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Guides

Your first week in Survival, step by step

Your first in-game days in Survival matter a lot. If by the end of the week you have a sturdy house, a food supply and iron tools, you can build and explore without hurrying. Below is a relaxed day-by-day plan. It isn't the only right way, but it helps you keep your bearings when the world feels too big.

A game week flies by, but a good house lasts a long time. Build somewhere you'll want to come back to.

— From the editors

How this section works: the tips apply to both main editions and are written in general terms. Difficulty level, world settings and small interface details may differ, so check against your own game.

A plan for seven in-game days

One small goal per day. If you don't get it done, just move it to tomorrow.

Day one: a roof over your head

Wood, planks, a crafting table and a wooden pickaxe. Before dark you need a shelter with a door and a few torches. If you don't have coal yet, wait out the night in a small burrow and get to work in the morning.

Home

Day two: stone and a furnace

Mine some stone with your wooden pickaxe and swap your tools for stone ones: they're tougher and work faster. Use stone to build a furnace, where you cook meat and smelt ore.

Mechanics

Day three: food without worry

Till a plot next to water and plant the seeds that drop from grass. Animals can be herded into a fenced pen. That way food stops being a daily concern.

Mechanics

Day four: a mine

Head down using a staircase and never dig straight down beneath yourself. Place torches as you go and look for coal and iron ore. Iron tools are the big milestone of the first week.

Terms

Day five: tidy up at home

Make a bed if you don't have one yet, set up chests and sort your loot sensibly: stone with stone, food with food. When everything has its place, getting ready for long trips is much easier.

Terms

Day six: scouting

Explore the area around you in daylight. Remember landmarks, put up tall pillars of blocks that are easy to spot, and note villages and caves. Head home well before sunset.

How to judge

Day seven: your first real build

Now you can think about making things beautiful: a big house, a bridge, a tower or a garden. Start with a simple plan on paper and build with whatever you have plenty of.

Editions

Planeta Minecraft article catalogue in English

This is where standalone articles written for English-speaking players and their parents will appear.

Topics we're working on

  • Planning a starter base you won't have to tear down a week later
  • A family world for the weekend: what to agree on before anyone starts playing
  • Exploring caves and mountains without getting lost: landmarks, maps and compasses
  • Spotting "free in-game currency" scams before your child clicks on them

Editorial rules

  • Articles in this catalogue are written separately for each language version and are not translations.
  • Some articles link to third-party websites, including gaming services; we do not control their content, prices or terms.
  • We do not distribute files or publish download links, server rankings, prices or reviews.

Before you leave home every time

  1. Check your food

    Take some cooked food with you. A hungry character heals more slowly and can't sprint for long.

  2. Bring light

    A stack of torches will save you in a cave and help you mark the way back.

  3. Pack a spare tool

    Pickaxes break at the worst possible moment. A second one, even a stone one, saves you an extra trip home.

  4. Leave valuables in a chest

    If your character dies, their items stay where they fell. It's better to keep anything precious at home.

  5. Watch the sun

    As soon as the sky starts to darken, head home or put up a temporary shelter right where you are.

Mistakes almost everyone makes

  • Digging straight down and falling into a cave or lava.
  • Wandering far from home on the very first evening.
  • Walking right up to a Creeper instead of backing away.
  • Spending your only iron on anything other than a pickaxe.
  • Building a house with no door and no light inside.
  • Forgetting where your bed is and respawning far from home.
  • Mechanics

    Resources and tools, crafting, redstone basics, farms, villagers and trading, explained simply.

  • Editions

    Java Edition and Bedrock Edition, the road from Pocket Edition, and the Survival, Creative and Adventure modes.

  • Terms

    A player's dictionary: mobs, biomes, crafting, redstone, spawning, resource packs, shaders, servers and raids.

  • Questions

    Answers about installing and accounts, the game itself, safety and family rules.

What we rely on

  • The official Minecraft website and Mojang Studios help pages
  • Minecraft Wiki: Bedrock Edition version history

We describe the basics of the game in general terms. Menus, button names and the contents of updates change over time and differ between editions, so check the details against the official help pages and update notes.