Tutorials/Traps

This is a list of traps for creatures or players. Add your own, if you have created and tested a different one. Traps are a subset of Mechanisms.

Trap Effectiveness (WIP)
Effectiveness is an estimate from one, being the least damaging, to five, being "perfectly" fatal. Cost is calculated based on the resources required for the most basic implementation of trap. Common items, such as dirt, wood, or stone, count as one point, iron ingots, flint, redstone, or friendly mob drops as two, and rare metals and hostile mob drops as three. Add the points together to get the cost.

Trap Guides
A list of traps and tutorials can be found on the Trap Guides page.

Mined Block Traps
This type of trap uses a player mining a block (usually cutting down a tree, but that isn't too attractive) to set off the trap (usually TNT, but could use other variants such as a lava trap, etc.). A "NOT" gate is used so that when the player destroys a block with a redstone torch on it, the second phase of redstone is turned on, causing the TNT to be set off.

An advantage to this trap is that it is undetectable, and you don't have to "lure" the players into stepping on a pressure plate, or pulling a lever. It is also easy to build, since you can wire multiple blocks all over the map, rather than having to re-build a hallway or building every time it gets set off.

It is obviously possible to use a block other than a tree, but it may look out of place. Choose location carefully, e.g. in the desert use a cactus instead of a tree (be careful when doing that as the sand may fall, if you need to cover a pit up try a dirt block with sand on it or sandstone), in a luxury city you can use diamond...

It could work for this type of trap to be reused without going to repair it that often (on a server, when a protected block is mined it disappears, then returns), but a large supply of TNT/lava would be needed.

A video example of a Mined Block trap (in this case a tree) can be seen below.

CO-OP Traps
A very good trap if you have friends is put a pressure plate and wire it to a note block or dispenser and when the note block goes off (or dispenser dispenses) your friend will pour lava on the intruders from above.(this trap is very hard because you have to find a person who is willing to stand there all day with a bucket) Or this trap can be executed by the friend digging a hole under the thief and slash him with a sword (the advantages of this trap is it is very hastily made and can be used on new bases while you build a better trap.)

Lavafall

This trap will allow you to burn the player or mob chasing you. (Note: This trap is usually undesirable due to the fact that their items will burn as well) The player or mob will follow you into a 1x2 corridor 6 blocks long, (The maximum flow length of water or lava is 8 blocks) then they will activate a STONE pressure pad so if they do see the plate, they cannot test it with a miniblock by pressing Q. This trap will utilize the 'controlling water or lava with redstone' technique. See redstone (wire) for details on how to do this.

Items you will need: 1-10 redstone dust

A space where a 1x6 corridor can be dug out

A pickaxe

A shovel

A bucket of lava

2 iron doors

2 buttons or levers

1. Hollow out a 1x6 corridor

2. Dig a spiral staircase so that you are 2 blocks a bove the coridor

3. Place redstone going up the stairs

4. Dig 3 blocks to the left

5. Place the pressure pad at the end of the redstone in the corridor

6. Place your lava at the side closest to the redstone wiring

7. Dig out the blocks where the lava starts

8. Put the iron doors at each end

9. Exit the hallway before completing the trap

10. Place buttons on the OUTSIDE of each door

''It does not matter if you step on the pad due to lava's slow movement

Disarming Traps
When faced with a trap, the safest course of action is often to disarm the trigger by destroying the trap's components.


 * Destroy pressure plates. Pressure plates send the same message whether they are inactive or destroyed. Destroying a pressure plate will seldom trigger a trap.

You can dispatch active redstone wires with the use of two redstone torches: X = torch Y = redstone wire B= Any block Front view: XYX BBB Top view: Layer 1: B B  BBB Layer 2: X X  YYY And then destroy the center redstone: X X  Y Y It will keep the positive input for both ends, but cutting the two ends off, keeping the current on forever.
 * Be wary of active redstone. Inactive redstone is safe, but destroying active redstone dust can trigger traps, as it is usually connected to an inverter.


 * Never alter a clock generator! It may be connected to another one by a logic gate that checks if they tick together. This way the breaking or altering one may trigger a massive TNT charge or other anti-defuse mechanisms.


 * Consider the fact that the creator may be nearby. Often times, the builder of a trap will be near the trap, waiting to collect his victim's possessions.  If you encounter a trap, be ready for a fight.


 * Remove the trap's dangerous components. If you can reach the dangerous bits of a trap, destroy them.  Take the arrows out of a dispenser, and pocket the dispenser while you're at it.  Take any cactus you see as well.  TNT is a bit tricky.  The best way to dispose of it is generally either to dig a hole, trigger it, and let it explode harmlessly at the bottom, or to trigger it underwater and get to a safe distance. Being able to safely detonate TNT with the use of a single bucket of water is just one more reason to always carry one with you ( as of the 1.7 update tnt blocks can be broken with a fist and collected)


 * Some texture packs may make traps easier to disarm than others. While you might accidentally walk across a pressure plate and activate a trap while using one texture pack, you may spot it instantly with a different one. It may also help to use an x-ray texture pack to spot parts of the trap that you may not have been able to see before, which should help you better understand how the trap works.


 * If all else fails, try to safely trigger the trap. Either step on the trigger and run, or use redstone to trigger it from a distance.  It is best to have a good understanding of the nature of the trap before attempting to trigger it, as one can easily underestimate its size.

Monster Traps
A monster trap involves 2 main parts, a spawning floor, and a "grinder" which kills the mobs. The purpose of this trap is to collect items that monsters drop, such as gunpowder, arrows, bones, etc. In most monster traps, mobs are spawned on platforms, then fall into channels to be carried to the exit of the spawning floor to be killed. Water is used to keep all the monsters moving in the correct direction. A video example on how to build one is included below. dungeons can also be used as a spawning floor.

Video Tutorial