Tutorials Exploring caverns

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Finding caverns

There are a number of ways to find caverns. Below is a table, designed to make cavern-hunting easier.

Method	Details
Exploring Surface	By exploring the surface of the map, there is a good chance that an exposed cavern can be found.
Digging	Digging around might uncover caverns, but it is not easy as the map is (very) large. Choosing a random location and digging a tunnel straight down will intersect a cave system roughly half the time. A diagonal tunnel (downward staircase) takes 3 times as long to dig, but is much safer and can be traversed both ways. Make sure to look out for dripping water or lava above you as it hints at a lake or pool of lava. You can also find caves by quarrying on layer 12 and have your exploration much more profitable rather than only having cut through ore veins that contain less. Quarrying on layer 12 can get you diamonds and lava pools, as well.
Listening	By following the source of ambience A dark cave. This is where one will most likely hear ambient sounds. Ambience (cave sounds in console edition and eerie noise according to subtitles) is a set of sounds that occasionally play when the , or the sound of mobs "Monster" redirects here. For the mob called "monster" in the code, see Human. Mobs are living, moving game entities. The term "mob" is short for "mobile". 1] Contents 1 Spawning 2 Behavior 3 List of coming from underground, there is a great chance to find a cavern. It`s also useful to follow sound of water. Lava Lava Transparency Yes Luminance Yes, 15 Blast resistance 500 Tool Renewable No Stackable N/A Flammable No Drops None Data values Flowing Lava dec: 10 hex: A bin: 1010 Still Lava dec: 11 hex: B bin: 1011 Name Flowing Lava flowing_lava Still makes a sound as well, which can be useful in finding diamonds Diamond Type Raw materials Durability N/A Renewable No Stackable Yes (64) First appearances See History Data value dec: 264 hex: 108 bin: 100001000 Name diamond See the gem. For the ore, see Diamond Ore. For , since lava and diamonds can be found in the same layers Chart lining up Y-coordinate values (left) to block layers (right). Altitude is a measurement of vertical distance, or distance along the Y-axis. Contents 1 Definition 2 Limits 3 Natural resources and altitude 3.1 The Nether underground.
Piston	Dig down, place a piston Piston Transparency Yes Luminance None Blast resistance 2.5 Tool Any tool Renewable Yes Stackable Yes (64) Flammable No Drops Itself Data values See Data values Pistons are blocks capable of pushing most blocks, depending on and power it. Since pistons don`t extend if there are 13+ blocks ahead of them, you can use pistons to find caves.
The Nether	Traveling to the Nether A view of the Nether. The Nether is a hell-like dimension, filled with fire, lava, and dangerous mobs. Contents 1 Accessing 2 Environment 2.1 Mobs 3 Generation 3.1 Naturally generated 3.2 Naturally created 3.3 Structures , going down roughly 20-30 blocks, along by at least 16 blocks (43 blocks for the Console Edition Console Edition Author(s) Mojang AB 4J Studios Platform(s) Written in C++ Latest version Xbox 360 - TU53 Xbox One - CU43 PS3 - 1.51 PS4 - 1.50 PSVita - 1.51 Wii U - Patch 23 ), and creating a new portal Nether portal Consists of Obsidian Nether Portal Can generate post-generation Yes, when the player builds an appropriate frame and lights it with flint and steel First appearances See History See the structure. will likely cause the new Overworld The Overworld, as seen in an extreme hills and a forest biome The Overworld is the dimension in which all players begin their Minecraft journey. Contents 1 Creation 1.1 Seeds 2 Environment 2.1 Biomes 2.2 portal to spawn in a cavern since a portal is spawned in the nearest suitable space for the portal.
Cartographer	Use 3rd party software The contents of this page are not supported by Mojang AB, the Minecraft Wiki, the Minecraft IRC channel or the Minecraft Forums. See third-party programs. For the official Minecraft program, see Minecraft (such as cartograph This page or section has been suggested to be merged with Programs and editors. Discuss The articles share similar information or a common topic. The contents of this page are not supported by Mojang AB, ) to make maps of caves. This can easily lead the player to dungeons Dungeon Biome Any Consists of Cobblestone Moss Stone Monster Spawner Chest Can generate post-generation No First appearances See history Dungeons are naturally generated structures that appear in the Overworld. Contents 1 Generation 2 Structure 2.1 or caverns.

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Recommendations

These are some of the recommended items you should bring with you into caverns.

