{"id":150076,"date":"2020-03-04T01:28:38","date_gmt":"2020-03-04T00:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=150076"},"modified":"2025-07-01T21:23:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T04:23:02","slug":"minecraft-mining-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/minecraft-mining-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Minecraft mining guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Minecraft<\/p>\n

This week we\u2019re walking you through all the problems you might encounter when you first start playing Minecraft<\/a>. There\u2019s a lot to get the hang of with Minecraft so it is useful to have a solid understanding of the basics before you head off into the almost endless Minecraft world that is out there waiting to be explored.<\/p>\n

There are two key aspects to Minecraft that all players need to master. You need to be able to mine and then you need to be able to craft the resources you collect into useful items. We\u2019ve already gone through the basics of crafting so let\u2019s today focus on mining. This is your guide on how to mine more effectively and efficiently on Minecraft.<\/p>\n

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Minecraft mining<\/h2>\n

Different resources you can mine in the world of Minecraft<\/h3>\n
\"Minecraft
Image via: Minecraft Wiki<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mining involves digging into the ground in search of resources. There are many different types of ore you can mine available in the game. These include Coal, Iron ore, Gold ore, Redstone, Lapis Lazuli, Diamond ore, Emerald, Obsidian, <\/strong>and Quartz<\/strong>. Some of these are more prevalent than others, and each spawns in certain biomes. We\u2019re going look more deeply at Redstone in another guide, but as this is a guide to mining and not a guide on resources, we\u2019ll leave it there for now.<\/p>\n

Different mining strategies for Minecraft<\/h3>\n

We have three effective mining strategies you can follow in Minecraft. There are more, but these three offer a great starting point. These are Cave mining, Quarry mining, <\/strong>and Branch mining<\/strong>. We\u2019ll look at each now and then walk you through what you\u2019ll need before you start chipping away at the world in search of riches and useful resources.<\/p>\n

Cave mining<\/h5>\n

Cave mining is when you find a large cave underground and explore it for resources that are lying around. Cave mining is less labor-intensive as it means you won\u2019t have to chop through stone to find what you\u2019re looking for. It also means you won\u2019t need to wear out your tools in the meantime neither. Cave mining is risky though because caves are dark and in Minecraft that means monsters and creepers can spawn. If you die before you can deposit the resources you\u2019ve mined in a chest, you\u2019ll lose them all. We\u2019ll come back to this later though.<\/p>\n

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Quarry mining<\/h5>\n
\"Quarry
Image via: Minecraft Wiki<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If rambling around in the dark underground seems unappealing to you, then you should start out with Quarry mining. A quarry is basically a big hole dug into the ground so that resources found in that particular area can be unearthed. Quarry miners will get their hands on lots of cobblestone, but they\u2019ll also get every resource that was lying in the ground where they built their quarry. All you need to do to Quarry mine is pick an area and dig, then dig down again in the same area, and repeat. You\u2019ll also need to build a stairwell or at least a ladder if you go deep enough to need them.<\/p>\n

Branch mining<\/h5>\n

There is quite a lot of established thinking across the Minecraft wiki that says Branch mining is the most efficient way of mining. This is because most resources in Minecraft generate just a few layers above the bedrock and Branch mining involves digging down to this resource-rich area and mining there.<\/p>\n

\"Branch
An example of a Branch mining plan via the Minecraft Wiki<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To Branch mine efficiently choose an area and then dig down. You shouldn\u2019t go straight down because you don\u2019t what could be underneath the block you\u2019re standing on. When you get close to bedrock you want to build a small tunnel, two blocks high and one block wide, and then build branches off that central tunnel. Make sure you light the way with torches though, so that monsters don\u2019t spawn behind you. Once you\u2019ve mastered this basic technique you can then develop further mining patterns off your central mineshaft trunk to ensure you cover the most surface area possible.<\/p>\n

Things to remember before you start mining<\/h3>\n

There are a few things you should consider before you get started on your mining expedition. Remember how we said you can lose all your resources if you die before storing them? Well, we have an idea of how you can protect against that. Build a Mine office.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A bed to spawn, if you die<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you\u2019re setting off on a serious mine expedition, you\u2019re going to be investing a lot of time and resources. Just think of all the tools you\u2019ll need to dig out all that stone. This is a serious business and you should treat it accordingly. Before you begin digging, or at least very soon after, you should build a Mine office. In it, you should put a bed<\/strong> so that you can spawn there should you die, a chest<\/strong> so that you can store all the resources you collect, a crafting table<\/strong> so that you build new tools to replace the ones you wear out, and a furnace<\/strong> for smelting any ores you unearth.<\/p>\n

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A crafting table to build new tools<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The other thing you\u2019re going to need, which we\u2019ve mentioned already is tools<\/strong>. You can build tools using a crafting table and what you should take on a mining expedition is two stone pickaxes<\/strong>, a shovel<\/strong> to dig out any pesky gravel or dirt, a sword<\/strong> to protect yourself in the dark, and lots of torches<\/strong> to fight back the dark itself. It will also be a good idea to take signs <\/strong>to point out the way in and out of your mine and food<\/strong> because digging is a hungry business. Once you\u2019ve found your way down to a vein of ore, you\u2019ll need specialist pickaxes like an iron pickaxe or diamond pickaxe to help get it out.<\/p>\n

Wrapping up<\/h5>\n

There you have a fairly comprehensive beginner’s guide to mining in Minecraft. There are more advanced tips and tricks including using TNT, searching out abandoned mineshafts, and building rails and riding minecarts but for the new beginner, there is many hours\u2019 worth of experience to gain from the tips laid out above, before you\u2019ll need to push your learning further. The main tip we have for you though is to enjoy it. Structure your plan and be as efficient as possible. This is the quickest way to get your hands on the resources you desire.<\/p>\n

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This a beginner’s guide to mining in Minecraft<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9073,"featured_media":181621,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":1},"categories":[2441],"tags":[2328],"usertag":[784],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-150076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-app-subdomain-redirectionminecraft","usertag-gamer"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9073"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150076"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":325342,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150076\/revisions\/325342"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150076"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=150076"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=150076"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=150076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}