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Minecrafthas developed a huge following, with its appealingly chunky visuals, intuitive crafting system and oh-so-cute creatures.
The only problem, if youre tackling the games survival mode, is that at least half of aforementioned creatures will murder you as soon as look at you. Here are a few tips to help you get through your first few days in Minecrafts survival mode without becoming a blocky corpse.
Dont get cocky, kid.
Youre thrown into survival mode with nothing but your fists, not nearly enough to dispatch the bulk of the games monsters. Forget about building a massive house on your first day keep your head down and run or hide if you encounter more than one monster at a time.
Stick around, above ground.
Its tempting to roam as far as your feet can carry you, but youre best off sticking to one area, making that area your home base. Even if youve nothing to your name, knowing the territory will help you keep alive. You may stumble across chasms which lead you deeper underground, but even worse horrors await inMinecrafts catacombs so stay away until youre ready for a real fight.
They mostly come out at night. Mostly.
Many ofMinecrafts enemies are nocturnal. If you can see the light dimming, get somewhere safe. If necessary, just tunnel your way into a hill and block up the entrance with soil.
Dig in the dirt.
As soon as you start the game, stockpile dirt by punching the ground until youve got at least 40 blocks. This is enough to create a shelter where you can remain hidden from view at night. Surround yourself by soil, digging out and replacing a block to keep checking if its light. Sitting there surrounded by dirt may not be glamorous, but itll keep you alive.
Arm yourself with a stick.
Once youve crammed your pockets full of dirt, punch a light brown tree and get one block of wood. Convert this into oak planks from the crafting menu, then craft them into a stick. Youll have the opportunity to craft better weapons later but for now its a passable hitting implement with which to see off at least some ofMinecrafts enemies.
Get sneaking.
If youre trying to get back to your home territory without being seen, push down on the right stick to sneak. Though if the games monsters have detected you already, just run like the wind.
Skeletons are the worst.
While zombies and creepers are unpleasant, skeleton archers are the worst foes youll encounter during your initial foray into survival mode (unless you foolishly go poking around underground). Theyre ridiculously accurate and can kill you in a few hits so if you see one, get out of their line of sight and then just run.
Be vigilant.
Its very easy for monsters to sneak up on you. Some monsters have audio cues, such as the Creepers hiss, to let you know theyre closing in. Remember to look all around you to see if there are enemies coming in from other directions. Its not unusual to turn around and find youre being pursued by a line of zombies that you didnt know were there.
Water is your friend.
Land enemies typically get stuck or slow down in water, so if you are being pursued leap into water. Deeper bodies of water may harbour Guardians, who will attack you on sight, so try to stick to the shallows.
Build a crafting table before you build a house.
Once youve built a basic dirt shelter, mine enough oak wood to create a crafting table. This will let you create pick-axes which will in turn let you mine stone to build your house. You could build a wood house but for the effort involved youre better off building a stronger, sturdier stone house.
And there are you are. Remember, if its just building youre into, theres alwaysMinecraftscreative mode which gives you unlimited resources and prevents monsters from attacking you. But crafting a grand edifice while under siege from various nasties brings with it a far greater sense of accomplishment. Have fun.