Minecraft Matters: How Do You Play Minecraft for the First Time?

Want to get into Minecraft?

Minecraft came out in 2011 (2009, if you count the Beta) and has been a staple game for many avid gamers ever since. It’s so popular that it’s now available across multiple gaming platforms. From PC to console, and even mobile, you can play Minecraft almost anywhere.

It’s no question why anyone would find the game interesting. It looks straightforward, but first-time players may find it complex. There’s so much you can do with it.

That’s why it has players that span across all generations. Minecraft captures the hearts of children and adults alike. Depending on how you want to play Minecraft, there are different approaches you can take.

Choosing Your Experience

Once you’ve booted up the game, you can decide to play solo or multiplayer. Should you choose singleplayer, you have the option of Survival, Creative, and Hardcore.

Survival is the default experience you need to farm for resources and hunt monsters. Creative gives you infinite resources and invulnerability, perfect for stress-free building. Hardcore locks the game to its most difficult and only gives you one life, so no respawns.

The multiplayer experience will be similar unless you play on advanced modded servers. If you’re curious about how to play Minecraft with friends far away, you need a server. It’s always possible to upload your singleplayer world to a server so you can play it with your friends.

Learning the Basics

Outside of Creative, Minecraft work as a tier system. You’ll spawn with nothing and have to do everything from scratch. By punching a tree with your fists, you’ll receive the wood you’ll need to craft basic tools, such as a pickaxe and ax.

Tools allow you to gather better resources and faster. A wooden pickaxe lets you mine stone, a stone pick opens the way to iron, and iron to diamond. Most items in Minecraft open more crafting doors down the road.

Tools, weapons, armor, and building blocks come in a variety of types and tiers. For most beginners, the basic list in order is:

• Wood
• Stone
• Iron
• Gold
• Diamond
• Obsidian

Obsidian is the hardest material in the game and necessary for End Portals, but you can’t make items with them. This makes diamond the best crafting material by default. While you can make armor and weapons from gold, they will have very low durability.

Starting from Spawn

It’s crucial to get your base done before nightfall. It doesn’t have to be all fancy since it might not even be permanent. To do this, you need to survey your surroundings first and assess if it’s a convenient location.

Once you’ve decided on your location, punch the nearest tree and get started on gathering materials. Next, in your base, craft a workbench using four wooden planks. You’ll need it for tool making, and later on, armor making.

It would be best if you also had a bed since it’ll serve as your spawn point. Should you die before making a bed, you’ll run the risk of spawning far from your base. Also, you end up dropping your items where you die, which you died far away from your spawn point.

You also lose retrievable experience points when you die, so ensure to make that bed! The bed allows you to skip nighttime, so you don’t have to face monsters if you don’t want to.

They’re made out of wool which you get from sheep – so keep your eyes out for one. Do this as you explore the world.

Exploring the World

Minecraft graphics are quite simple and blocky. However, some developers are working to make it look more realistic. Nevertheless, it’s still rather easy to distinguish one location from another.

You need various materials that come from the different biomes of the world. You’ll also discover certain creatures that you can get loot from. These include food and other crafting materials.

Picking up items from the world updates a log of items called the recipe book. Always check it for new things you can make and craft. To find valuable ore like a diamond, you have to go deep underground.

A fair warning: never dig straight down unless you want to break your legs or swim in lava. Remember this before exploring caves or digging a mineshaft. Always make sure you’re prepared for any kind of danger.

Weapons, armor, and food go a long way. When playing Minecraft, remember that torches are your best friend. They provide light and protect you from the dark.

Monsters won’t spawn wherever a torch’s light hits. That said, you need to watch out for your enemies lurking around. The five monsters you will encounter are:

• Zombies
• Skeletons
• Spiders
• Creepers
• Endermen

Finally, as you explore, decide if there’s a better spot for your permanent base. You’ll come across NPC villages that’ll trade with you. So nearby might be an option to consider.

Final Tips

A funny tip a seasoned player might give you is “never spend diamonds on a hoe.” It may sound silly, but it’ll definitely make sense once you get deep into the game, as resources are finite. Additionally, Minecraft is full of intricate systems like brewing, farming, and enchanting.

As you play Minecraft, you will discover these and more. When you’re strong enough, you might want to venture into the Nether. The difficulty will increase as you work towards the Dragon.

Now that you know how to play Minecraft, all you have to do is enjoy the game. Playing with friends gives the game an extra level of fun. More so, the Minecraft community is friendly and welcoming.

Long-time players love to impart their expertise. Some even make community content for Minecraft. Sooner or later, you’ll find yourself teaching others how to play Minecraft with friends.

Play Minecraft Today

When it comes to learning to play Minecraft, there’s no “wrong” way, only the one most fun for you. Between friends and the MC community, there’s endless fun to be had – especially when counting mods.

If you’re looking for more tips or resources to get the most out of Minecraft, check out our other gaming tips.