Tutorials/Skyblock

Skyblock is a popular challenge, where the player starts the game in a small island in the void, including a tree and often a chest, which contains items you couldn't get without it (for example lava buckets).

Many different variations of the skyblock map are available online.

Overworld only
The most efficient way to get an item is written in bold.

Ways of getting items requiring cobblestone are written in italic.

Global progression
Since you cannot explore the terrain, setting up farms for resources is vital to game progression.

Tree farm
Wood is crucial at the beginning of a skyblock map because it is the only renewable block available at the beginning of the game (unless you have immediate access to lava and water, in this case, you can make a cobblestone generator).

First, chop down your island's tree, and make sure to get all of the dropped saplings. Then, dig all the dirt of island, except the first layer. You will then use (almost) all of the dirt to create a tree farm and use the wood you collect to make wooden slabs and expand your terrain using them.

Note that, at this stage, your only food available is apples, which has a 0.5% chance to drop from oak leaves. Also, try not to sprint or jump, in order to be able to eat enough.

It is quite hard to get a bed, so you should think of making a small shelter for the night to prevent being attacked by phantoms.

Cobblestone generator
To farm cobblestone, you will need a lava bucket and a water bucket. If you don't have immediate access to water, you will have to make a mob farm before, in order to get iron for a cauldron.

To make a cobblestone generator, dig a one block deep T-shaped hole. Put a block in the center, water and lava on two others slots. Break the center block, get in the last slot, and break the cobblestone that forms. Make sure that the blocks that surround the lava are not flammable, or they will burn.

Mob farm
Hostile mob farms are very important because they are a source of bones, strings, redstone dust, iron ingots, potatoes and carrots, among many other drops. Building a mob farm is mandatory to get the crops to start crop farming. It is also an abundant source of rotten flesh, which you can now eat instead of apples. Multiple mob farms designs are explained in the page Tutorials/Mob farm, however, the vast majority of efficient designs need water or redstone circuits.

This hostile mob farm design shown by ilmango uses the mob pathfinding mechanics to lure them into a drop shaft, without the need of water or redstone circuits (note that spiders can't spawn in this farm) :

You should also make a temporary passive mob farm to get animals: to do that, if you're in a biome where animals can spawn you can remove the saplings from your tree farm, get back and wait for some to spawn. Keep in mind that you won't be able to attract them or breed them, since you don't have any crops yet.

Getting water
Water is especially useful in Skyblock worlds since it allows you to pillar down easily. It is also used to irrigate farmland. To get some, you can place a cauldron below open sky and wait for rain, which will very slowly fill the cauldron with water. When the cauldron is full, you can empty it with a bucket. Once you got 2 water buckets, you can easily make an infinite water source to be able to get water more easily. If you do not have a cauldron, then head out to the swamp island and get a bucket so you can collect water. You can use this and the cobblestone generator’s water to make an infinite water source. Remember, you put water in one pair of opposite sides.

Iron farm
You first need some zombie villagers that can be cured using a Potion of weakness and a golden apple. To solve this, you need a platform about 23 blocks away. Make a roof 2 high. Erase the middle of the platform and replace with trapdoors. When a zombie villager tracks you, close the trapdoors. And build a 2 high shaft and repeat this process for all the other sides and add a roof. Repeat this process and open up the second block from the bottom so the zombie villager is looking at you and cure! Once the village has a decent population iron golems will start spawning. Using a bubble column and luring a zombie is perfect! You need to have the zombie go somewhere. One strategy is to put a caldron below the spot you want the zombie to be. Use water streams to guide the zombie. Make a holding cell for 3 villagers and place a roof over the zombie. Make the villagers get scared and they will summon iron golems. Extend the roof and put water in the top 2 corners. Place campfires under the point iron golems will fall. Under the campfires, place hoppers. Make them be connected to a chest.

Nether survival
To make a gold farm, make a platform a maximum of 23 blocks away and make a roof out of slabs and wait. A little while later, you should see some zombie pigmen spawning. Shoot one and kill the pigmen. Branch out and see if you can find a nether fortress in the surrounding areas. Kill a few blazes and make a potion brewing stand. These are the basics for nether survival!