Streaming and YouTube videos are creating a second wave of Minecraft popularity, something that the massive hit didn't need as it was still sustaining an incredibly large player base. Since the game is used as an educational tool and family-friendly, Minecraft sees a flock of new players entering the realm every single day.
This means that information that is known by a lot of the veterans of Minecraft is unknown by these newcomers. As with any game, it's good to be familiar with things that can be done in the early game that could pay dividends later on.
10 Bucket & Infinite Water Pool
With just three iron ingots and access to a lake, ocean, or waterfall, players can set themselves up with an infinite water source. Water is used for a variety of reasons in Minecraft and sprinting back and forth can get tedious and tiring quite quickly.
Once players have a bucket all they need to do is dig a 1x1 square into the ground only one block deep. Then by adding water to opposite sides of the shallow hole, they create a water source that can be used to gather water in a bucket without the water running out or deforming the pool.
9 Livestock Ranch
Later the idea of a wheat farm will be discussed in terms of being a smart way to constantly fill up the hunger meter with bread. Some players may prefer to eat cooked meat since it fills more of the bar, but another reason to capture and raise livestock is for the other resources they provide.
Cows can be bred and killed to obtain leather, sheep provide wool, and chickens are a great source of feathers to make arrows. Just make sure it's built in an area where the sounds the animals make won't drive people insane.
8 Set Of Armor
The biggest thing standing between a player and their confidence in fighting enemies in Minecraft is knowing they could survive a mistake or two. A full set of iron armor allows players to take a blast from a creeper during a surprise attack and come out of it with enough health to tell the tale.
Investing 24 iron ingots into a full set of armor may sound like a big investment, and that's because it is. Doing so will be the smartest decision players make in the early game. Just avoid falling into a pit of lava and losing forever.
7 Anvil Area
The anvil isn't exactly an "early game" item as it requires a good amount of iron, but unlike the enchantment table, iron is all it needs. This tool is used to combine enchantments from multiple items, but in the early game, its ability to rename items and repair them is what's most important.
Once the player reaches the middle and late game, they'll truly appreciate the early investment in the anvil as it will allow them to make the best weapons and tools available. It may be a boring build, but it's worth every iron ingot.
6 Set Of Tools
It may seem trivial at this point to most, but the idea of new players diving into Minecraft is a factual one that occurs every single day. Knowing that it's best to build a complete set of tools once access to stone and then iron is acquired can make the difference when it comes to sticking with the game.
It may seem unnecessary to make an iron hoe or shovel at first, but when things need to be done at a quicker pace, players will thank themselves that they planned and made the tools they'd need eventually.
5 Wheat Farm
A part of Minecraft that sneaks up on new players is the hunger system in the game. Unless players are sprinting non-stop, likely, they won't notice for the first few days, but it's terrible to die in the game simply because the player starved to death.
An easy investment to make is to craft a hoe and then use it to obtain seeds that are needed to make a wheat farm. Combining that with the bucket and infinite water pool from earlier will allow players to quickly build a sustainable farm from which they can craft bread.
4 Enemy Free & Well Lit Area
Does having a bunch of torches all over a grassy area look awful? Most people would say the answer to that is yes. The reality of the situation though is that it's better to deal with an ugly aesthetic early on if it means that the player and all of their items and buildings are safe.
It's smarter to go overboard with the torches and slowly remove them as access to better lighting sources becomes available. Just maybe show some restraint and don't go as far as to put a torch on every single block in the surrounding area.
3 Level-Based Mine
When mining in the early game, people tend to start digging into the side of a hill or cave to reach the lower levels. When it comes to building an efficient mine, it's important to consider safety as well as access.
Certain resources like diamonds can only be found on certain levels, and most of the resource blocks can be destroyed by lava or creepers. Focus on building a level-based mine that is marked accordingly and well lit with plenty of protection from various enemies.
2 Storage Room
Minecraft in many ways is a game about momentum and improvement. Early on it may feel like gathering resources is a time-consuming task, but the advent of better and faster tools will make that feeling fade away. Throw in the fact that plenty of things are also gathered while exploring, and storage can become quite important.
That's why building a dedicated storage room with labeled chests in an organized layout could pay dividends for the player's future self and would make the quality of life that much better.
1 Home, Even If Temporary
The internet quickly latched on to the joke that the first thing players do in Minecraft is punch a tree. Though the joke is funny, it's the beginning of the most viable strategy when starting in a new world in survival mode.
That wood needs to be used to build tools that should be used to gather other resources. The first night comes up on players fast, so it's best to focus on building a temporary home with an easy-to-use door that also happens to be appropriately lit with plenty of torches.