Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

A place to talk to other users about the mod.
User avatar
Taleric
Posts: 772
Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2013 8:37 pm
Location: Okinawa

Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by Taleric »

I put some fun time into BTW early game recently and with my first pick I grabbed some local surface iron; deciding to then test out strip mining at the strata limit yielding weak returns.

I really find ravines to be my preferred early mines being less risky then caves and better yield than strip.

What do you go after in the long days prior to diamond find? Just curious :)
VegasGoat
Posts: 107
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 9:12 am

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by VegasGoat »

Ravines usually spell death for me. Too many opportunities for creepers to get the drop on me. I find caves the safest because I can bring a load of dirt and make barriers all over to prevent anything coming from behind me.
User avatar
ion
Posts: 550
Joined: Sat Jan 05, 2013 2:56 pm

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by ion »

i only do strip mining when i want the diamond beacon up. for the rest i just rush to diamond pick and nether, or in case of death to a compass for the trip back home. with the addition on the iron nuggets mining iron ore is useless after the initial stages, but i never made a pick first, just a hoe or shears depending of what i want at those first stages
Niyu
Posts: 265
Joined: Tue Mar 20, 2012 7:15 pm

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by Niyu »

Caves and ravines, I only do strip mining once I have a working crucible and a need stone for my building proyects, as I play with a self imposed rule of not making stone generators. And for ravines i always explore them starting from the topand carefully lighting it so no creepers can drop on me.
User avatar
Gunnerman21
Posts: 378
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 12:53 am
Location: WA, USA

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by Gunnerman21 »

Ravines are my favorite. Getting to them obviously is mostly through caves which is where most of the iron comes from, but I still like the openness of ravines. If deep enough they are easy access to gold and redstone for later.

My other favorite is deep caverns. Rare because of rng, these caves intertwine with each other producing a huge open area. If at lava level they are usually filled halfway making traversing impractical. Fortunately this area is also where I found my first diamonds in my current world, so the huge area it covers is a definite plus.
Spoiler
Show
I am... THE TAXI MAN.
RalphKastro
Posts: 189
Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2012 8:21 pm

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by RalphKastro »

I have this weird habit of only making bases inside caves(both because I used to play a lot of anarchy and because my outside decoration skills just suck) and for some reason they always go deep into bottom strata level. I usually go pick first because I usually secure much more iron than I have the patience to collect.

Strip mining isn't really viable until you've got a crucible, because it costs too much time and ravines are giant holes of death. it just goes something like "oh, what's this cave?" *creepers and skelletons fall from the ceiling*. too dangerous to me.
User avatar
hawk
Posts: 108
Joined: Fri Nov 29, 2013 4:54 am
Location: Houston, Texas

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by hawk »

Taleric wrote:Ravines usually spell death for me.
RalphKastro wrote:ravines are giant holes of death
Agreed. I mostly stick to the relative safely of caves early on. If I'm moderately kitted and I can see a path to third strata on a deep open-to-sky ravine I'll take a chance in hope of finding those first diamonds but when it comes to iron mining, I'll take a cave and a stack of dirt for defense any day.
turtlemuncher
Posts: 42
Joined: Sat Jun 01, 2013 6:48 pm

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by turtlemuncher »

Gunnerman21 wrote:Ravines are my favorite. Getting to them obviously is mostly through caves which is where most of the iron comes from, but I still like the openness of ravines. If deep enough they are easy access to gold and redstone for later.