• Weapons - Because of a cavern`s low light level, mobs such as zombies, spiders, skeletons, and possibly other aggressive mobs will spawn on the dark areas of the cave, making exploration dangerous. It is recommended the player brings weapons such as swords, or bows and arrows to fight off said mobs.

• Armor - As said before, lots of mobs spawn in caverns because of the low light level. Armor may be needed when exploring caverns, so as to give the player better protection against mobs. Armors can also be enchanted "Flame" redirects here. For the non-solid damage-dealing block, see Fire. “ How does enchanting work in Minecraft? Well, you open a magical book and pick a random spell, not quite sure knowing what it will to have Fire Protection (for lava and burning), Projectile Protection (for skeleton`s arrows), Feather Falling (for falling from a too high place), and etc.

• Tools - Because of caverns being found at stone level, lots of ores such as iron Iron Blocks, Iron Ingots, and Iron Ore. Iron may refer to: Iron Ore − an ore found underground, and the item obtained by mining it. Iron Ingot − an item created by smelting Iron ore, , coal Coal Type Raw materials Durability N/A Renewable Yes Stackable Yes (64) First appearances See History Data value dec: 263 hex: 107 bin: 100000111 Name coal See the coal lump and charcoal item. For other uses, , gold Gold Blocks, Gold Ingots, Gold Nuggets, and Gold Ore. Gold may refer to: Gold Ore - an uncommon ore found deep underground, and the item received from mining it Gold Ingot - an item created , redstone Redstone Transparency Yes Luminance No Blast resistance 0 Tool Any tool Renewable Yes Stackable Yes (64) Flammable No Availability Survival Drops Redstone (1) Data values See Data values Name See Data values This article is , lapis lazuli Lapis Lazuli Type Wool dyes Durability N/A Renewable Yes Stackable Yes (64) Data value dec: 3514 hex: 15F4 bin: 1010111114 Name dye 4 See the Lapis Lazuli dye. For the block, see Lapis Lazuli Block. , or on rare occasions, diamonds Diamond Type Raw materials Durability N/A Renewable No Stackable Yes (64) First appearances See History Data value dec: 264 hex: 108 bin: 100001000 Name diamond See the gem. For the ore, see Diamond Ore. For or emeralds Emerald Type Raw materials Durability N/A Renewable Yes Stackable Yes (64) First appearances See History Data value dec: 388 hex: 184 bin: 110000100 Name emerald See the gem. For the ore, see Emerald Ore. For , so it is recommended you bring pickaxes along with you to mine ores.
  • Offhand: a shield Shield Type Combat Durability 337 Renewable Yes Stackable No First appearances See History Data value dec: 442 hex: 1BA bin: 110111010 Name shield Shields are tools used for protecting the player against attacks. Contents 1 Obtaining 1.1 Crafting or bow Bow Type Combat Durability 385 Renewable Yes Stackable No First appearances See History Data value dec: 261 hex: 105 bin: 100000101 Name bow A bow is a ranged weapon that fires arrows. Contents 1 Obtaining 1.1 Skeletons 1.2 for combat, alternatively a torch or some food Foods (or Foodstuffs as considered by the Creative inventory) are consumable items that when eaten restore hunger points and sometimes cause status effects. They are essential to the player s survival, as going without them will .

• Lighting - Caverns can be and will be very dark. Be sure to bring along any source of illumination, such as glowstone Glowstone Transparency Yes Luminance 15 Blast resistance 1.5 Tool Any tool Renewable Yes Stackable Yes (64) Flammable No Drops Glowstone Dust (2–4) Data value dec: 89 hex: 59 bin: 1011001 Name glowstone See the block. , torches, or jack o`lanterns Jack o Lantern Transparency Partial (blocks light) Luminance Yes, 15 Blast resistance 5 Tool Renewable Yes Stackable Yes (64) Flammable No Drops Itself Data value dec: 91 hex: 5B bin: 1011011 Name lit_pumpkin “ Jack-o -lanterns: great looks, super powers. , not only for aiding in exploration, but also to reduce the amount of mobs spawning.

