Minecraft Survival: The End

Now that you've become a master at the art of survival there is on test left on the board for you. The End is essentially the last part of any journey. But, getting there is not so easy.

The End is known as a "terrifying spit of land in the middle of a space-like dimension known as the Void" (Milton 42). Once you defeat the boss, which is the Ender Dragon, you'll be rewarded with its egg; a trophy that lets you know you defeated it. You'll need eye of enders (crafted with ender pearls and blaze powders) to find your way to the strong hold where the ender portal is. The Eye of Enders will keep on moving and eventually drop (Milton 42). Once you have found the strong hold you will need 12 more eye of enders to activate the portal. Once you enter the portal, there's no going back, until you have slain the Ender Dragon or you have been slain. Be cautious with you decision!

An example of a Ender Portal

Once there The Ender Dragon's health bar can be seen at the top of your screen. You are tasked with destroying the ender crystals at the top of the pillars, because they give the Ender Dragon its health. You can use your bow for that, since its the easiest way. Enderman can also be found in The End, so be careful.

The hard part is to slay the Ender Dragon. Use you bow to inflict damage since, its main method of attack is to swoop and dive at you. Be wary of the Dragon's health bar. Your success depends on it to be empty.

If you've made it this far and defeated the Ender Dragon, then you have done it! You can successfully accomplish anything in the world of Minecraft. Once the credits are over, you'll be taken back to the Overworld. I hope your success will continue in the right direction!

What was your biggest success in a video game?

Milton, Stephanie, and Paul Soares. "Basic Weapons." Minecraft: Combat Handbook: An Official Mojang Book. Scholastic, 2014. Print.

Minecraft Survival: Mob Encounters

Minecraft is a scary world when you think about it. Zombies, Skeletons, and Spiders aren't the only monsters aka "mobs" that you can come across. I will tell you what mobs you can encounter in Minecraft and what to do against some highlighted mobs.

In the Overworld of Minecraft you can come across the following mobs:

- Silverfish

- Spider

- Cave Spider

- Slime

- Creeper

- Skeleton

- Zombie

- Witch

- Enderman (Note: Enderman could also be found in the End)

- Guardian

- Elder Guardian

- Endermite

In the Nether, you can find:

- Ghast

- Magma Cube

- Blaze

- Wither Skeleton

- Zombie Pigman

- Wither (Boss)

The mobs that I'll be highlighting are the Creeper, Skeleton, and Zombie. They are the standouts of Minecraft.

Creepers are the most famous mobs in Minecraft. "Their method of attack is to run at you and explode in your face" (Milton 22). They have 20 health points and drop gunpowder when they are slain. A good way to fight creepers is to keep a safe distance. Use your bow first, before you try to engage with your sword. Be careful, for you might come across a charged creeper that does more damage than a normal one!

Skeletons are equipped with a bow and arrow, to attack from a distance. They will shoot you down with your bow and arrow. To fight this mob, which also has 20 health points, use your bow and arrow against it. Remember to always take cover while its firing. Sometimes if you're unlucky (or lucky) you might come across a skeleton with armor on. The prize for a slain skeleton are arrows, a bow, and rarely its armor (that can sometimes be enchanted).

Zombies are simple minded creatures that just walk up to you and touch you to inflict damage (Milton 24). They also have 20 health points and can sometimes carry armor like the skeletons. They have the potential to attack with a weapon like a sword. Zombies are not something you want to mess around with, since they are known to break down doors. Take a zombie out with your sword. What I like to do is to get them to a place where you are safe and can take some swings. You'll end up with rotten flesh, and rarely armor and weapons if you're lucky enough.

Hello, Mr. Zombie

Mobs are not to be taken on low note. They are the reasons why survival can be so difficult. Now that you know the basics of Minecraft Survival, there is only one place left to know... The End!

What mobs do you struggle to fight against?

Milton, Stephanie, and Paul Soares. "Basic Weapons." Minecraft: Combat Handbook: An Official Mojang Book. Scholastic, 2014. Print.

