My Minecraft Handbook: The 界手Unofficial Survival Guide You'll Actually Use

You know that moment when you're mining at bedrock level and suddenly hear *hssss* behind you? Yeah. This handbook won't stop creepers from blowing up your diamond stash, but it might help you avoid the situation entirely. I've cobbled together everything I wish I knew during my first 500 hours – no corporate fluff, just practical stuff that works.

Chapter 1: Not Dying on Day One (Mostly)

Let's be real – your first night is always a panic. Here's how to not become zombie chow:

• Punch wood immediately– like, before you even look around. 3 logs minimum.
• Make a crafting table beforetools – you can punch stone to make a furnace later.
• Your starter shelter is literally 3 dirt blocks stacked with one removed for peeking.

Pro Tip They Never Mention

Sheep spawn near rivers 80% of the time. If you see one, whack it immediately – beds skip nights safely and reset spawn points. No wool? Use 2 blocks of sand for a temporary pillar hideout.

Chapter 2: Mining Without Tears

The "dig straight down" memes? They're not wrong, just incomplete. Here's the actual smart way to mine:

• Y=11 is your friend– diamonds spawn at 15 and below, but lava pools sit at 10
• Always carry:
  • Water bucket (stops lava, puts out fire)
  • Doors (creates air pockets in water/lava)
  • Ladders (cheaper than scaffolding)

The "branch mining" method in the official guide works, but it's boring. Try this instead:

1. Dig staircase to Y=11
2. Clear 3x3 room at bottom
3. Mine 20-block tunnels in 4 directions
4. Place torches on RIGHT only – if lost, follow left torches home

Chapter 3: Villager Hacks That Feel Like Cheating

Found a village? Congrats, you just won capitalism. Here's how to exploit it properly:

To force specific trades: break and replace their job block (lectern for librarians) until you get the deal you want. It's tedious, but getting Mending early changes everything.

The Zombie Trick

If you cure a zombie villager (splash weakness + golden apple), their trades become permanently discounted. Do this during a thunderstorm – zombie conversions happen naturally.

Chapter 4: Redstone for People Who Hate Math

Redstone tutorials always assume you want to build a 16-bit computer. Here's what normal humans actually need:

• Automatic Smelter– just 2 furnaces, 2 hoppers, 1 chest
• Piston Door– 4 sticky pistons, pressure plates, no repeaters needed
• Mob Farm– water flusher with trapdoors (works at spawn chunks)

The secret nobody tells you? Most redstone builds fail because of block update order. If something's glitchy, try moving the whole contraption 2 blocks left – seriously.

Chapter 5: Nether Survival Made Less Terrifying

First time entering the Nether? Your checklist:

• Bring cobblestone (ghasts can't blow it up)
• Wear at least iron armor (blaze fire hurts)
• Place torches every 5 blocks (Netherrack all looks the same)

Finding a fortress isn't about luck – they generate along north/south lines in Java Edition. Walk east or west if you're not finding one.

And about piglins: gold boots are cheapest for protection. Throw gold ingots to distract groups, but never open a chest near themunless you want 20 angry piglins shooting at you.

Chapter 6: End Game Shortcuts

Prepping for the Ender Dragon fight doesn't need to take weeks:

The dragon fight itself has one weird trick: bring beds. Place them 1 block from the dragon when she perches, then right-click to explode (stand back!). 3-4 beds does the same damage as hitting her for 10 minutes.

Oh, and those End cities? They always generate in the same direction from the central island – fly straight from the return portal's orientation. You'll find ships within 500 blocks most times.

Anyway, my coffee's gone cold and the sun's coming up. Hope some of this saves you from the dumb deaths I suffered. Maybe I'll add an advanced combat chapter later... after I finally get those darn trident drowneds to spawn.