• Food - Cavern exploration may take quite a long time, draining your hunger. Also with mobs spawning, and the fact that you can get lost may further help drain your hunger. Bring high-saturated food Foods (or Foodstuffs as considered by the Creative inventory) are consumable items that when eaten restore hunger points and sometimes cause status effects. They are essential to the player s survival, as going without them will such as cooked porkchop and cooked salmon. Cakes may bring up much hunger points, but will drain more easily.
  • Optionally, any golden food, for instance, a golden apple Golden @@@#@@@Apple(apple.com)###@### Type Food Restores Golden AppleTechnology company 4 () Absorption (2:00) Regeneration II (0:05) Enchanted Golden AppleTechnology company 4 () Absorption IV (2:00) Regeneration II (0:20) Fire Resistance (5:00) Resistance (5:00) Cookable No Renewable Golden Apple , can give you status effects "Healing" redirects here. For health, see health. Contents 1 Behavior 2 Summary of effects 3 List of effects 3.1 Absorption 3.2 Bad Luck 3.3 Blindness 3.4 Fire Resistance 3.5 Glowing 3.6 Haste 3.7 Health Boost that can aid your survival, like regeneration and absorption.
  • Optionally, a fishing rod Fishing Rod Type Tools Durability 65 Renewable Yes Stackable No Experience Per catch: 1–3 First appearances See History Data value dec: 346 hex: 15A bin: 101011010 Name fishing_rod Fishing rods are tools whose primary purpose is obtaining fish. , for fishing. Water can be found in caves, so it may not be much of a bother. Be that as it may, it may take quite a while to catch a fish, and may take a while to catch a fish that is edible.
  • Optionally, a bucket of milk Milk Type Food/Drink Restores None; Cancels all status effects Cookable No Renewable Yes Stackable No First appearances See History Data values PC: dec: 335 hex: 14F bin: 101001111 PE: dec: 3251 hex: 1451 bin: 1010001011 Name PC: milk_bucket PE: bucket A can help remove any status effects inflicted on you, especially by cave spiders.
  • If the player runs out of food, and gets lost, they can kill zombies, and use rotten flesh Rotten Flesh Type Food Restores 4 () 80% chance of Hunger for 0:30 Cookable No Renewable Yes Stackable Yes (64) First appearances See History Data value dec: 367 hex: 16F bin: 101101111 Name rotten_flesh Rotten flesh is a as an alternative. Although it can give the player food poisoning, it will still keep up the player`s hunger bar.

• Wood - In the case of emergencies, for instance, running out of torches, chests, or simply any other optional blocks that may aid your exploration, bringing in stacks of wood can help aid your survival.
  • The most usual occurrence of needing to use wood is to craft more torches, in the case of having a low supply of them later on. It is advised to not turn all of your wood into wooden planks, and then all of those into sticks, because it may take up much of your inventory space. Only craft a few wood into planks, and a few of those into sticks. Then, along with coal, you can craft it into torches.

• Others - other items and blocks can help you aid survival, and reach any exploration goals.
  • Water bucket - This is useful for turning lava into obsidian Obsidian Transparency No Luminance No Blast resistance 6,000 Tool Renewable Yes Stackable Yes (64) Flammable No Drops Itself Data value dec: 49 hex: 31 bin: 110001 Name obsidian “ Strong almost beyond compare and able to stand huge , allowing it to be safely walked on, or mined (there can still be lava below it though. Keep the water flowing). This also useful for putting yourself out of fire.
  • Blocks - A few stacks of cheap blocks, for instance, dirt or cobblestone, can help reach certain places of the caves.
  • Compass - Sometimes when you get completely lost, you can just simply dig up to the surface and use a compass to guide you home. Only works if your house is near the spawnpoint or you have a bed in your house and you have slept in it before.

