Tutorials/Beating a challenge map

A compilation of multiple LPer's strategies on beating a challenge map. Most of this tutorial is based on Complete the Monument styled maps, but will apply to any type of challenge map.

Terms
Some general terms used in challenge maps.

Silverfish
Often, a mapmaker will create a passageway with walls of Silverfish Blocks. If you break one of these blocks, it will spawn a Silverfish, which, when attacked, will spawn even more Silverfish from adjacent blocks.

If you accidentally break a block, you can kill a Silverfish by setting it on fire, burning it in lava, or using Potions. (As of 12w26a, don't use poison. explained on)

Ghasts
Ghasts are extremely annoying in maps, because of their ability to break blocks and set things on fire.

You want to dispatch of the Ghast as soon as possible, otherwise it'll get too annoying. To kill a Ghast, aim for the body, or deflect it's fireballs. This is the ghast's hitbox.

Ghasts cannot break Cobblestone, so use that to your advantage. Always build with Cobblestone, if you have some.

For destroying a Ghast spawner, use the tricks in the Funbox section below.

Funbox
These malevolent boxes cause nothing but trouble. Here's some ways to dispatch of them.

Lava
Lava is the best way to disable a funbox. It lights up the area around the funbox, preventing any spawns, and kills any monsters already spawned by the funbox.

To use lava, get within block-placing range of the funbox, and pour lava on it.

If you cannot reach the area of the funbox, build up so that you are a little higher than the funbox, and pour lava down onto the funbox.

Cannons
Using a TNT Cannon is a fun way to dispatch of funboxes. However, using these could blow up a wool chest, not to mention yourself. Be careful with this method.

Tunneling
The easiest way of tunneling toward a funbox is to go from below, as most funboxes are placed out in the open. Make sure to light up your tunnel very well while you tunnel towards it: you don't want your tunnel to be too dark.

If in a dungeon, always break the funbox before moving on. Creepers are known to blow up your lighting around the funbox and start it up again.

Big rooms
Rooms that are generally, very big. They are difficult to light up because you have monsters attacking you from all directions.

Charge and retreat
Charge in, light up the area, and retreat. Effective, but snail-slow, and rather dangerous.

Tunneling
Tunnel around the room, lighting up the walls of the room at regular intervals. This will disable most of the spawners and will make the Charge and Retreat method much easier. (It will be more effective to use Lava to disable the spawners, rather than torches.)

You can also tunnel to the top of the dungeon and pouring lava from above is a much safer way of doing this.

Landscapes
Even bigger than a big room, they are vast areas with several little dungeons for you to conquer. As well, there are usually areas on the other side of these landscapes, making these areas much more annoying.

Transportation
Using Minecart Tracks is a very effective way of moving around the landscape. You could also make a tunnel under the landscape for safe travel at night, but this takes a lot of time, and is not worth it.

Mazes
Bedrock mazes are found occasionally in maps. They're frustrating to solve and hard to get out of. Here's some tips of finding the right path:

Dead end mark-off
Whenever you hit a split road, put down a torch, and then go left, or whichever direction is closest to left. Always go left. It's much easier to find dead ends if you stick to one direction.

If you find a wall, good. Traceback to where you started, and mark off that path as a dead end (either with stone blocking the way, or a torch on the beginning of the path). If you find a split road, do the same thing: mark off the split road with a torch, and go to the left choice.

Fighting in mazes
A common trick for mappers to do is to put spawners within the mazes, making it harder to move around. Use corners to your advantage when fighting in a maze. Don't use lava: it'll gum up the corridor too much.

Sand and gravel
In general, a sand or gravel trap is a trap involving floating sand or gravel. When you place a block or a torch on it, it will fall, which will either reveal lava, a pit of monsters, or fall onto a Pressure Plate, which will activate some redstone.

Sand traps that expose areas are unavoidable, however, you can avoid the redstone-style sand trap by being wary. If you see a chest, furnace, or something of that sort, make sure you have a way of getting away before breaking it.

Mobs
Mobs like to sneak up on you. When playing a challenge map, I recommend playing with the sound on, so you can hear them coming.

TNT
If it's too good to be true, it probably is. Look out for innocent houses built on the landscape: it could be a deadly trap! TNT also makes a great big hole, making it rather difficult to fight.

Pits
Although easy to dodge within corridors, fighting can distract you, and you can walk off the edge of a pit! Cover up, or barricade every pit you see that might be a threat. If possible direct the fighting away from any nearby pits.

Redstone-related Items
This includes Pressure Plates, Dispensers, and Pistons. Redstone circuits can be made to do virtually anything, so if you see an "innocent" Pressure Plate lying about, block it off, or avoid stepping on it.

As well, if you hear the clicking of a pressure plate, run. Mapmakers like to mess with you by slowing the redstone with repeaters, catching you unaware.

Your inventory
It should contain: At least Two Swords A bow -> two stacks of Arrows At least Two Pickaxes A shovel or two An axe or two A stack or two of Torches Buckets (if you have some) -> Two buckets of water is usually good Armor (very important!) A stack or two of Blocks Wood Some Coal (or Charcoal) for Torches

In case of an emergency
Oh no! You died in an area with a high monster concentration and you had your best items! What will you do?

Be prepared for this scenario. Always have an emergency chest stocked with pre-made resources, just in case. It should have minimal inventory: two swords, some torches, and some armor. Note that you are not trying to conquer the dungeon with this, you are simply trying to get your items back.

The base
A main base should have these characteristics: - It is based around the Victory Monument. - It is completely safe from monsters. - A Crafting Table, Furnace, and Chest is situated there.

Some more things I recommend you have in your main base:

Food farm
The best type of food farm is an Automatic Wheat Farm (Tutorial), as wheat is a very easy resource to obtain, and bread is effective and easy to make. Bread is also stackable, making it easy to carry around.

The next best thing is a Mushroom Farm, which produces very fulfulling Mushroom Stew (Tutorial). Using Bone Meal on regular Mushrooms will produce a big Mushroom, giving you 4~16 mushrooms! However, Mushroom Stew does not stack, taking up lots of needed space in your inventory.

A Melon farm, unless very big, is not recommended, as melons only feed one part, and melons grow rather slowly.

Monster farm
If possible, set up a spawner trap around a funbox. If you can't find a funbox near your base, set up spawning platforms. Make them really high in the air. This is to ensure they spawn.

The best kind of trap is a lava blade trap, which kills monsters and leaves their drops unharmed.

A gravity trap takes more time, but is also more effective, as there is absolutely no light near the spawners, giving full spawn rates.

Tree farm
Wood is undeniably the most important resource in Minecraft. You'll need a lot of it too, in the case of challenge maps.

Cobblestone farm
This is only needed in extreme cases, where you have a great lack of Stone to use. The easiest farm to make is