Tutorials/Navigation

In the hunt for new resources or interesting locations to build doom fortresses, many Minecraft players will wander absurd distances. It is quite possible to get lost in these travels, but with a little forethought it is easy to avoid wandering the earth for an eternity in search of your home base. This tutorial will focus on some of the easier ways of navigating Minecraft's landscapes.

Spawn Points
Every world has a set spawn point where the player is deposited each time they die. Many players choose to build their main bases on or close to their spawn points. It is important to note that the player will spawn on the highest vertical block at their spawn point's coordinates, making it perfectly possible to build a safe tower to spawn in... or a safe pit. A tower is visible from far away and can provide a homing beacon for players gone far afield.

In multiplayer game play, however, you will not be to able to build or destroy blocks within a short distance of the spawn point.

You can change your spawn point by sleeping in a bed. Spawn points can be found most easily using the craftable Compass, though this will always point at your original spawn point, not at the last bed you slept in.

X, Y, and Z coordinates
Before going on a long journey a good idea is to go to your house, then press (This opens up a debug screen of info, press  again to close) and write down X and Z coordinates. These coordinates show the distance east and south, respectively, of your original spawn point. (The Y coordinate displays the player's altitude in meters [sea level is 63 or 64, depending on version].)

(More accurately: The Y coordinate is the height of your head; subtract 1.62 to get the height of the ground you are on.) As of version 1.3.1 the debug screen now displays the Y position of your feet and your eyes separately.

Now, go on your journey! When you want to get back then you press and walk until your X and Z coordinates are the same as what you wrote down at your base.

This method of navigation is particularly helpful for exploring the Nether, as a compass does not work and maps have limited usage. Write down the coordinates of your portal or Nether Base, and you can go exploring the Nether. Also if you find a Nether Fortress far from your base but want to go back to it, write down the coordinates of the fortress and you can go back to it later.

The Poles
On a starry night, two poles can be clearly discerned, the axis around which the world turns, and about which the stars appear to turn. The stars appear to rotate clockwise around one pole, and counterclockwise (widdershins) around the other. It is natural to call the counterclockwise pole north and the clockwise pole south. The sun and moon then rise in the east, follow the same path as the stars, and set in the west.

Pillars
Build a very tall pillar (10 blocks high) of dirt or stone, with a torch on top. The basic method for building the pillar is pillar jumping -- Look down, jump, and while you're in the air, place a block. When 10 blocks high is reached, place a torch on top. Now, if you just build the pillar and jump off, that's going to hurt you, 3-4 hearts worth. You can survive that (and heal if you're not too hungry), but there is a better way to do this:

As you build your pillar, every 3 blocks you place a block to the same side of the pillar, as follows: If you hold down Shift, you can move just over the edge of the block you're standing on without falling. This will let you look down and target the side of the block beneath you, to place a block there. Don't let go of the Shift key until you've placed the new block! Now you can get down safely: stand on the topmost side block and mine it, so you drop down to the one beneath that (a 3 block fall, which won't hurt you). Repeat until you get to the bottom -- no hearts lost!

Clouds
Clouds always float west, and are visible above-ground during day and night, so it is an easy way to tell direction.

Sun and Moon
The Sun and the Moon have designated pathways across the sky that can be used to discern which direction is north. The moon and the sun rise in the east and set in the west.

Trail Markers
Not all players will be content to build directly on the spawn point or even in the prime world where compasses work. Often, the spawn point is a fairly dull beach or desert, and players that desire a savage looking mountain valley or inside the Nether may end up building far from their spawn. It is recommended in these cases to either mentally note or construct a series of landmarks to follow, especially if the path is long. The use of trail markers is far more resource and time efficient than building long roads. It's a good idea to place all trail markers in such a way so as you can always see two markers from the one you are standing at (the marker you came from, and the marker you are heading to). This prevents you from losing the trail. It is also advised to have your markers placed or designed in such a way that you can always know which direction leads to the origin of the trail. Here are some example methods of aboveground navigation.

Sand Towers
Sand is easily mined and extremely plentiful, and is very visible in most terrain. Building a series of small sand towers at the peaks of hills is a good way of marking a path. Placing another block on the ground near the tower to create a line between the tower and block is an easy method of orienting the player in the right direction. Sand block signs can be read extremely quickly at a distance, making them a great choice for players dashing through the countryside at night who don't have time to stop and read signs.

