Top 5 essential tips for Minecraft beginners (2023)

Minecraft is still welcoming new fans over a decade after its official release. While the game has made strides to welcome new players into the fold, learning the ins and outs of the game can sometimes be tricky.

Compared to many other games, Minecraft doesn't exactly have a tutorial to show players the nuances of its various game modes. Players typically drop into a survival world and have to use their own knowledge and wits to get themselves started. This can occasionally lead to mistakes or unintended consequences, but learning the game and various tricks is part of the experience.

If new Minecraft players are diving into the game in 2023, there are a few things worth keeping in mind when they start out.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer

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Keep crafting blocks handy and other tips to remember as a Minecraft beginner

5) Your difficulty setting matters

If a player is just beginning their Minecraft adventure, they shouldn't feel compelled to start on a specific difficulty. Sure, Normal difficulty is the default, but it isn't always conducive to learning the game.

Starting out with the Peaceful or Easy difficulty settings provides a more gradual learning experience where players can make mistakes and learn the mechanics of the game without being punished quite as harshly. This isn't to say that players can't learn the game on Normal, Hard, or even Hardcore difficulty, but doing so will be much less forgiving.

Starting off slow on an easier difficulty should introduce players to core survival gameplay and features like crafting and combat (on Easy or higher) to better suit them until they're ready to tackle higher difficulties.

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4) Time is of the essence

One of the oldest axioms in Minecraft is that a player's first day in Survival Mode is the most crucial, and this remains true for a number of reasons.

Most important among them is that at night, hostile mobs spawn, which can spell trouble for a newcomer who hasn't equipped themselves with weapons and armor. It's part of the reason why securing resources and finding or creating a shelter on the first day can be so important to avoid an early death.

With a secure place to call home, new Minecraft players can set out into the world during the day and learn crafting and other gameplay mechanics without worrying about being hunted by droves of hostile mobs.

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3) Keep crafting blocks handy

Although heading back to a player's base to craft and store items is wise, it's just as important to keep important crafting blocks in one's inventory.

In the event that a player finds some resources that they need to refine or use in a crafting recipe right away, it's a good idea to keep a furnace (with fuel) and a crafting table handy. They can be placed and used anywhere at a moment's notice. Having a campfire in a player's inventory can also be useful for cooking food, as it doesn't require fuel like a furnace does.

As players learn to create more specialized crafting blocks, it's certainly worth considering keeping them on hand just in case.

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2) Know your coordinates

Minecraft worlds are immensely vast, and it's easy for new players to get lost in them. For this reason, it's highly advised to get acquainted with the in-game coordinate system and how it operates. These coordinates can be accessed by pressing the F3 key in Java Edition or by enabling them in the world's settings in Bedrock Edition.

With smart use of the coordinates system, Minecraft players can ensure they don't get lost while also marking their home base or other points of interest in the game world for further reference.

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1) Make mistakes and have fun

Many new Minecraft players have gotten into the game via the massive number of popular content creators and professional speedrunners they've seen. However, nobody becomes an expert overnight, and new players shouldn't be expected to emulate popular personalities in the community.

The world's foremost survival sandbox game can be whatever a player wants it to be. The core rule is to have fun, even if a player isn't speedrunning or creating breathtaking mega-builds.

It's also important to note that because players are new, mistakes will happen, and that's perfectly fine. Learning Minecraft in and out is a time-consuming process, and even the most popular players in the world make a gaff or two on occasion.

There may be no better advice for new fans than to take their time and not be hard on themselves when they make a mistake, as it's all part of the learning process. Kick back and have fun, because Minecraft doesn't have to be serious in the slightest.