Bag +
Cart
Your cart is empty
+

When you arrive in Minecraft, the first thing you need to do is build a safe haven before night falls…

 

Step One: Collect Blocks

Wherever you start in the Overworld, there will be blocks to collect. Trees are fairly easy to break, and wood is very versatile, so you should start by punching some tree trunks.

 

These blocks will drop as logs. When you have a few, open your inventory and move them into the 2x2 crafting grid. You will see form the output slot to the right of it that each log can be crafted into four blocks of wood planks.

 

You can also craft two planks into four sticks, and four planks into a crafting table. Now we can really get started!

 

Step Two: Craft Gear

Place the crafting table you just made into the world, then open up the crafting interface. You need to craft a few pieces of gear, including a pickaxe (two sticks, three planks), a shovel (two sticks, one plank) and an axe (two sticks, three planks). Wood tools are the most basic, but still faster than doing things by hand.

 

The goal now is to gather wood and stone to build your shelter. Look out for coal ore, too, to craft torches. You should find this stuff close by, but once it gets dark hostile mobs start spawning, so you have about ten minutes from the moment you enter the game.

 

If you are caught out by the night, your axe will do lots of damage to mobs, but swords are faster and less quick to break.

 

Step Three: Build the Shelter

Once you have collected enough wood or cobblestone, mark out a decent-sized perimeter on the ground and quickly build it up to a three-block height. For now, just make sure there is a nice, flat floor and a two-block high space for the door.

 

Add a roof using any type of block – cobblestone looks bad, but it is very strong, and planks look good but they are flammable!

 

Remember that whatever you build now doesn’t have to last forever. You can replace materials, extend the house, or even abandon it. Having a safe spot to return to early on is the purpose of your first shelter.

 

Step Four: Add Furniture

Once the roof is on, move the crafting table inside, place a door (six planks) in the gap you left, then light the interior with torches (one coal and one stick). 

 

When night falls, your fully lit shelter will be safe from mobs whilst the door is shut. As you wait out the night, craft a furnace (eight cobblestone) for smelting/cooking, and a couple of chests (eight planks each) to store your stuff.

 

If you are really lucky, you will spawn near some sheep – kill three to get the wool for a bed (three planks and three wool). When you sleep in the bed, it will set your spawn point there and skip the night!

 

Build your first shelter close to your initial spawn point so that you don’t lose track of it when you die.

 

You can find discounted Minecraft gift cards over at our online store here, along with a wide variety of other gift cards here.

 

Keywords: Minecraft, Building, Gaming, Hacks, Tips.

Articles & Stories

Take a look at our articles and stories all about video games and gift cards.

Our Gift Cards

Dying Light 2: Stay Human Reloaded Edition – Kingdom Come: Deliverance II – LEGO Harry Potter™ Collection (XBOX One) – Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Edition (Xbox One) – Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – Project CARS - Game of the Year Edition (Xbox One) – SONIC FORCES™ Digital Standard Edition (Xbox Game EU) – Mafia: The Old Country – WWE 2K25 The Bloodline Edition – Assassin’s Creed Mirage – Google Play Gift Card – Steam Wallet Gift Card – iTunes Gift Card – Fortnite V-Bucks Gift Card – Split Fiction – Aeria Points Gift Card – Dying Light: The Beast (Xbox Game EU) – Baldur's Gate 3 – Helldivers 2 – New World: Aeternum – WWE 2K25 – Mario & Sonic Tokyo 2020 (Nintendo) – Alan Wake 2 – Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (Xbox One) – The Elder Scrolls Online (Xbox One) – Netflix Gift Card – Amazon Gift Card – Resident Evil 3 (Xbox One) – Assassin's Creed Shadows Digital Deluxe Edition – Red Dead Redemption 2 (Xbox One) – Need For Speed Heat (Xbox One) – NBA 2K25 – The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo) – Madden NFL 24 – NBA 2K26 – Monster Hunter Wilds – Infinite Minigolf (Xbox One) – Far Cry 5 - Gold Edition (Xbox One) – Battlenet Gift Card – Forza Horizon 5 – Battlefield™ V Standard Edition – Valorant Points – BioShock: The Collection (Xbox One) – Team Sonic Racing™ (Xbox Game EU) – EA SPORTS FC™ 25 – Tom Clancy's The Division 2 (Xbox One EU) – Gears 5 (Xbox One) – STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order™ – Sekiro™: Shadows Die Twice (Xbox One EU) – Avowed – Rage 2 (Xbox One) – Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth – Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 – Kingdom Hearts 3 (Xbox One) – Dragon Age™: The Veilguard – Black Myth: Wukong – Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox One) – METAL GEAR SOLID Δ: SNAKE EATER – LEGO Batman™: Legacy of the Dark Knight – EA SPORTS FCTM 24 Standard Edition Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S – Elden Ring – Steep (Xbox One) – Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Xbox One) – Nintendo eShop Gift Card – Borderlands 3 (Xbox One) – EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL 26 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III - Cross-Gen Bundle – Mass Effect Andromeda - Standard Recruit Edition (Xbox One) – World of Warcraft – WWE 2K25 Deadman Edition – Sonic Mania (Xbox Game EU) – Resident Evil: Requiem – Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 – STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor™ – Cabal Online eCoin – The Crew Ultimate Edition (Xbox One) – Ready or Not – Sims 4 Seasons – Cars 3: Driven to Win (Xbox One) – Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint – The First Berserker: Khazan – Destiny 2 Forsaken Legendary Collection – Spotify Gift Card – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered (Xbox One) – IMVU Prepaid Gift Card – FIFA 20 (Xbox One) – Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Edition (XBOX One EU) – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo) – Harry Potter: Magic Awakened Jewels – NieR:Automata Become As Gods Edition (Xbox One) – Train Sim World 6 – REANIMAL – FOR HONOR™ Standard Edition (Xbox One) – Assassin's Creed Odyssey - Gold Edition (Xbox One) – Spyro Reignited Trilogy (Xbox One) – Goat Simulator (Xbox One) – Garena Shells – Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown – Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – A Way Out (Xbox One) – Xbox Live Gift Card – Fire Emblem Warriors (Nintendo) – Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Diamond Top-Up – PUBG Mobile UC Top-Up – PlayStation Network PSN Gift Card – 007: First Light – Sifu – Minecraft Coins – Starfield – EA SPORTS FC™ 26 – Anthem (Xbox One) – Apex Legends™ - Octane Edition (Xbox Game EU) – FIFA 19 (Xbox One) – Forza Horizon 6 Premium Edition (Xbox Games EU) – S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl – Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (Xbox One) – Razer Gold Pin – UFC 3 - Deluxe Edition (Xbox One) – Destiny 2: Shadowkeep (Xbox One) – Minecraft Java + Bedrock – Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands - Deluxe Edition (Xbox One) – DOOM Eternal Standard Edition (Xbox One) – Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo) – Mortal Kombat™ 1 – Hogwarts Legacy
plus read more