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Minecraft is a game of limitless creativity, survival, and adventure. Whether you're digging deep into mysterious caves or crafting your dream castle, it all begins with one essential skill: survival. For new players, the first 10 in-game days can be the difference between thriving and constantly respawning.
In this guide, we’ll walk through how to survive your first 10 days in Minecraft, covering everything from gathering resources and building shelter to fighting mobs and crafting essential tools.
Day 1: Gathering Wood and Crafting Basics
Your very first task is finding trees. Punch them until they break and collect the wood.
Key Actions
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Craft a Crafting Table with 4 wooden planks
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Make basic wooden tools: pickaxe, axe, shovel
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Locate a food source (animals or berries)
By sunset, you should aim to craft:
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1 wooden sword or axe
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1 wooden pickaxe
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Some planks to build shelter
Day 2: Building a Simple Shelter
Now that you have materials, build your first safe house before nightfall when hostile mobs appear.
Shelter Tips
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Use dirt, wood, or cobblestone
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Add a door and roof
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Place torches to light the interior (use charcoal if needed)
If needed, dig a hole in the side of a hill or go underground and block the entrance. It’s not fancy, but it keeps you safe.
Day 3: Mining and Gathering Stone
Upgrade your tools by mining stone. Locate a nearby cave or dig down at a safe angle.
What to Collect
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Cobblestone (for stone tools and furnace)
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Coal (for fuel and torches)
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Iron if available (for better tools and armor)
Craft these items today:
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Stone pickaxe, axe, and sword
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Furnace to smelt and cook
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More torches to light your base
Day 4: Finding Food and Farming
Your hunger bar is critical. Start establishing sustainable food sources.
Food Strategies
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Kill animals for raw meat and cook it
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Collect seeds and start a wheat farm near water
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Use a hoe to till soil and plant crops
If you find animals, try fencing them for future breeding. Chickens, cows, and pigs are ideal.
Day 5: Smelting Iron and Upgrading Gear
If you’ve mined iron, smelt it in your furnace to start gearing up.
Upgrade Targets
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Iron pickaxe (required for mining diamonds)
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Iron sword or armor for better defense
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Bucket (for water or lava management)
Exploring deeper caves? Bring:
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Extra torches
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Blocks for bridging
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Food and a sword
Day 6: Mob Combat and Staying Alive at Night
As you venture out more, you’ll start facing hostile mobs like zombies, skeletons, and creepers.
Combat Basics
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Keep your distance from creepers and use bows if possible
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Use shields to block skeleton arrows
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Time your attacks — spam clicking is less effective
Lighting up your base surroundings helps prevent mobs from spawning nearby.
Day 7: Exploring and Mapping Your World
Time to expand your horizons! Explore new biomes, villages, or caves.
What to Bring on Explorations
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Compass and map
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Bed (to sleep through night)
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Tools and food
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Torches and weapons
Mark your base with tall pillars or landmarks so you don’t get lost. Alternatively, place torches as breadcrumb trails.
Day 8: Enchanting Table and XP Gathering
If you’ve found diamonds and obsidian, begin preparing for enchantments.
Goals for the Day
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Mine 4 obsidian, 2 diamonds, and 1 book for an enchanting table
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Build bookshelves for better enchantments
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Start mining redstone and lapis lazuli
Kill mobs and mine quartz (in the Nether) to gain experience points for future enchanting.
Day 9: Farming Animals and Expanding Your Base
Today’s a good time to solidify your survival setup.
Farm Setup Tips
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Breed cows, chickens, or pigs
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Expand your wheat, carrot, or potato farms
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Build storage chests and organize your items
You can also build:
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A second floor
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Fenced areas
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Water canals for easy farming
Day 10: Preparing for the Nether
If you’re well-equipped, consider building a Nether Portal to unlock more resources and progression.
Materials Needed
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10 obsidian blocks
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A flint and steel to ignite the portal
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Iron gear, bow, food, and blocks for safety
The Nether is dangerous, so don't go unprepared. Bring extra food and cobblestone to build defenses.
Conclusion: Mastering the Early Game
Surviving your first 10 days in Minecraft is both exciting and essential to long-term success. By mastering the basics — gathering, crafting, farming, and fighting — you lay the foundation for everything the game has to offer.
From here, you can branch into building mega structures, defeating the Ender Dragon, or diving into Redstone automation. The possibilities are endless once you make it through those critical early days.
