Set Up an Efficient Mining Operation from Your Base

Planning Your Mine Entrance

Choose a location away from your main cabin to avoid mob spawning near your home. The starter house provides crafting tables and tools—use these to prepare wooden pickaxes before venturing out. Mark your path back with torches or a dirt pillar so you don't get lost.

Digging Your First Shaft

Dig straight down in a staircase pattern, placing torches on one wall as you descend. This prevents mobs from spawning in your tunnel and helps you navigate back up. Stop when you reach stone, then begin horizontal branches.

Branch Mining Strategy

From your main shaft, dig horizontal tunnels spaced a few blocks apart. This exposes more ore-bearing stone. Look for coal (dark speckled blocks) first—it fuels furnaces for smelting. Stone pickaxes mine stone; iron pickaxes are needed for iron ore and deeper ores.

Returning Home Safely

Bring your ore back to the cabin's furnace and storage area. Smelt raw ore into ingots using the furnace, then use the crafting and enchanting stations to upgrade your tools. Store excess materials in the empty chests provided.