Ive been playing Minecraft: PE since release and recently got the Xbox version. I happened upon a deep cavern yesterday and decided to explore. It ended up being incredibly vast, with 3-4 lava flows and lots of waterfalls. I found enough diamonds/gold to make a full set of tools for each, plenty of redstone and way more iron ore than I know what to do with.
I'd like to mine it out and make it more accessible so that I don't spend another hour trying to figure out how to get out. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I suppose I should also mention that when I finally ended up getting out, I was under a fair amount of water. I suppose I should just find the nearest section of dry land and mine my way down, but I'm pretty sure with my luck I'd end up coming down on one of the huge lava pools. /:
what i do is I ALWAYS place torches on the right side so when i want to get out. I can just look and follow the torches on the left side.Also to make it more accesible mybe make a beacon there.Thats what i do it helped me find a INCREDIBLY MASSIVE cavern.
ive done this a few times, i end up doing the cardinal sin and digging straight up, although i would never recommend that lol
Honestly, that's the only way I managed to get out lol. Made a tower of cobble and dug up until I heard the soothing sound of cows and pigs. Then the water came...
Honestly, that's the only way I managed to get out lol. Made a tower of cobble and dug up until I heard the soothing sound of cows and pigs. Then the water came...
Yea thats why i recommend placing all torches on right side.It makes me ge out of caverns every time(ok maybe not EVERY time but mostly) Message me if this works.Also i would take the other guys advice about coridnates
I always end up with loads more redstone than I ever use... in particularly confusing cave areas, I lay down a redstone line in spots to help me find my way back.
Ive been playing Minecraft: PE since release and recently got the Xbox version. I happened upon a deep cavern yesterday and decided to explore. It ended up being incredibly vast, with 3-4 lava flows and lots of waterfalls. I found enough diamonds/gold to make a full set of tools for each, plenty of redstone and way more iron ore than I know what to do with.
I'd like to mine it out and make it more accessible so that I don't spend another hour trying to figure out how to get out. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I suppose I should also mention that when I finally ended up getting out, I was under a fair amount of water. I suppose I should just find the nearest section of dry land and mine my way down, but I'm pretty sure with my luck I'd end up coming down on one of the huge lava pools. /:
Any help is greatly appreciated!
How deep is the water where you popped out. If you're planning to continue mining in the cave and you think it's worth all the work; you can build a cool ocean-platform. First, drain your exit and the area immediately all the way around it by sinking sand or gravel into the water until the stacks of sand or gravel break the surface. If it's not deep, you can also build this up from the bottom under the water with dirt. Then, redig out the center only of your shaft only (as a 1 block area with ladders or, if you've filled a 4 x 4 area, you can dig down and build up a 2 x 2 staircase with dirt or cobble. If you filled a 5 x 5 area, you can even build a 3 x 3 staircase. You can then extend the platform outward on the water by using any non-gravity affected block (dirt, cobble, wood). Just remember to never dig out the sand/gravel that protects your shaft from flooding (until you decide you want to flood it).
Another way to avoid digging straight down is to dig a 2 x 2 or 3 x 3 square staircase. That way, you're not standing on the block you're digging, so you should be able to avoid falling into a lava pool. No doubt, you will eventually dig a block that just falls into space, but then you can either use the "wall" of the staircase to place a dirt or cobble block 1 lower than the block you're standing on (or if you suddenly have to walls to work with, you can build up your next step by dropping sand or gravel into the void until it makes the next step down.
Once your staircase is complete, I would recommend replacing any sand or gravel steps with dirt or cobble so that you don't accidentally undermine them if the cavern doubles back on a lower level. I've accidentally undermined my way in more than once when picking out gravel from below. When this happens, it makes it tough to recognize it as the way out since you might have to rebuild a step or replant a torch to access it.
Then, as a final step, light your staircase and the most recent way you left from it uniquely. It really doesn't matter how you do it, but make sure it is different from how you mark the side tunnels you take. I often reserve either torches on the floor or a redstone "bread crumb" trail for my way out and I'm sure that I pick that trail up every time I backtrack or when I actually head home. The issue with just using torches on the walls and just leaving them there, even if you just plant them on one side, is that some caves double back on themselves, sometimes more than once... and you wind up just going around in circles following your torches.
before you go to cave, open your map then write down the coordination.
That's also a good suggestion; and I do use my map as well. Unfortunately, knowing the map coordinates alone doesn't always help in relocating the "stairs" between levels of the cavern that one used to wander deeper into it.
If I end up lost in a huge cavern because I was careless, I'll just do the 3x3 staircase thing straight up. You can always add blocks safely in a 3x3 spiral pattern, even if you're way up in the air. I use double torches as pointers when I'm not careless. Just place 2 torches on adjacent blocks pointing in the direction you need to go to get out (to one side, diagonally up, etc). Keep all other torches separated by at least 1 block to avoid confusion.
i really cant take anything you write seriously with your profile pic...pmsl
Too bad the wrong meme is used on the pic. It's supposed to be "Impossibru" not "umadbro"
On topic: Cave systems are fun to explore but I grow tired of them. I mined out most of the diamonds and gold I can find and stopped mining iron because I have an excess amount. Luckily for me, the cavern I was exploring was part of a slime chunk so I started a slime farm down there.