Navigating and surviving caverns

• It is surprisingly easy to get lost in caverns. Below are a number of methods you can implement while exploring to prevent this, especially trail markers. The navigation tutorial has much more information about markers and other navigation methods. (Summary: Torches Torch Transparency Yes Luminance 14 Blast resistance 0 Tool Any tool Renewable Yes Stackable Yes (64) Flammable No Drops Itself Data value dec: 50 hex: 32 bin: 110010 Name torch See the common light-emitting torch. , wool Wool Transparency No Luminance No Blast resistance 4 Tool Renewable Yes Stackable Yes (64), same color only Flammable Yes Drops Itself Data value dec: 35 hex: 23 bin: 100011 Name wool Wool is a block derived from sheep , signs Sign Type Non-Solid Block Physics No Transparency Yes Luminance No Blast resistance 5 Hardness 1 Tool Renewable Yes Stackable Yes (16) Flammable No, but catches fire from lava (Yes in Pocket Edition) First appearances See , blocks See the various blocks found in Minecraft. For the blocking with shields that reduces damage when performed, see Blocking. All blocks Blocks are the basic units of structure in Minecraft. Contents 1 and arrows made from them, and especially jack-o-lanterns.)
• One fairly easy marker method is the "torch on the right" rule. While exploring a cave simply place torches on the right side of the wall as you go deeper in. This way, no matter how complicated and even intertwined the caves get, you can always find your way back because if the torch is on the left of a cave wall, that means you`re heading towards the exit. Conversely, if it`s on the right, it means you`re heading deeper in.
• While it will not help you in navigating the cave itself, it may be wise to bring a map with you into a large cave, should you get lost and need to dig your way out. Note that most caves occupy less area horizontally than they might seem, but interconnected caves and abandoned mineshafts Abandoned mineshaft Biome Any Consists of Wooden Planks Fence Rail Torch Cobweb Dirt Monster Spawner Minecart with Chest Can generate post-generation No First appearances See history "Mine" redirects here. For information about mining, see Mining. can sprawl over huge distances. You might well map some new surface as you explore underground, but the cave itself will not be mapped.
• An important tip to remember in caves is to always look around, especially upwards. One of the most common sources of mobs within previously explored caves is unnoticed openings in the ceiling or walls. If you`re in a ravine, watch out for monsters falling off of high ledges!
• A good mining practice is to fully explore and light a cave system before beginning to mine out any resources. It is extremely dangerous to stop and mine in a dark cave, where you can lose your loot if you are killed. Check for "broken bridges" such as gravel masses or 2-block drops. If monsters can come out of them, you may want to change that; once safety is verified, you can save the blocked-off areas for later.
• As part of exploration, "clean up" the area, taking off leftover blocks, filling small pits, and generally smoothing things out. In abandoned mineshafts, you can clear out most of the fence-and-plank "supports" as you "claim" an area. This will use a lot of axes, but it will improve both visibility and mobility, cutting down on unpleasant surprises. (Notably, those fences provide better cover for creepers than they do for you!)
• To reach ores or tunnels high on the ceiling, try pillar jumping to gain altitude or use ladders by placing new ones as you climb. You can also build bridges across ravines and pits.
• Water coming down from above is especially troublesome, as it can carry monsters down from a whole chain of darkened caverns.
  • It`s a good idea to swim upwards and light the path of the flow.
  • Most water flows can be captured at the source with a bucket; if that doesn`t work out, they can be contained with fences or blocks. Either way, be aware of areas where the water flow formerly blocked monsters! Some flows may be useful to keep for travel⃢₀ₔyou can swim up or down waterfalls to traverse high cliffs. With a little care, you can swim along the outside of the waterfall, which lets you keep breathing normally.
  • Some water flows come from openings in the seafloor. With care (and perhaps a door or some ladders), you can swim up these and mark the entrance with a jack-o-lantern, which will generally be visible from the sea surface. Such openings are also a quick way to get back to the surface if you`ve gotten lost. With a bit more effort, you can seal the opening altogether, perhaps leaving a shaft with ladders for your own use. (Remember that ladders and signs block water.)
    • In addition, one can create easy access from the cave to the ocean surface by making a pillar of sugar cane. This will provide a fast, breathable path in both directions. This method can be used for both entering and exiting caves.
• Lava Lava Transparency Yes Luminance Yes, 15 Blast resistance 500 Tool Renewable No Stackable N/A Flammable No Drops None Data values Flowing Lava dec: 10 hex: A bin: 1010 Still Lava dec: 11 hex: B bin: 1011 Name Flowing Lava flowing_lava Still flows and pools can also block your passage as well as the monsters`. Like water, lava flows can be bucketed if you can reach the source, or contained with blocks otherwise. Lava pools can be flooded to convert them to obsidian Obsidian Transparency No Luminance No Blast resistance 6,000 Tool Renewable Yes Stackable Yes (64) Flammable No Drops Itself Data value dec: 49 hex: 31 bin: 110001 Name obsidian “ Strong almost beyond compare and able to stand huge Again, be aware of areas where monsters were blocked by the lava. Also, remember to re-light the area after removing that brightly glowing lava.
• When in mob fights, be careful of lava as mobs could nudge you or you might walk into lava by accident and lose all your items.
• When finished exploring a cave, you can make your own exit⃢₀ₔjust dig upwards to the surface in a staircase fashion, watching for drips. You can also dig directly upwards, be that as it may, be careful when doing so, as it can cause suffocation.
• When digging a staircase out of a cave, it can be useful to check your map to figure out where you will, or want to, emerge. Coming out into the seabed can be tricky, especially if your torches get washed away. Put your torches 3 blocks up instead of 2 or 1 to avoid "wash-outs" (specifically: high enough that the air 1 block above the next higher stair isn`t beside the torch).