Minecraft Forums

Whats the most efficient way to mine?

I would say finding cave systems as opposed to just digging down because you get a lot more ores but it's also more dangerous.

Ok, because I love to play minecraft for hours on end. And I feel like the way I mine is very inefficient.

Branch mining in layers 4 through 15 is the most efficient way to mine.

Just Google Minecraft Branch Mining

I play with my friends on 360 edition, and they mine in different ways. I just dig into a mountain and just steadily dig down.

Quote from Mhyles

I generally strip mine, I think it's the easiest way to do it. But finding caves is far funner. Expecially getting lost!

Sometimes I hate getting lost, other times not. I've been lost in a cave for almost 2 hours.

I'll try a mix of all of these.

Quote from SquirrelBrains

Whats the most efficient way to mine?

branch mining and cave diving are the best ways to find ore, i prefer to branch mine cause its way safer. just make sure to dig around when you find ore cause usually there's more right next to it.

I would first mine in caves until you get a good amount of iron, coal, gold, and diamonds then move onto making a quarry

Quote from Mhyles

I generally strip mine, I think it's the easiest way to do it. But finding caves is far funner. Expecially getting lost!

I agree. I seem to find alot of cave systems on each map I play w/a **** ton of goodies.

Quote from SquirrelBrains

Sometimes I hate getting lost, other times not. I've been lost in a cave for almost 2 hours.

When I get lost I like digging stairs to top just to see where I pop out on my world at

Quote from Major_MoMSqueal

When I get lost I like digging stairs to top just to see where I pop out on my world at

Must suck when you pop out under water, floods your tunnel, die, then spend the rest of your day trying to find where your stuff is.
I dig strait down( I know it is very dangerous but it gives you a scare when you find a cave and drop) it may not be the best way (maybe the worst way) of digging, but it works for me.

Quote from nyxk3

Must suck when you pop out under water, floods your tunnel, die, then spend the rest of your day trying to find where your stuff is.

Yea, because its so hard to place a dirt block or what? lol

i go spelunking, but its is also fun to make a stair way down to bedrock and dig around a bit till lava appears, then digging around the lava and finding a mystical cave full of every ore

I did some Quarry mines which did take awhile. I did do some strip mining as well.

Ah, OK, so "branch mining" it is. I didn't know the term, but the technique seems fairly obvious once you discover it, since it exposes absolutely every block in the mined volume while digging through only a third of it.

If I get truly lost in caves, I will simply spiral my way out of it, upward. (Don't confuse this with digging straight overhead, which I never do.) I don't know why someone thinks this is overly dangerous. Neither water nor lava flow or spread too fast to keep you from plugging up any leaks quickly. Just keep dirt or cobblestone blocks near your pick and shovel in the hotbar.