Minecraft Survival: Enchantments

Enchanting helps boost the strength in your weapons and armor, giving you a better chance to survive. Learning how to enchant is essential for survival.

To start off you have to craft your enchantment table, consisted of one book, two diamonds, and three obsidian. After you have crafted you enchantment table, "place the item you wish to enchant in the item square, and a piece of lapis lazuli in the lapis square, then choose one of the three options that appear on the right" (Milton 48). These options will be written in galactic language, so you won't be able to know what it is until the item is enchanted. The numbers on the right indicate how many experience points you'll have to pay, in order to enchant (Milton 48). Having more bookcases around your enchantment table also increase the amount of experience points needed, but greatly improves your chance for a better enchant.

Enchantment Table Recipe

An anvil can also be used to combine enchantments from two items. The second item will lose the enchantment it has, to fix the first one. For this to work, the items must be the same. Place the item in the first anvil slot, and the other item in the second slot. The fixed item should appear on the end slot. This will also cost you experience points.


You may come across enchantment books along the way. You can use these books to enchant your weapons or armor. You can find these enchantment books in chests, located in strongholds, dungeons, jungle temples, desert temples, mineshafts, and from villagers. Just place the book on the second slot of the anvil with your item of choice on the first, to get your end product.

Enchanting greatly improves your chance of survival. I personally always try to enchant my items before fighting any big mobs. I highly recommend you to enchant your items, since it helps so much. Rack up those experience points!

Would you enchant your items too? If so, what is your favorite type of enchantment?

Milton, Stephanie, and Paul Soares. "Basic Weapons." Minecraft: Combat Handbook: An Official Mojang Book. Scholastic, 2014. Print.

Minecraft Survival: Armor

A Good Defense is A Good Offense

Besides a stable weapon, Armor is an essential you need to get while in the world of Minecraft. Without it, chances of you surviving are slim. By reading this you'll find out how useful armor is, different recipes to craft armor and what kinds of things armor can protect you from.

Like the sword, armor can be crafted using different materials you get in the game. The materials you can use for crafting armor are leather, gold, iron and diamond. There is also chain-mail armor, however, "chain-mail cannot be crafted, but can sometimes be acquired through villager trading, or if a mob (monster) drops it when it dies. Leather, gold, iron and diamond armor can be also be dropped by mobs". (Milton 15). A unique fact about leather armor is that it can be dyed to get a different color, making you look stylish as you slay enemies. However, personally I think diamond is the correct way to go since its the strongest you could get.

When you equip a piece of armor in your inventory, an armor bar will pop above your hotbar. It consists of 10 chest plates. A chest plate is worth 2 defense points that represent 8% protection. (Milton 16). You can only achieve up to 80% of total protection, because you'll never be completely immune to damage in Survival mode!

The armor recipes for the different armor pieces are found below:

These Recipes can be arranged using leather, gold, iron or diamond.

Each armor piece has different defensive points depending on what material is being used. Down below are each piece of armor and a complete explanation of what they do.

A Helmet is crafted using 5 pieces of a material. 

- Leather is 0.5 defense point

- Gold, chain, and iron is 1 defense point

- Diamond is 1.5 defense point

Fun Fact: A helmet is not the only thing you can wear on your head. You could also wear a pumpkin or a mob head!

A Chest Plate is crafted using 8 pieces of a material. It is completely different from your chest plates above your hotbar.

- Leather is 1.5 defense point

- Gold and chain is 2.5 defensive points

- Iron is 3 defensive points

- Diamond is 4 defensive points

Trousers aka Pants are crafted using 7 pieces of a material.

- Leather is 1 defense point

- Gold is 1.5 defense point

- Chain is 2 defensive points

- Iron is 2.5 defensive points

- Diamond is 3 defense points

Boots are crafted from 4 units of a material.

- Leather, gold, and chain are 0.5 defense point

- Iron is 1 defense point

- Diamond is 1.5 defense point

It's smart to craft chest plates and pants first since they are stronger than helmets and boots, but the main goal is to craft armor for your entire body to protect yourself from danger. However, there are some dangers you cannot avoid from even if you are wearing armor.

