12 Tips to get you started on Minecraft

New to Minecraft and want to know where to start? CreeperHost are here to provide you with some top tips to get you started.  One of the attributes Minecraft fans love is the freedom to be creative in a world with very few limits, which can be daunting. However, after following these tips and surviving your first night, it won’t be long until you are a Minecraft addict.

1. Make a bed
   The first thing you should do when you start your first Minecraft game is build a bed. Ideally, you need both a bed and a shelter before nightfall, however, this can be tough task for the inexperienced. Therefore, concentrate on building a bed as it’s faster and easier than a shelter. Chop down some wood then gather wool from 3 sheep (all the same colour). Your bed is important as it acts as a future spawn point. This means that when you die, it will be in this position that you are re-spawned. Also be aware that you can only sleep in your bed at night-time and during thunderstorms.
2. Create Shelter
   Even if you can’t build a big shelter, try and build something before the sun sets on the first day so that you are protected from monsters. Your initial house does not need to be big at all and it only needs to be two blocks in height in order to keep out night creatures. Seal yourself away for the first night until daylight appears. You can always dig down and place your bed underground. Don’t think too much about the size or shape of your shelter either, you can always extend and change your shelter as you progress.
3. Create a Crafting Table
   As the game title suggests, crafting is the main element of the game. In order to do this successfully create a crafting table as soon as possible. From there, you will have the ability to build more items that will help your progression in the game.
4. Get a furnace
   You will also need a furnace if you want to do any smelting or cook food (which you will). Don’t forget, you will also need something to burn so find some coal as soon as you can.
5. Stock up on torches
   Try and find torches so that you have a good supply for the future. Alternatively, you can craft a torch yourself with coal and a stick.  The great thing about Minecraft torches is that they stay lit, meaning you can use them strategically to help guide you around and act as pinpoints for maps. They are obviously also great for lighting up dark areas. Even though some mines already have torches lit, it’s always best to keep your own supply. Once you have a shelter, ensure you light it up with torches. A single torch stops monsters from spawning within seven blocks from you, so they are important to have. If you have some torches spare, light up the outside of your shelter as well for extra visibility and protection.
6. Get some basic tools
   Once you’ve built a bed and some shelter, found some torches and have a place to work, you’re going to need some tools. The first tool you should craft is a wooden pickaxe which you can build with planks and sticks. This is a basic tool, but you can use it to mine stone blocks which in turn will help you create more sophisticated weapons. As you delve into the game, you should aim to create a collection of basic tools to help you excel. Alongside the wooden pickaxe, an axe, sword, hoe, pickaxe and shovel are all great beginner tools.
7. Be careful when digging
   Try and avoid digging straight up or down. This might be the quickest method, but it can lead to some potential dangers. If you come across a mine while digging down, you could fall straight down. Alternatively, if you are digging straight up you could hit water and be flooded.
8. Keep animals nearby and keep them fed
   The further you advance in the game the more you will require a steady supply of food to avoid hunger. Ensure you have two of the same animal species in a pen near your home. It’s important to keep them fed as this allows them to breed. Feed cows and sheep with wheat, feed pigs with carrots and so on) The animals are genderless meaning that any two of the same species can breed. Right click on the animal with their preferred food and they will enter love mode. If both animals are in love mode, they can breed. Remember that they cannot enter love mode again for five minutes after). The more animals you have, the more food you will have easy access to without having to travel far from your shelter.
9. Don’t be too ambitious on your first night
   It is tempting to try and do as much as possible when you start a game, however in survival mode you must be tactical and ensure you take things slowly and make calculated decisions. If you are new to the game, focusing on creating a bed and finding a location for your shelter is plenty!
10. Choose your shelter location carefully
    As we mentioned before, creating or finding shelter is a key priority at the start of the game. However, there is more to consider than just protection. Ensure you choose a prime location for your shelter. Look around the landscape for natural shelter such as caves. A small cave will be the easiest form of shelter as it stops you from having to build your own and if the cave only has one entrance, you will only have to block this with a wall or fence. Also, try to choose a location with good visibility. Seeing what time of day it is can be helpful, and seeing where the monsters are would be an advantage.
11. Stay away from monsters
    When you start the game, the first threat of monsters will arrive when night falls. Hostile mobs that only spawn in the dark such as Zombies, Spiders, Creepers and Skeletons will be some of the monsters that are a threat. You should also watch out for them during the day. Although Spiders become less dangerous during the day and mobs such as Zombies burn when morning comes, you should wait until you have better equipment before you start fighting them. You need to look out for Skeletons as their arrows can seriously affect your health and other more powerful monsters such as Creepers, Endermen and Witches can easily kill you so should be avoided initially until you’re armed and experienced.
12. Store away your treasure
    If you have any spare logs or planks, consider making yourself a chest to stash items you don’t want to carry around with you. This way, if you die, your items will remain safe in the chest rather than being scattered. A chest is not vital at the beginning of the game but is something you should consider crafting for the future.These are just a few tips to get you started on your first few nights on survival mode. Hopefully, this has given you an idea of what to expect and will help you settle into the world of Minecraft.