@eurypterus: I have noted in the tutorial that the southwest bug is dead now. I knew it, but thank you for reminding me to edit that.
@shadonic: I will have to try that wall climbing thing, but I doubt it will be more useful to me than simply carving out a stairway. As for infinite water sources, I usually find enough springs in the caves that I have to just destroy most of them for mobility's sake. My tubular cave farms also contain infinite water sources, so long as they're more than three blocks long and you don't take it from the end.
@fuzznuggets: Nagura? Is that a server? I've never played there. I let a couple friends use my account sometimes, though, so it may have been one of them.
@jezzaman101: Clearly you have never found a single room large enough to house a 1-block-per-pixel pig. It's all the same two types of cave room, but things get interesting when about ten of them overlap.
Definitely a nice guide, and I'll sure to use it when I explore my next dungeon, but I always have a few other items I like to bring.
You said bring cobblestone, but for me, that takes to long to dig up. Instead, go out and find a stack of dirt to use. If your in a desert, get sand (its better then nothing). If you can't find either, stop playing Minecraft.
Flint and steel. Probably unnecessary, but its nice to use when your out of torches, or a monster catches you by surprise its nice as a "mini-torch", per say.
Did you know you can place torches at the source of water or lava and it will block the flow?
I would also recommend bringing a spare sword, pick axe and shovel, just in case.
Anyways, thats all I have to add. Great guide though, I'll be sure to use it ^^
You can also horizontally climb walls with water. All you have to do (horizontal climbing) is place water above you, then quickly take the water and place it one or more blocks to your left/right. You can also do this vertically.
I learned this from Vechs' Super Hostile training map :biggrin.gif:
I'm with xhunter on cobblestone on this one: when you have a bunch of cobble for making bridges and stairways, I find that it is a poor replacement for dirt. In emergencies I'll use a pillar of dirt to get somewhere or to plug a lava hole in a tight place, and being able to quickly remove my bridges/columns with my bare hands or a shovel strikes me as a faster, more user-friendly system.
Of course, cobblestone is invaluable for making tools, marking paths, and making Ghast-proof barriers, but it's also pretty easy to come by inside the cave.
I guess it depends on whether or not you want to use that inventory space for a stack of dirt or for something else.
What's frightening is your preparation inventory is almost exactly the same as mine the only difference is I carry a stack of sticks and a stack of planks instead of log. Also I carry one or two pork chops on top of my wheat (pork chops actually not necessary)
Something I'd like to suggest is:
Cover or destroy all waterfalls or water flows you find in caves. Not only is it incredibly slow to swim up a cave with flowing water on the floor, but monsters will often use flowing water as high speed ambush points if left unchecked. Not to mention water often hides resources in the areas it covers and blocks escape points too.
@jezzaman101: Clearly you have never found a single room large enough to house a 1-block-per-pixel pig. It's all the same two types of cave room, but things get interesting when about ten of them overlap.
Of course i've never found one of them, and if i did, i'd treat it with reverance, even if i didn't have any traditionally practical uses for it. Don't get me wrong, spelunking was the first and will always remain an important part of my minecraft attention. It's just that it can't do it for me by itself anymore.
Really really nice guide. This should be stickied, just because it'll help new people a lot.
Thanks for the guide,even though I never,ever sperlunk.I think its something I should get into doing because it seems like a rush of energy.
I'll try this.
One useful thing for exploring a cave is a stack of about 30-60 sand. It's useful for bridges across lava, useful for making stairs down off an overhang and good for temporary barriers and marking things.
Fantastic guide sir! Like many of the other people in this thread, I did most of this stuff already, however, in the past, I was lazy and didn't bother to bring a stack of logs, much less a stack of wheat. Instead I'd just bring torches and pork chops. Even though I guess none of this information is actually new to me, you have inspired me to bring my A game to spelunking. So thank you! Plus if I was a new player this guide would change the game for me. Great stuff.
PS: For those who don't have a particular need for redstone, I find that redstone wire makes a great marker. You can ever make little triangle arrows that point which way to go. I really like doing that in big confusing rooms.
You certainly need a section on "Oh god, I'm on 2 health, have no food and there's 3 skeletons behind my barricade". That's the important part.
