Mining Strategies in Minecraft

[Dirty Apple]

After I've situated myself on the surface with some kind of defendable structure, it's time to start digging. I'll make an entrance inside my fortifications, and then burrow straight down using the standard 2-block method.

When I reach bedrock, I climb back up the ladder and make waystations at 1/3 depth and 2/3 depth. These act as the hubs for my mining operations. Once I've set up the waystations with workbenches, furnaces, and chests, I proceed to punch spokes heading out in each direction. Finally, after all this is done, every time I run into dirt or gravel, I follow the vein looking for resources. Every once in awhile I run into an existing system and check it out, and I always keep my ears open for water/mob sounds.

I've been doing it this way for bit, but I can't help but wonder if there are any other stategies (excluding cheats) that are worthwhile.

 

[Akytalusia]

alot of people subscribe to the layer 12 branch mining. but my personal deal is to dig straight down to bedrock then spiral outward till i hit lava and set-up an obsidian factory/base of operations there.

 

[Aiden_the-Joker1]

I like to change my strategies with each mine. Sometimes I mine straight down to bedrock and then set up tunnels to find caves. I also set up railways to the caves and occasionally I will try to turn my mine into a giant basement with furniture and doors.

 

[XzarTheMad]

I usually make a mineshaft of 3x3 that spirals downwards, with the center block providing light all the way down at day. Optionally I place a spring there for easier ascent and descent.

One I reach the bottom 16 blocks I just start hollowing out rock for diamonds, gold and redstone.

 

[That One Six]

I make a massive strip mine along bedrock. A spiral staircase or ladder from my castle to the bottom, then make a 5x5 tunnel in each cardinal direction.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

I tend to find an existing cave on the overworld, or just find an easily defendable cliff wall and set up a base at the entrance, with lots of chests and furnaces, a bed, cake, and a little pen for my pet dog.

Then I tunnel down with a spiral staircase until I hit bedrock or a cave system. If it's a cave, I explore. If I hit bedrock, I then count up a few layers until I'm at around 12-14ish above bedrock. And then, I Start expanding outwards, using redstone to mark my way home.

Of course, when I start mining and hitting veins of dirt/gravel or other stuff, or I hit a cave...I start to just dig everfreaking where and mess up my mine.

Gotta love those giant lava caves, though. tons of obsidian to be had.

 

[Custard_Angel]

Depends what I'm looking for.

If I'm just mining coal and iron I usually just walk through caves mining the surface ore.

If I'm mining diamond and gold I get down to the 15 layers above bedrock then mine straight lines (1x2) so as to reveal 6 blocks around me. I then move over 3 blocks and do the same straight line mining.

In this way, very little space is left uncovered, but since its so repetitive you need to be extra alert because if you just hold W and left click you're likely to stumble into a lava drop and lose everything...

I lost almost 2 full stacks of diamond the other day due to that. It wasn't an ideal way to end an hour long mining session.

 

[KoudelkaMorgan]

I usually wander around till I see an interesting spot like an island chain or large cliff/waterfall and look for a cave entrance. I prefer exploring to strip mining great gouges out of the earth. If I come to a dead end I usually dig up to see where I am/gamble on how much ocean is too much re:my head. Not much down deep but lava and obsidian which for me is always a pain to harvest without it getting burned by the lava under it. I don't care for the nether, though the one time I when there on my 1st map I had mobs off because I had yet to make a bow.

I wanna see slimes though so you need to go deep.

My first map I started on 3 smallish islands and made one my base, one my work room/lighthouse, and one my mine. Turns out there was a HUUUUUGE cave system under all three.

My 2nd map I did anything with I was looking around for a cave entrance/coal and came out of the woods and saw a lake of lava on the surface. My lava protected doom fortress may be a long walk to the cave I found but that cave is easily the size of a small town so its all good.

 

[Dirty Apple]

that spirals downwards

spiral staircase

spiral staircase

What benefit do these spiral staircases offer compared to using ladders? These mine shafts must be incredibly time consuming. Are you also making actual stairs or just hopping all the way back up. I must be missing something, because 3 of you are using them so there must be some advantage.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

What benefit do these spiral staircases offer compared to using ladders? These mine shafts must be incredibly time consuming. Are you also making actual stairs or just hopping all the way back up. I must be missing something, because 3 of you are using them so there must be some advantage.

My technique:
I mine the two block in front of me (one at my face, one at my feet), then mine one block below that. I jump down one block, turn 90 degrees, and repeat. Keep doing this, putting torches whenever it gets dark, and you have a spiral staircase. A nice, compact way of getting down below relatively fast.

advantages:

1) Ladders use up lots of wood. Wood which I could be using to make an epic wooden house that I never seem to have enough wood for. It's just too much wood. Especially since I like to get mining by the start of the first night.

2) I have learned to NEVER. MINE. STRAIGHT. DOWN. You WILL fall into a lava pit, or onto a creeper if you keep doing it. If I use a spiral staircase, if I somehow open a hole that will spill lava on my feet, I have enough time to jump of the way and pour my trusty water bucket and save myself.

Disadvantages:
It is a PAIN in the ASS to come back up, since you need to keep hopping all the way back up and turning nonstop. >_<

...I might make a ladder shaft next time, once I'm sure my staircase isn't leading straight into a lava pit, and once I have tons of wood.

 

[jakeblues1295]

Either I will do the 12th layer branch mining (if I'm in search for ores) or I will simply quarry my way down if I simply need cobblestone.

 

[Daveman]

I just stick to caves, there seems to be much more stuff to be found when you follow them rather than just digging randomly.

 

[L3W15 M]

Make a 2x2 shaft down never mining directly under yourself (Because you know death and so on)
Get as low down as you want (Coal Iron Gold Diamond whatever)
Mine sideways creating a massive system of tunnels at that level, use ladders to get back out and just keep adding to the tunnel system, you find everything you need and eventually have a rather massive cool underground cavern.

 

[silver wolf009]

I tend to stick with caves, but every once in awhile I take an area with equal length and width, I.E. 30X30 blocks, and just strip mine down. It leaves massive holes yes, but then I cover them in glass and look down to the center of the earth.

 

[ZeroMachine]

that spirals downwards

spiral staircase

spiral staircase

What benefit do these spiral staircases offer compared to using ladders? These mine shafts must be incredibly time consuming. Are you also making actual stairs or just hopping all the way back up. I must be missing something, because 3 of you are using them so there must be some advantage.

Less wood for ladders, more wood for torches/boxes/tools. That's really all it is. Time-wise, though, ladders are far superior.

 

[debossman21]

underground strip mining. dig to bedrock, excavate a little, BOOM!!!

 

[archvile93]

Digging into a cave takes a lot of time and luck. Don't do it. Find a surface cave and see how large it is, if it's large than dig out the minerals. Also, never dig straight down ever, I've died to lava five times doing that. The game really needs a lava proof suit.

 

[LunaSocks]

I dig down in a 5x5 square mineshaft, with ladders so I can escape easily. Once I hit bedrock, I dig in a 5x5 square in one direction for eternity, unless I hit lava, then I turn around and go back to the main hug, and dig in a 5x5 square in another direction, wash, rinse and repeat for eternity until the map file is so big you can't load it.

 

[theheroofaction]

Bring a lot of torches some picks and a load of sticks, head up to the top of a mountain and start digging, build a castle and staircases (usually spiral) out of the mountains materials all while lighting the way with your torches. when you hit lava replace the torches in your castlemine with a few lava flows, and tada, you've got a good mine and an awesome fortress.