In Minecraft, gameplay consists of cycles of day-time, followed by night-time. Each day-night cycle is 20 minutes long. Whether you survive the first Minecraft night is determined by the decisions you make during the first Minecraft day.
When you initially enter your Minecraft world, there are many things to do in preparation for ongoing gameplay but these need to be prioritised to survive the night because when the sun goes down, monsters come out.
How to Live through your first night of Minecraft
1 Select an area for your first base
It is important take note of where you first “spawn” (appear) in your Minecraft world. This will be your “spawn point” where, in the unfortunate event that your character is killed, you will “respawn” (reappear) without any equipment. Your first base should be near this point, so you can easily find what you need when you respawn. You can move your spawn point at a later stage in the game.
2 Take note of your base area surroundings
New players often find that if they venture too far too early, they become lost and are unsure how to get back to base. This is will not be an issue later in the game, after you crafted a map.
3 Collect wood
Wood makes the planks used to create important tools and weapons and the construction table. You collect wood by holding a mouse-click on a block of wood from a tree until it breaks. Then the block will pop out, and walking close to or over it, will collect and store it in your inventory. One single wooden block creates four wooden planks when the block is moved to the crafting area of the inventory.
4 Make basic tools
After you create wooden planks, the next step is to make sticks. Two planks of wood, on top of one another in the crafting window, makes four sticks. Sticks are used to build the basic tools – axe, hatchet and sword.
5 Build a makeshift shack
This is the most critical step to protect yourself from the night monsters. You can easily make your first house out of dirt, as dirt is very easy to dig with your hands and is a plentiful resource. A simple wall of dirt blocks at least two blocks high is enough to survive until morning. Make sure there are no gaps in the blocks as skeletons can shoot through them, and walls less than two block highs will not prevent zombies, spiders, skeletons and creepers from jumping over.
Congratulations. You’ve made it through your first Minecraft night and are prepared for the second day.
Note about Minecraft Modes: Survival is a specific Minecraft Mode involving the most gameplay. Minecraft can also be played in Passive Mode (no monsters but you still need to craft everything you need) and Creative Mode (no monsters and all tools and materials are supplied).
Sandy Fussell is an IT Consultant and an award-winning author of books for young people. You can find her at www.sandyfussell.com and www.samuraikids.com. She is a Minecraft mum who has had her own Minecraft account for many years.
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You don’t need to build a shack. Surviving the night is as easy as digging a hole 2 blocks wide and 3 blocks deep, getting into said whole, and walling the top off with dirt blocks. Boom, you’re safe for the night! This also has the advantage of allowing you to explore as far as you want from your base and never having to worry about being caught out at night.