&> The Ultimate Player’s Guide to Minecraft
Second Edition
Minecraft: These worlds are YOURS!
Minecraft is WAY more than a game: it’s an alternate universe of creation, exhilaration, survival, adventure, passion! Don’t enter that universe alone. Take an experienced guide who’ll help you constantly as you learn the secrets of Minecraft!
Stephen O’Brien has been obsessing over Minecraft since its earliest betas. He’s seen it all! Now, he’ll take you deep inside craft and mine, cave and menagerie, farm and village. He’ll reveal combat traps and tricks you need to know… teach you enchantments of unimaginable power… help you survive where few dare to go… help you OWN the infinite worlds of Minecraft!
- Quick-start guide for first-night survival
- Customize your experience: monstrous, peaceful, and more
- Harvest resources, craft tools and shelters—let there be light
- Grab your pickaxe: mine iron, gold, diamonds, and redstone
- Escape (or defeat!) 14 types of hostile mobs
- Get friendly mobs on your side and build automated farms
- Brew potions to cure ills, gain superpowers, and throw at enemies
- Transform your shelter into a palace (or a secret underwater base)
- Create new worlds and master the fine art of terraforming
- Learn the secrets of redstone devices, and build incredible rail systems
- Play safely through The Nether and The End
Minecraft is a trademark of Mojang Synergies / Notch Development AB. This book is not affiliated with or sponsored by Mojang Synergies / Notch Development AB.
Stephen O’Brien is an Australian-born writer and entrepreneur now residing in Sydney after too many years in Silicon Valley. He has written 27 books, including several best-sellers. O’Brien founded Typefi, the world’s leading automated publishing system, and in his spare time invented a new type of espresso machine called mypressi. He’s a perpetual innovator who remains astounded at the unparalleled creativity Minecraft can engender.
Table of Contents:
Introduction to the Second Edition...............................1
What’s in This Book...............................2
How to Use This Book ...............................4
Crafting Recipes ...............................4
There’s More Online… ...............................4
Chapter 1 Getting Started............................... 5
Registering and Downloading............................... 5
Registering a Mojang Account............................... 7
Purchasing Minecraft............................... 8
Launching Minecraft ...............................10
Starting a New Game ...............................13
Choosing a World-Generation Style ...............................15
Singleplayer Game Modes ...............................17
Seeding Your World ...............................19
About Snapshots ...............................20
Controls ...............................21
The Bottom Line ...............................23
Chapter 2 First-Night Survival ...............................25
Survive and Thrive ...............................25
Head for the Trees ...............................27
Using Your Inventory ...............................29
Build a Crafting Table ...............................31
Let’s Build Some Tools ...............................32
Creating a Shelter ...............................36
The Furnace Is Your Friend ...............................40
Let There Be Light ...............................41
Slumber with Lumber ...............................44
Tools and Their (Over)Use ...............................47
A Bit About Achievements............................... 48
What Is This “Bonus Chest” You Speak Of? ...............................49
The Bottom Line ...............................50
Chapter 3 Gathering Resources ...............................53
Introducing the HUD ...............................53
Improving Your Tools ...............................57
Chests: Safely Stash Your Stuff ...............................60
Avoiding Monsters ...............................62
Hunger Management ...............................64
Your Mission: Food, Resources, and Reconnaissance ...............................66
Food on the Run ...............................68
Finding a Building Site ...............................69
Using the Creative Mode Inventory ...............................73
The Bottom Line ...............................76
Chapter 4 Mining............................... 77
Dig Deep, My Friend ...............................77
The Mining Layer Cake Guide ...............................79
Lava Lakes and Other Pitfalls ...............................82
Descending to Layer 11 ...............................84
The 2×1 Ladder Descent ...............................84
The Straight Staircase ...............................86
The Spiral Staircase ...............................87
Layouts for Fast, Efficient Mining ...............................88
Staying Safe While You Mine ...............................91
The Bottom Line ...............................92
Chapter 5 Combat School ...............................93
Introducing the Menagerie ...............................94
Zombies ...............................94
Spiders............................... 96
Skeletons ...............................97
Cave Spiders ...............................98
Spider Jockeys............................... 99
Chicken Jockeys ...............................99
Creepers............................... 99
Slimes ...............................100
Endermen............................... 101
Zombie Pigmen ...............................102
Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog ...............................102
Guardians and Elder Guardians ...............................103
Defensive Mobs ...............................104
Snow Golems ...............................104
Iron Golems ...............................105
Mob Target Practice ...............................106
Weapons and Armor ...............................108
Swordcraft ...............................108
Bows and Arrows ...............................109
Armor-All ...............................112
Color Coordinate Your Leather............................... 114
Taking Combat Damage and Healing ...............................115
The Bottom Line ...............................116
Chapter 6 Crop Farming ...............................119
Choosing a Crop ...............................119
Minecraft Bakery ...............................123
Minecraft BBQ ...............................123
Alchemy Eatery ...............................124
