UserGuide1

Originally created by a user called: Kerrawesome

Here is a list of tips and tricks:

Sand farming
Need to farm a lot of sand but you don't want to waste your shovel on that? Use torches! Place a torch under the sand and the other sand blocks (on top of it) are destroyed too. Note that this technique also works for gravel.

Crack Compass
Need to know north/south/east/west? Before setting out on a dangerous journey away from home, hit a block from the side. Don't break it; just view what direction the cracks go. There should be one going almost straight up, one to the right, and one going almost straight down. Now point the mouse downwards and do the same. Circle around until the block is in the same orientation as when you hit one from the side. The "up" crack (almost) points north! Follow that row of chunks to go straight north. When you want to return, hit a block under your feet, identify south, and head home.

Peaceful mode
Can't seem to figure out those zombies? Too slow for the spiders? Can't make a decent shelter with the worry of a creeper? Low on health and don't have any food? Set the difficulty to peaceful and, voila! Your health will quickly regenerate and all hostile mobs will disappear. This becomes very helpful when building large structures or pixel art; however, most players dislike this, as it takes away much of what they see as the challenge and some of the fun of Minecraft.

Tree technique
If you want to get every log on a tree but just can't reach that top one, try leaving the bottom block intact (not cut down) and then jump on it to get the rest. Once done, harvest the bottom. If you still can't reach after using this, you'll have to place a block such as dirt below you to boost yourself up higher.

Set your spawn
If your house is far from your spawn, and you have 3 Wool and 3 Wooden Planks, you can make a Bed. If you sleep in a bed at night, it will set your spawn, and, like in real life, skip the night. Be careful: if you break your bed, you will lose that spawn point! Therefore, it may be smart to make a second bed, and place it and sleep in it before you get rid of the first bed. That way you won't die and spawn at the original spawn point while moving your first bed.

Be careful when decorating around your bed. Some block placements will look like you have access to your bed, but will prevent your bed from acting as a spawn point. Never completely surround your bed, even with half-height blocks like stone slabs as you will suffocate when you wake up.

Notes: You need to be able to stand on your bed if you want to set a new spawn point.

If you don't create another spawn point if you die you will respawn at a random spot in the world.

On beds and bases
You've discovered a stronghold, an abandoned mine? You're tempted by the riches but far from home and you're afraid if you die you will lose your valuable items, not able to reach them in time? Set up a new spawn point at the outskirts of the discovered structure by placing a bed and sleeping in it. But... you need to think ahead, or risk even worse disaster than a single death!

Consider that when you die, you will respawn without your possessions. If you died someplace deep underground, you are likely to have monsters between you and your dropped items. If you plan to create a spawn base nearby, that base had better have enough resources for you to equip yourself properly before you go charging back into the fray! Your basic "kit" for a spawn base should be at least half a stack of iron (or the equipment it makes, see below), at least half a stack of wood and a quarter-stack of coal, plus bow and arrows, and food. Supplies of other equipment (torches, fences, ladders, etc.) are also helpful.

If you don't have enough to spare to stock the base, you may be better off respawning at your distant base, well out of chunk loading range from your death. Your items will not disappear in unloaded chunks, so you can re-equip yourself at leisure, move to a few hundred blocks from the death site, and then zip back there as fast as you can before the five-minute timer runs out. As preparation for this, you can thoroughly mark your route from the surface to the mine, especially the proper entrances.

If you do decide on a nearby spawn base, the first priority is safety—you need to pick an area that is well lit and closed off from dangerous areas, and especially protected from creepers (stone/cobblestone walls, a door, and glassed or fenced windows to view the area in front of the entrance). A small room will do, but you need enough space for a crafting table, a furnace and at least one double-chest to store your supplies (these can be embedded in the floor if needed.) Of course, you also need space for the bed, and free space next to the head of the bed for you to respawn. You probably should also make room for an infinite water source, which can be tucked half under a wall.

