleton, i keep my distance, and kill them in quick attacks.

If it is any other mob, i just make sure that i don't get hit, and swing my sword (or anything else that i have) at it.

If you find a mob anywhere that you have already been, and plan on being a lot more often, then it's not lit enough.   Use the torches and light it up

I run into huge cave systems, and I still sometimes lose my way.  if you want to prevent that, it helps to lay something that is not native to the cave down.  when i do this, i go at least 10 blocks away before i lay it down again.  If you have minecart tracks, then those help, too, but you might want to lay them down in adjacent blocks, and lay them in such a way that you can actually ride a cart down into your mine.

Step 7: Mob Abilities/ Dealing With Mobs.

Mobs can be very frustrating.  That is why you need to know what they can do.  Good mobs (Animals) generally do not hurt you, or destroy buildings, or be a pain.  Just watch out for them when you are on cliffs.

Bad mobs (Monsters) are what you will be learning about here.

There have been instances where there is a "Mount."  This is a skeleton riding a spider.  These are extremely dangerous.  They can move fast and shoot arrows at you.  Only attack these with a bow and arrow if you want to stay safe as a beginner.

Version 1.2 added squids.  these spawn any depth in any light in any difficulty. They drop ink sacks when killed, and they are passive.

Step 8: The Nether


The Nether is near the center of the earth, like an underworld, and lets you travel eight times faster.  This is also the place where zombie-pig-men scream in pain as they wander aimlessly.  This is the place without water.  This is the place where giant flying ghost-jellyfish shoot exploding fireballs at anything they want to. (Mainly you)  This is the place where Instead of the sky, there is bloodstone.  This is the place of Lightstone and Hellmud.  This is the place of lava oceans.  This is the place of huge cliifs, and when you mis-step, you fall large heights to your death.  This is The Nether.  This is pure danger.

You can get into and out of The Nether by a portal.  You can make a portal by placing 14 obsidian block in a 4x5 square, and then lighting one of the inside blocks with flint and steel.  You can move eight times further with each step than in the regular world, so it is very useful for travel, but it is vastly more dangerous than the regular world, too.

Step 9: FIN! (for Now)


As you should know, minecraft is regularly updated with new features.  If you think that I missed something, or that something needs to be added, just tell me.  Also, I will answer any questions that you have.

Also, an upcoming installment on how to use redstone logic gates (or just plain redstone for remote ignition, Etc.) for doors and other things.

If you would like to read about other things in minecraft, go to these sites:

The official minecraft site:
www.minecraft.net

Notch's blog:
notch.tumblr.com

or the Minecraft Forums!:
www.minecraftforum.net

The Minecraft Wiki!:
http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Minecraft_Wiki

Step 10: Afternotes


Dieing in Minecraft is ALWAYS an option.  It just might not be the option that you want.  Many people die their first night, or even DAY in minecraft.  For example:  I accedentally drowned while trying to make an underwater sand fort as my house the first day.  A friend of mine was pushed of a huge (huge) cliff by a sheep, and fell to her death.  And, I have seen people die thinking that they could dig a deep hole in the beach, and put multiple blocks of sand above them, consequently trapping, crushing, and suffocating them as their first death.

And, As a finisher to the 'Ible, here are a few skins that i made. (The masks/ Helmets/ Hoods do work in multiplayer.