Well If that happens, all you have to do Is dig a 1x2 pit (Because you never dig straight down on a 1x1 pit) straight down about three to four blocks then place blocks above you and drop some torches in so you can see, then dig a small tunnel until your close to the skeletons. Dig a murder hole (A hole where you can hit them but they can't hit you) and fist them (If your out of weapons;D)
Well If that happens, all you have to do Is dig a 1x2 pit (Because you never dig straight down on a 1x1 pit) straight down about three to four blocks then place blocks above you and drop some torches in so you can see, then dig a small tunnel until your close to the skeletons. Dig a murder hole (A hole where you can hit them but they can't hit you) and fist them (If your out of weapons;D)
I pretty much solve every hostile mob problem with lava nowadays. But, now I know where to look for that spider... Also, I have never found a need to build a mini-base inside a cave system I always just go back to the surface to deposit my diamonds. All in all, good guide.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Let your anger be as a monkey in a piñata... hiding amongst the candy... hoping the kids don't break through with the stick!
We are what we eat and we are who we meet. These are not mutually exclusive.
Nah, IVI4tt's pic is gonna give me nightmares...of realistic pigmen...
@shadonic: I will have to try that wall climbing thing, but I doubt it will be more useful to me than simply carving out a stairway. As for infinite water sources, I usually find enough springs in the caves that I have to just destroy most of them for mobility's sake. My tubular cave farms also contain infinite water sources, so long as they're more than three blocks long and you don't take it from the end.
@fuzznuggets: Nagura? Is that a server? I've never played there. I let a couple friends use my account sometimes, though, so it may have been one of them.
@jezzaman101: Clearly you have never found a single room large enough to house a 1-block-per-pixel pig. It's all the same two types of cave room, but things get interesting when about ten of them overlap.
How to not die in a cave
You said bring cobblestone, but for me, that takes to long to dig up. Instead, go out and find a stack of dirt to use. If your in a desert, get sand (its better then nothing). If you can't find either, stop playing Minecraft.
Flint and steel. Probably unnecessary, but its nice to use when your out of torches, or a monster catches you by surprise its nice as a "mini-torch", per say.
Did you know you can place torches at the source of water or lava and it will block the flow?
I would also recommend bringing a spare sword, pick axe and shovel, just in case.
Anyways, thats all I have to add. Great guide though, I'll be sure to use it ^^
I learned this from Vechs' Super Hostile training map :biggrin.gif:
I'm with xhunter on cobblestone on this one: when you have a bunch of cobble for making bridges and stairways, I find that it is a poor replacement for dirt. In emergencies I'll use a pillar of dirt to get somewhere or to plug a lava hole in a tight place, and being able to quickly remove my bridges/columns with my bare hands or a shovel strikes me as a faster, more user-friendly system.
Of course, cobblestone is invaluable for making tools, marking paths, and making Ghast-proof barriers, but it's also pretty easy to come by inside the cave.
I guess it depends on whether or not you want to use that inventory space for a stack of dirt or for something else.
Something I'd like to suggest is:
Cover or destroy all waterfalls or water flows you find in caves. Not only is it incredibly slow to swim up a cave with flowing water on the floor, but monsters will often use flowing water as high speed ambush points if left unchecked. Not to mention water often hides resources in the areas it covers and blocks escape points too.
Of course i've never found one of them, and if i did, i'd treat it with reverance, even if i didn't have any traditionally practical uses for it. Don't get me wrong, spelunking was the first and will always remain an important part of my minecraft attention. It's just that it can't do it for me by itself anymore.
Thanks for the guide,even though I never,ever sperlunk.I think its something I should get into doing because it seems like a rush of energy.
I'll try this.
PS: For those who don't have a particular need for redstone, I find that redstone wire makes a great marker. You can ever make little triangle arrows that point which way to go. I really like doing that in big confusing rooms.
Well If that happens, all you have to do Is dig a 1x2 pit (Because you never dig straight down on a 1x1 pit) straight down about three to four blocks then place blocks above you and drop some torches in so you can see, then dig a small tunnel until your close to the skeletons. Dig a murder hole (A hole where you can hit them but they can't hit you) and fist them (If your out of weapons;D)
Are you a necromancer by chance?
Let your anger be as a monkey in a piñata... hiding amongst the candy... hoping the kids don't break through with the stick!
We are what we eat and we are who we meet. These are not mutually exclusive.
Nosiritos.