What you need for the base will be a bed, crafting table, furnace, and a chest. If you haven't any wool for the bed, you can use string (plentiful in abandoned mine-shafts) to make some. The chest should contain at minimum a full set of iron armor, iron sword, a bucket, and either a second bucket, an iron pick, or shears and a flint-and-steel. (By an amazing coincidence, this is exactly what you can make with half a stack of iron.) You will also want stone pick, shovel, and axe, a bow and at least half a stack of arrows, preferably a full stack. While you're at it, pre-craft some tools: you'll want to toss in another chest (in case you can't carry all the stuff you dropped when you died), and at least half a stack of torches. Some fences, gates, and ladders, a door, or whatever, may come in handy too. You'll want a fair bit of food, at least a quarter-stack of steak/pork-chops or more of lesser foods. Just to be careful, stick some spare blocks in there too—a half-stack to a stack apiece of cobblestone, dirt, and gravel, as well as extra wood. (Sand is less useful, but some glass might come in handy.) Having some extra raw materials handy—coal, string, redstone, etc., is always good. If you can, top off the selection with a spare copy of your map, and a clock—these can be in frames if you like.

Before delving into the depths, remember to sleep in that bed at least once. Just placing it is not enough! (When you go home, likewise remember to sleep in the bed there to reset your spawn point there.) Now when you die, you will reappear not helpless in the midst of a dangerous cavern, but in a secure base with a full set of supplies to go back and seek revenge, or at least your stuff.

Shelter problem
Is it nearing nighttime and you haven't finished your shelter yet? In an emergency situation and need some shelter? Dig three blocks down and place a block above you, and now you're safe! Make sure you have a torch though; if not it will be pitch black as there is no light source. You may want to expand the boundaries so you may place a bed. You can get out by Pillar jumping if you have no ladders. This method is not recommended though, as you're completely exposed to mobs as you leave. Pillar jumping instead of digging into the earth is another solution. Simply make a pillar directly under you: 10 or 12 blocks will put you out of reach from a skeleton's arrows, and out of range from monsters in general (be aware of spiders, though). As a last resort, you can simply set your difficulty to peaceful mode and relax. (See second paragraph.)

Zombie proof Door
Zombies can break down your door when night falls. Here's a solution that doesn't require you to craft anything or compromise your base's security. Simply break down your door (during the day, of course,) turn so that you are perpendicular to where the door just was, and place your door. Get out of the hole the door is occupying, and open it by right-clicking. Now, if you placed it the right way, zombies will think that your door is open and avoid it! One can also place any regular block such as dirt or cobblestone in front of the door to prevent zombies from getting to it. If the block is placed on the outside side of the door, the zombie will not be able to damage the door. If the block is placed on the inside side of the door, the zombie can break down the door, but cannot proceed further inside.

One can also place sand or gravel above the door, that way, if the Zombie does break the door, it will fall and close the entrance off; or can make a water or lava ditch after the door, also preventing Zombies and other mobs from entering. Make sure that your house is not made from a flammable substance, or that anything is around the ditch.

The simplest solution is to use a fence gate instead of a door, as Zombies do not recognise them as doors. One must, however, guard against Creepers, which will treat fence gates as fences as per priming-time detection range mechanics (Creepers will start the countdown even if blocked by fences, as they are in the same space as the fence). The laziest way to protect against hostile intruders is to dig a 1x3 trench in front of your door--to break down doors, zombies must destroy the top half of the door. If zombies are in your door trench, they must jump to attempt to break the top half of the door, which resets the zombie door breaking mechanic. *This method only works if your door was installed flush to the outside wall of your dwelling!*

QUick Iron
Although it is not easy to find caves, Iron is plentiful and is easy to find. An easy way to get Iron is to dig up all the dirt until you reach the point of stone. You will easily find Iron ore by the surface allowing you to pick up all the resources. This is by far the most cheap method of getting Iron, and you may even use TNT to help. If you're even skilled you may use Creepers to you advantage.