Many players prefer to construct just a few large towers, which can then be capped with torches, Lava, or burning Netherrack to create a series of very visble landmarks.

Gate markers
Gate markers consist of two blocks placed next to each other with a one block space between positioned along a trail. The space between the blocks orients the player to the next gate. A torch or other marker can be placed on the side of one of the blocks to indicate the origin of the trail. It is usually best to build the markers out of something that stands out, like Cobblestone or Sand.

Torches and Signs
Most useful at night, Torches offer an easy method of making quick visible markers to follow, and they ward off monsters from spawning. Signs are also useful -- while they don't glow, you can place a torch to light them, and you can put useful information or ASCII arrows on the sign. Make sure that neighboring markers can be seen in /both/ directions—if you plant a torch a distance downhill from the previous torch, the first torch may not be visible from the second's location.

Roads
If you decide to try and find a new place to build a house or a mine, a useful thing to do is to dig a two or three block wide trench as you move along. Once you find your new construction site, all you have to do is follow the trench back and forth between your mines/houses. Later in the game (or as you are digging, if you have the resources) you can fill in the trench with cobblestone or gravel to make a nice looking pathway. It would also be a good idea to place torches along the pathway to make night travel safer, and you could even place fences beside your road for a much more appealing look (and to fend off monsters). As you build more things, you can create forks in your road along with signs to direct you to where you want to go.

Using Block Markings
Cobblestone, Moss Stone and Netherrack have markings that are easily identifiable. Because these blocks always orient themselves the same way when placed, it is possible to use them to know which way is north, even while underground or while in the Nether, as illustrated in this video. Since the addition of dyed wool, you could also make short pillars of a single color leading to different towns, buildings, or whole biomes. A further method using blocks is to carve a simple arrow into the surrounding terrain and fill it with off-colored blocks, such as filling a stone mine wall with dirt pointing in the direction home.

Maps
As of Beta 1.6, Ingame maps are a viable supplement or replacement for trail markers for mid-range journeys. Maps cost a compass and 8 paper, so you will need a little redstone and iron plus some sugar cane for this. Craft a map midway between the two points you want to connect. One location will be at one edge, the other on the other side, depending on the distance. Also, it is advisable to create a large structure that is visible on the map at each location. Construct it out of a material that will stand out; colored wool, cobblestone, and moss stone all contrast against snow, and all but moss stone against trees and grass. (Note that all colors of wool (and all sorts of stone) will show gray on the map, but colors can help you spot the tower from a distance.)

Underground Navigation
Natural caverns are fairly easy to get lost in without a little forethought. Depending on a player's mining style, artificial mines might be fairly disorienting as well! See this section for hints on navigating caverns and marking your path. (If you have a pumpkin farm, nothing beats Jack-o-lanterns for pointing the way.) Remember that digging your way to the surface is usually possible, but may be hazardous in its own right (water or lava being the major hazard).

Naval Navigation
If you travel through water with a Boat a lot, you may very well find yourself lost from home. There are a few ways to travel safely above and below water. maps are very useful here. You can also build towers from the seafloor to well above the surface, and top them with a Torch or Jack-o-lantern. (Advanced players might use Glowstone or burning Netherrack.)

If you have lily pads (found in rivers), you can use them to create small islands for navigation or minibases. You'll need a bucket of lava for this -- place the pad, then from as far as you can reach, dump the lava on top of the pad. The lava will form an island. At this point, you have a blazing landmark in the ocean. If you want to use the island for other stuff, you'll need to reclaim the lava source with your bucket, and wait for the flowing lava to cool. If you can't manage to grab the lava from the boat, you may be able to quickly jump onto the burning island (this will hurt and set you afire), bucket the lava source, and jump off into the water to put your flames out. Make sure you're at full health and fully fed before you try this! (You can use the same method to dump water on the lava to cool it more quickly.) Once the lava is gone, you'll have a nice small island, big enough for a chest, crafting table, and even a bed. (The new island may or may not show on your map.) Remember to stick a torch or jack-o-lantern on it to prevent monster spawning.