How to Survive in Minecraft

Punch trees in a new world. Collect a decent number of logs, 20-30, more than enough for your first few days.

Convert some of the logs into wooden planks. Planks are used for many different crafting recipes and are one of the most basic items in the game. 16 logs make one stack of planks.

Create a crafting table. You are only able to craft so much in the 2x2 crafting grid in your inventory. You will soon need an upgrade to make other tools and items. Crafting tables are a necessity.

Craft a wooden pick axe out of planks and sticks. You will need it to mine stone (which becomes cobblestone when mined without silk touch), to turn into a furnace.

Mine a decent amount of coal. Coal is a basic fuel in the game and is abundant while mining. Alternatively, you can use coal to burn the logs you collected to make charcoal, which is a similar item to coal (both smelt 8 items each).You can also smelt with wood and charcoal and logs.

Get lots of cobblestone. The more the better. You will most likely build your first house out of cobblestone or wood and mostly cobblestone. It is an abundant material. The majority of Minecraft is made of it.

Find a tall mountain or a cave. You will most likely find some coal if you do. Make your way up to or into it, and mine any ores you can find.

• Note that certain picks will mine certain ores. A wooden pick will only mine stone and coal while a stone pick can mine iron too. If you try and mine iron with a wooden pickaxe, it will disappear.
  

  {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/04\/8E816344-A4F6-4F55-A546-E7BC9C702BED.png\/460px-8E816344-A4F6-4F55-A546-E7BC9C702BED.png","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/04\/8E816344-A4F6-4F55-A546-E7BC9C702BED.png\/728px-8E816344-A4F6-4F55-A546-E7BC9C702BED.png","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":259,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":410,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}

Find a clearing and build a small house (you don't want it to be too big). Light up the inside with torches otherwise mobs will spawn inside your house. To make a torch, get a decent number of logs and planks. Then mine 8 cobblestone to make a furnace, put the logs above the flame, and the planks under the flame. You will get charcoal. Now make a torch out of charcoal and sticks. You don't have to have a door as zombies can knock them down, simply cover with dirt or wood. You can have an iron door with two buttons or a lever which stops zombies from breaking the door. If you do not want to build a house, find a hill that is 5 blocks tall or higher. Then, burrow out a square-ish shape. Put a block (preferably dirt) on the bottom of the 2 block entrance, and wait out the night.

Wait out the night. Many monsters spawn at night. On your first night, this can often be overwhelming as you may only have stone tools. If you are going out to fight mobs though, make sure you have got the tools you need. Leather armor, for example, will reduce damage taken by mobs.

Carefully exit your home and check for creepers. Creepers are an annoying mob that won't burn in the sunlight like zombies and skeletons. They can survive for quite a while coming daytime. They are green in color and can be hard to spot in grassy areas and don't make any sounds while walking or idling, so they can easily catch you by surprise. If one manages to get close to you, it will explode, harming or killing you and destroying nearby blocks.

Hunt for animals. Animals will give you meat for food and resources. Cows give leather, which can be used to make armor and books. Sheep give wool, which is used to make beds and carpet. Chicken give feathers for arrows.

Craft a chest. You can craft a chest with wood planks. You need exactly eight wood planks. You can place any items that you don't with you at the moment inside. If you die, you can always go back and have those items.

Find other ores and cut more wood, and make a farm (but you don't have to). This is generally how you progress in Minecraft after basic survival. Of course, you can attempt to face bosses too.