What I really want is to find abandoned mineshafts once the update comes. I find it more exciting to explore an abandoned mineshafts more than giant caverns and cave systems.
Thanks for all the good advice guys! I've made a shiny new entrance that doesn't involve water and have started cleaning up the cavern. I've even found enough gold and diamonds to make a set of armor. (:
@DJ_piNoy: I actually saw a video on YouTube about abandoned mines in the Xbox version, someone found a saddle in a chest in one. I'll give you the link.
Thanks for all the good advice guys! I've made a shiny new entrance that doesn't involve water and have started cleaning up the cavern. I've even found enough gold and diamonds to make a set of armor. (:
@DJ_piNoy: I actually saw a video on YouTube about abandoned mines in the Xbox version, someone found a saddle in a chest in one. I'll give you the link.
Edit: Here ya go, he even gives the seed.
EDIT: Wait, the block that had the monster spawner... I don't see it. Did he freaking destroyed it? smh.
Abandoned mine shafts are not out on Xbox yet. In the video, that's actually a dungeon. It even has the monster spawner in the middle there.
Just dig sideways staircases. They seem to be the best way up. If you hit water/lava just mine 20-50 blocks in a different direction and continue the staircase. (Staircase system is done by mining block at head level, above you and the one between those 2 which will allow you to stand on the next block)
I always end up with loads more redstone than I ever use... in particularly confusing cave areas, I lay down a redstone line in spots to help me find my way back.
Damn I dont know why I have never thought of that, finally I have a use for all this nonsense. Thank you lol.
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I'd like to mine it out and make it more accessible so that I don't spend another hour trying to figure out how to get out. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I suppose I should also mention that when I finally ended up getting out, I was under a fair amount of water. I suppose I should just find the nearest section of dry land and mine my way down, but I'm pretty sure with my luck I'd end up coming down on one of the huge lava pools. /:
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Honestly, that's the only way I managed to get out lol. Made a tower of cobble and dug up until I heard the soothing sound of cows and pigs. Then the water came...
Yea thats why i recommend placing all torches on right side.It makes me ge out of caverns every time(ok maybe not EVERY time but mostly) Message me if this works.Also i would take the other guys advice about coridnates
How deep is the water where you popped out. If you're planning to continue mining in the cave and you think it's worth all the work; you can build a cool ocean-platform. First, drain your exit and the area immediately all the way around it by sinking sand or gravel into the water until the stacks of sand or gravel break the surface. If it's not deep, you can also build this up from the bottom under the water with dirt. Then, redig out the center only of your shaft only (as a 1 block area with ladders or, if you've filled a 4 x 4 area, you can dig down and build up a 2 x 2 staircase with dirt or cobble. If you filled a 5 x 5 area, you can even build a 3 x 3 staircase. You can then extend the platform outward on the water by using any non-gravity affected block (dirt, cobble, wood). Just remember to never dig out the sand/gravel that protects your shaft from flooding (until you decide you want to flood it).
Another way to avoid digging straight down is to dig a 2 x 2 or 3 x 3 square staircase. That way, you're not standing on the block you're digging, so you should be able to avoid falling into a lava pool. No doubt, you will eventually dig a block that just falls into space, but then you can either use the "wall" of the staircase to place a dirt or cobble block 1 lower than the block you're standing on (or if you suddenly have to walls to work with, you can build up your next step by dropping sand or gravel into the void until it makes the next step down.
Once your staircase is complete, I would recommend replacing any sand or gravel steps with dirt or cobble so that you don't accidentally undermine them if the cavern doubles back on a lower level. I've accidentally undermined my way in more than once when picking out gravel from below. When this happens, it makes it tough to recognize it as the way out since you might have to rebuild a step or replant a torch to access it.
Then, as a final step, light your staircase and the most recent way you left from it uniquely. It really doesn't matter how you do it, but make sure it is different from how you mark the side tunnels you take. I often reserve either torches on the floor or a redstone "bread crumb" trail for my way out and I'm sure that I pick that trail up every time I backtrack or when I actually head home. The issue with just using torches on the walls and just leaving them there, even if you just plant them on one side, is that some caves double back on themselves, sometimes more than once... and you wind up just going around in circles following your torches.
That's also a good suggestion; and I do use my map as well. Unfortunately, knowing the map coordinates alone doesn't always help in relocating the "stairs" between levels of the cavern that one used to wander deeper into it.
Too bad the wrong meme is used on the pic. It's supposed to be "Impossibru" not "umadbro"
On topic: Cave systems are fun to explore but I grow tired of them. I mined out most of the diamonds and gold I can find and stopped mining iron because I have an excess amount. Luckily for me, the cavern I was exploring was part of a slime chunk so I started a slime farm down there.
What I really want is to find abandoned mineshafts once the update comes. I find it more exciting to explore an abandoned mineshafts more than giant caverns and cave systems.
@DJ_piNoy: I actually saw a video on YouTube about abandoned mines in the Xbox version, someone found a saddle in a chest in one. I'll give you the link.
Edit: Here ya go, he even gives the seed.
EDIT: Wait, the block that had the monster spawner... I don't see it. Did he freaking destroyed it? smh.
Abandoned mine shafts are not out on Xbox yet. In the video, that's actually a dungeon. It even has the monster spawner in the middle there.
Damn I dont know why I have never thought of that, finally I have a use for all this nonsense. Thank you lol.