Raw Food Diet ...............................124
Eat at Your Own Risk ...............................125
Establishing a Farm ...............................125
Automated Farms ...............................132
Creating a Piston Harvester ...............................136
Sticky Piston Harvesting ...............................139
Creating a Water Harvester ...............................140
Harvesting Other Crops ...............................142
The Bottom Line ...............................143
Chapter 7 Farming and Taming Mobs ...............................145
Farming and Working with Friendly Mobs ...............................145
Using Leads............................... 149
Breeding Animals ...............................150
Dying for Dye? ...............................151
Taming and Riding Horses, Donkeys, and More ...............................152
Armoring Your Horse ...............................154
Loading Up the Pack............................... 155
Riding Pigs ...............................155
Fishing ...............................156
Ah, the Squid ...............................157
The Bottom Line ...............................158
Chapter 8 Creative Construction ...............................159
Leaving the Cave ...............................159
Building a Custom World ...............................163
Unleashing Your Interior Decorator............................... 165
Building Underwater ...............................172
Protecting Your Perimeter ...............................179
Become a Ditch Witch ...............................179
Mob Pitfalls ...............................181
Thick as a Brick............................... 182
The Bottom Line............................... 183
Chapter 9 Redstone, Rails, and More ...............................185
Seeing Red: A Beginner’s Guide ...............................186
Power Sources ...............................186
Redstone Wiring ...............................190
Powered Blocks............................... 192
Modifiers ...............................194
Repeaters ...............................194
Comparators ...............................196
Output Devices ...............................197
Automatic Doors ...............................200
Vertical Currents ...............................205
Advanced Circuits ...............................206
NOT Gates, aka Inverters ...............................207
OR Gates, or Any Input Will Do............................... 208
AND Gates, Two TRUE ...............................209
Repeater Loops ...............................210
Rail Transport ...............................211
Have Minecart, Will Travel ...............................212
Rolling on Rails............................... 215
Making Tracks and Stations ...............................216
T-Junctions............................... 218
Halfway Stations ...............................218
A Word About Hoppers ...............................219
The Bottom Line............................... 221
Chapter 10 Enchanting, Anvils, and Brewing.................... 223
Enchanting Wiles ...............................223
Creating and Mining Obsidian ...............................225
Crafting Books ...............................228
Casting Enchantments ...............................228
Improving Enchantment Chances with Bookshelves............................... 230
Earning and Managing Experience............................... 232
Spruce Up Your Weapons ...............................233
Enhance Your Armor............................... 234
Improve Your Tools............................... 235
Hammer It Out with the Anvil ...............................235
Brewing Potions ...............................37
Brewing Up a Storm ...............................240
Enhancing Potions ...............................242
The Bottom Line............................... 244
Chapter 11 Villages and Other Structures .....................245
Village Life............................... 245
Emerald City: Your Ticket to Trade ...............................248
Hidden Temples and Other Structures ...............................251
Desert Temples ...............................251
Jungle Temples............................... 253
Witch Huts............................... 253
Dungeons............................... 254
Abandoned Mine Shafts ...............................255
Strongholds ...............................255
Ocean Monuments ...............................256
Nether Fortresses ...............................257
Mapping, or There and Back Again ...............................257
Crafting a Clock ...............................260
The Bottom Line ...............................261
Chapter 12 Playing Through: The Nether and The End ..............263
Alternate Dimensions ...............................263
Getting to The Nether ...............................266
Portal Magic ...............................267
Surviving the Nether Fortress ...............................271
Nether Mobs ...............................272
The End Game ...............................275
Finding a Stronghold ...............................276
Defeating the Ender Dragon ...............................278
The Bottom Line............................... 283
Chapter 13 Mods and Multiplayer ...............................285
Customizing Your Experience ...............................285
Changing the Skin You’re In ...............................286
Minecraft Skin Editors ...............................288
Skincraft ...............................288
The Skindex ...............................289
Novaskin ...............................289
Resource Packs: Change Your World ...............................290
Mind My Mods ...............................293
Installing Forge Mods ...............................295
Too Many Items ...............................297
More Explosives ...............................298
Super Heroes............................... 299
REI’s MiniMap ...............................299
Legendary Beasts ...............................300
Too Many Mobs ...............................300
Multiplayer Madness............................... 301
Sharing and Joining on a LAN ...............................302
Joining a Multiplayer Server ...............................304
Hosting a Multiplayer Server ...............................307
Spectator Mode ...............................310
The Bottom Line ...............................310
Index ...............................311