Armor can protect you from:

- Mob attacks

- Arrows

- Explosions

- Player attacks

- Fire and lava

- Cacti

- Getting struck by lightning

- Being hit by a falling anvil

- Being hit by chicken eggs

However, armor cannot help you from the following:

- Falling into the Void

- Ongoing damage from fire

- Suffocating inside a block

- Drowning in water

- Poison

- Potion of harming

- Starvation

- Being hit by snowballs

- other harmful potion effects

Armor gives a player the best protection affordable. Like swords and bows, armor can also be enchanted to make it even stronger than normal. You now know what armor can do for you, and with your previous knowledge on swords and bows, you're able to face the world of Minecraft. However, you also have the possibility of enchanting your items for stronger use. Would you be ready for combat or would you enchant your items first?

Milton, Stephanie, and Paul Soares. "Basic Weapons." Minecraft: Combat Handbook: An Official Mojang Book. Scholastic, 2014. Print.

Minecraft Survival: The Basics (Swords and Bows)

The Basics of Survival is essential for Minecraft. There's no other way to put it, your life depends on how you prepare to face the world of blocks itself. Whether you are taking on the Ender Dragon or you're just starting off on your quest, it is vital to learn about the most important basics of combat in Minecraft. I will be only talking about swords and bows and arrows in this one. With a sword and a bow you are ready to take on any monster out there in the deadly terrains of Minecraft.

First let's start with how you craft your sword. Your standard recipe to craft on a crafting table are 1 stick and two material pieces of either wood, stone, gold, iron, or diamond.

Sword Recipes

These material pieces each account for how strong each sword is and how durable it is. Wood swords tend to be great starter weapons according to Stephanie Milton, author of Minecraft: Combat Handbook. However, they are less durable and can break when used for a longer period of time. Stone swords have a bit more bite to them than wood swords and will work long enough until you are able to acquire rare ores (gold, iron and diamond). Gold Swords are slightly stronger than wood, but are less stronger than stone and are less durable than both. They can however be enchanted (upcoming blog) easier than the other swords. Iron swords are stronger than all three and an iron sword will last a while. This is a great weapon for fighters willing to fight against monsters such as zombies, skeletons, and spiders. However, if wanting an even stronger weapon, craft the diamond sword which is the strongest and most durable sword in the game. The diamond sword is "The ultimate fighting implement for the player who intends to dominate." (Milton 9).

Damage each sword does:
Wood Sword - 5 hearts
Stone Sword - 6 hearts
Gold Sword - 5 hearts
Iron Sword - 7 hearts
Diamond Sword - 8 hearts

You can also press right click in order to block arrow shots with your sword. Later on, you'll find out how these swords can be enchanted to increase the performance of each sword. Swords are an essential piece in order to survive.

Bows are typically best used at a distance to snipe your enemies from afar. They are crafted using 3 pieces of sticks and three pieces of string. Bows are strongly durable and can last for a while. Arrows needed with bows are crafted with one piece of flint, one stick and one feather. Arrows can also be dropped by skeletons, when slain.

Bow and Arrow Recipe

Bows can be used by holding down the right click button to charge and release it. According to Milton, "The main advantage of a bow and arrows is that, unlike the sword, you can use it from a distance and keep out of range of your enemy's attack." (Milton 10). A normal bow and arrow can do up to 9 hearts of damage when fully charged. Bows can also be enchanted to help out even more.

You are now ready to face the world of Minecraft with the basic weapons needed. Now all you need left is armor and other essential parts. Depending on everyone's play style you might play aggressive and roll with a sword like me, or just play safe and use a bow. You might even need to use both weapons to fight different monsters that live in the world of Minecraft. What is your play style and how will you use these weapons effectively?

Milton, Stephanie, and Paul Soares. "Basic Weapons." Minecraft: Combat Handbook: An Official Mojang Book. Scholastic, 2014. Print.