For a quick guide follow the stages below but it is recommended to read further on:
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Gather Wood From 2 Average Size Trees.
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Make A Crafting Table From Wooden Planks.
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Craft Basic Tools (If You Are Near A Stone Area, Craft A Wooden Pickaxe So You Can Obtain 18 Pieces Of Cobblestone. They Will Allow You To Create Every Stone Tool)
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Shelter! There Are Many Ways You Can Build A Shelter But For The Quickest Look For A Hill Or Mountain.
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Dig Into The HIll So Your Have Space For Your Furniture. You Should Use Your Spade For The Dirt And Your Pickaxe For The Stone.
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Keep A Look Out For Coal! You Will Need This To Cook Any Meat Your Have Obtained On The Way Or Have Found Ores. Your Can Also Your Characoal Which Can Be Made By Using Wooden Planks To Smelt Logs.
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Create Torches For Light. This Stops Mobs From Spawning.
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Craft And Put Down A Furance, Chest And Bed.
Surviving Your First Night !
1. Shelter
To build a shelter you must have some resources. This could be anything from wooden planks to diamond blocks. On your first night, your shelter isn't going to be made out of diamond blocks but you can use it to escape the creatures of the night! Below is a few examples of different types of shelters you can make but don't forget in minecraft anything is possible :)
Emergency shelter
The most simplest and also the smallest types of shelter is the 1x3 shelter. To make this shelter all you have is to dig 3 blocks straight down and then cap it off the hole with a block of dirt. This only takes a few seconds so it is good for making a qick escape. Eventhough digging straight down isn't normally recommended, in this case it is alright because it is extremely unlikely that you will run into a cave after digging 3 blocks down from the surface. This method could also be used later on if you are very far from a base you have already built and need to a safe place to stop for the night becuase mobs such as zombies, creepers and spiders can't get in. The only issue is getting out as you could dig up into a creeper. To fix this you could built a little hut above the hole but this would take a bit longer. It isn't recommended that you use this type of base for more that one night unless you expand the area of it and by adding torches to stop mobs from spawning.
Cliff-side Cave
This type of base is probabily the most popular for the first night because like the emergency shelter it only takes a few seconds to build. It offers a good amount of protection from mobs and building material is gained instead of lost. There is no specific shape for this type of shelter because you can just expand throughout the cliff. For extra protection against mobs, try and find a cliff by a large area of water because hostile mobs can't spawn there. You should also keep an eye out for coal so you can place torches in your new base. Once you have mined out your shelter and night begains to desend, you can close of the enterance with dirt. Please be aware that if you choose to dig down to diamond level there is a chance you could drop into a tunnel or a cave and get yourself trapped so if you choose to do so make sure you have plenty of rations to get yourself out.
NPC Village House
The Haredest part of making this is actually finding a NPC village. After that its just decorating a house to make it a home. If a village has a church you should occupy it because there is more floors for you and the top can act as a viewpoint. However before you exit a church make sure that there is no creepers near by! If you choose to use a village as your base you could later occupy the whole village so you have a specific building for certain purpose (i.e. a building for brewing).
Wooden Hut
After you have gather plenty of wooden logs, you should start looking for a flat, open area where you plan to build your hut. It is recommended that you gather approximatly 3 trees worth of logs or similar. This is so you have enough materials to build your walls, to put your flooring down and so you can have a roof. The design and structure of your hut is completly up to you but keep in mind that the more area your hut needs the more materials you will need. Later on in the game, you can change what you have used because you will be able to obtain more materials. For you first night it is recommended that you use wood because it is the easiest to gather compaered to cobblestone, for example.
2. Prioritising
Now that you have a place to retreat to, it is now time to gather resources to help your survive. If you have choosen to create a base made out of wood, you should first obtain a tree's worth of logs so you can create a crafting table (if you haven't already), tools and also for chests. In your base you should, place your crafting table down and create a wooden pick so you can get some stone. Before leaving your base, it is recommended that you notes down the coordinates so you know where to get back to. After that, you should have a look around to see if you can find any stone. If you gathered 19 blocks of cobblestone you can create all the stone tools as well as a furnace. A furnace is more of a priority compared to torches because they not only cook food but they act as a light source too. Keep an eye out for coal because you will need it later on for cooking any food and or smelting ores. If you can spot any mobs such as cows or pigs then you should go and obtain some food too. If you see some sheep whilst on your travels try to get 3 blocks of wool so you can craft a bed.
3. Don't fight mobs on your 1st night !
This is important if your playing on hardcore because on your first night you will be weak because you will have either weak or no armour and weapons therefore it is highly likely that you will die.