Operation Manual

3
Gathering Resources
In This Chapter
Q Never get lost. Learn the secrets of the HUD and its hidden GPS.
Q Improve your tools with more durable materials.
Q Safely store your hard-earned resources.
Q Learn the easy way to manage hunger.
Q Build your first outdoor shelter and enjoy the view.
Q Access the full Creative mode inventory.
Minecraft is filled to the brim with all manner of resources, and gathering them is the first step
toward getting the most out of the game. In Chapter 2, “First-Night Survival,” you put together a
pack of essentials sufficient to last the first night, but this is really just the smallest prequel to the
real game, and describing how to find, create, and use other types of resources forms much of this
book. This chapter is about building the foundation you can use to launch into the rest of the game.
Your focus is on a few key points: build an outdoor shelter, find food to stave off hunger, improve
your collection of tools, and build a chest to safely store items. This solidifies your position, making
your base more impervious to attack, allows you to do all sorts of Minecrafty things more efficiently,
and sets yourself up for longer excursions both above and below ground.
The good news is that you already have a base, so you can explore during the day, try not to lose
your way, and head back at night. However, you still need to avoid at least some of the hostile mobs
that persist during the day.
Introducing the HUD
Before we start, let’s take a look at the Heads-Up Display (HUD)—that collection of icons and status
bars at the bottom of the screen. Figure 3.1 shows the HUD as it appears in Survival mode with all
possible indicators displayed. (The Creative mode HUD only shows the Inventory bar.)