Despite Minecraft releasing almost a decade ago in November of 2011, the game is doing just fine with a solid player base that’s gaining new players every year. The demographic for the game may focus on younger kids, but it has seen people across all ages fall in love with the crafting, building, and exploring it has to offer.
Those who love adventure often find themselves in cave systems that can be much larger than initially thought to be. Both veterans and newcomers should be familiar with the tips and tricks that make traversing caves a walk in the park.
10 Have A System To Avoid Getting Lost
One of the worst things that can happen inside caves is getting lost and having to dig straight up to the surface. Not only is this dangerous due to random lava pools in the Earth existing, but it just makes the player feel foolish.
This is why every player should have their system in place. Some players place torches in specific ways, have a trusty lantern, or simply rely on their memory. No matter what it is, there should be some sort of thought in regards to how the player will understand where the exit is and how to get back to that point from where they are.
9 Explore At Your Own Pace
Going along with the idea of having a system to avoid getting lost, it’s important to pace out how and when one decides to explore caves. Too much of anything – even a good thing – can become overwhelming and lose its appeal rather quickly.
Don’t feel the need to explore an entire cave system if there’s only a handful of torches available. The better move would be to tackle it in sections at one’s own pace and slowly peel back the layers of mystery this naturally occurring phenomenon has to offer.
8 Know What Level You’re On
Players enter the world with next to nothing in Minecraft, but they are gifted with a map that shows the land and provides X, Y, and Z coordinates. The Y coordinate is important in Minecraft because resources spawn on different levels.
If the player doesn’t know this, they can waste tons of time searching for something in the wrong area. When players are deep in caves, this also matters because it can indicate where the player should be looking in terms of finding diamonds, emeralds, gold, among other things.
7 Be Careful With Lava
In comparison to water, lava moves rather slowly and can be avoided pretty easily. Many times with lava, it’s the surrounding elements that result in a player taking damage. Whether it’s digging right below one’s self or having an enemy arrow knock a player back, lava can be a result that sneaks up and causes death out of nowhere.
Burning to death from lava isn’t the biggest issue though. If a player dies in or near lava and their items come in contact with it, they will be destroyed which is the worst part of it all.
6 Fall Damage Is Real
Knockback is a key part of Minecraft’s combat system and can be used as an enchantment on various tools and weapons. This happens most notably with the arrows skeletons use and can cause the player to fall from great heights if they’re unlucky.
This is something to be aware of when exploring caves as perching on a ledge could result in the player falling to their death. No amount of armor or arrows will save a player who happens to fall that far. Of course, that’s only if they aren’t under the effects of Feather Falling via potion or enchantment.
5 Dig Around Resources
Buried in the code of Minecraft is this neat connection between certain resources players harvest via mining. Some of them simply spawn next to one another. That’s why it’s important to dig a little bit around the redstone, emeralds, or diamonds that are found there.
There’s a good chance that it isn’t the only thing in the immediate area. After all, the best feeling is when a player makes the effort to dig up some redstone only to find a hidden collection of priceless diamonds that were simply keeping the red dust company.
4 Don’t Get Comfortable
Complacency is the enemy of progress and, in the world of Minecraft, it’s the enemy of having a good time. Far too often, players get comfortable in their surroundings and are caught off guard by a sneaky creeper or skeleton that happens to be stashed in the shadows.
Unless it’s a closed-off section of a mine or underground city, the rule of thumb is to always have your head on a swivel when exploring caves. By doing this, it could prevent the headache of dying and respawning, but it could also lead to some neat discoveries.
3 Look For Branching Paths
Minecraft’s code is pretty good at creating different sizes of interconnected caves that go in all sorts of directions. Sometimes, these branches aren’t as obvious and will only be visible through a single missing block hole.
That’s why it’s always smart to explore cave systems entirely and not be afraid to investigate naturally occurring holes and high-ceilings. Some may lead to a small cave that goes nowhere, but others may be the connecting thread to an entirely new system of caves spanning hundreds of blocks.
2 Overuse Torches
Unless a player has ignored their need for more coal, there should be no reason why a player rations out their use of torches. It’s one thing to be deliberate with torch placement on the surface, but in caves, it’s best to be too careful as opposed to not careful enough.
The last thing anyone wants is a creeper spawning in a poorly lit area, sneaking up behind the player, and having its explosion send the player into a pit of lava. If an area looks dimmer in comparison to other areas, the best thing to do is drop an additional torch.
1 Be Properly Prepared
Exploring is super fun in Minecraft and the thought of finding diamonds or some other weird mystery in a dark cave can become exciting. That doesn’t mean players should rush out the door unprepared and set themselves up for failure though.
It’s important to gather all of the necessary items and tools needed and place any unneeded stuff in storage. Crafting sufficient torches and equipping a good set of armor should also be part of the mental checklist a player runs through before plunging into the dark unknown.
NEXT: Minecraft: 10 Tips For Beginners Looking To Survive Early On