My other favorite is deep caverns. Rare because of rng, these caves intertwine with each other producing a huge open area. If at lava level they are usually filled halfway making traversing impractical. Fortunately this area is also where I found my first diamonds in my current world, so the huge area it covers is a definite plus.
In my current world, I made my base in a deep cavern (i had found it a little before i got enough diamonds to make a pick). they are really good when you find them though
hawk wrote:
Taleric wrote:Ravines usually spell death for me.
RalphKastro wrote:ravines are giant holes of death
Agreed. I mostly stick to the relative safely of caves early on. If I'm moderately kitted and I can see a path to third strata on a deep open-to-sky ravine I'll take a chance in hope of finding those first diamonds but when it comes to iron mining, I'll take a cave and a stack of dirt for defense any day.
Yeah i also agree with that, but thats what makes it fun!
User avatar
myrkana
Posts: 246
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:56 pm

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by myrkana »

I love ravines :) I use any spare materials I have from digging out a home to make large pathways back and forth across them xD I'll also usually enclose all/part(sometimes using fence instead of closing the top of it so i dont have t worry about visitors from above. Also it tends to be a bit easier to find a lot of iron because theres plenty of the walls, they give me a great chance to find a cave with diamonds since often times they go 2-3 strata level or have a cave off the bottom that does.
Rawr :D
User avatar
TheGreatIntelligence
Posts: 84
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2013 6:19 pm
Location: The Kretchma

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by TheGreatIntelligence »

I like ravines because after I mine them clean, I can come back later with more resources and turn them into derelict mining operations with lots rickety bridges and vines.
Saaaaaandviiich.. Saaaaandviiich....
ylogaj
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2013 2:07 am

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by ylogaj »

For ages, all I did until I had a crucible (full reliable armour) was strip mine, because I kind of suck at not dying. But in my recent game, I decided to say "screw it, I'm doing some caving". This cave led me to a ravine - just above bedrock. I've now gathered two stacks of iron (but only 2 diamonds, I let one fall in lava like a noob). Took ~10% the time strip mining would have. And I'm yet to die, which is always nice.
User avatar
DaveYanakov
Posts: 2090
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2011 5:17 am

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by DaveYanakov »

VegasGoat wrote:Ravines usually spell death for me. Too many opportunities for creepers to get the drop on me. I find caves the safest because I can bring a load of dirt and make barriers all over to prevent anything coming from behind me.
This is why site prep is so important. Build a bloody wall around the ravine and you never have to worry about you or other mobs falling in again. It is absolutely worth it to spend a couple days gathering the wood for a fence followed by scaffolding slabs. BTW is a game about using your ability to modify the world around you to your advantage. If you find yourself facing mobs directly, you've generally slipped up somewhere.

Everyone does, of course, but it is always better to overcome through building stuff than swinging a sword out in the open.
Better is the enemy of Good
Mason11987
Posts: 1159
Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2011 11:03 am

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by Mason11987 »

DaveYanakov wrote:
VegasGoat wrote:Ravines usually spell death for me. Too many opportunities for creepers to get the drop on me. I find caves the safest because I can bring a load of dirt and make barriers all over to prevent anything coming from behind me.
This is why site prep is so important. Build a bloody wall around the ravine and you never have to worry about you or other mobs falling in again. It is absolutely worth it to spend a couple days gathering the wood for a fence followed by scaffolding slabs. BTW is a game about using your ability to modify the world around you to your advantage. If you find yourself facing mobs directly, you've generally slipped up somewhere.

Everyone does, of course, but it is always better to overcome through building stuff than swinging a sword out in the open.
That's one of my favorite parts of BTW. That at the start you're helpless and you have to be cautious but at the end, when you get steel tools and armor (enchanted no less) you can rampage everything. In vMC you're basically fine with a stone sword so getting a diamond one isn't really a big deal.
User avatar
hawk
Posts: 108
Joined: Fri Nov 29, 2013 4:54 am
Location: Houston, Texas

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by hawk »

TheGreatIntelligence wrote:I like ravines because after I mine them clean, I can come back later with more resources and turn them into derelict mining operations with lots rickety bridges and vines.
Hmmm... I like it. I'm going to have to give this a try. Should be a fun little project.
EtherealWrath
Posts: 298
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2012 1:37 pm

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by EtherealWrath »

Strip mining is possible, but its kinda boring. If you're pre hoe then the additional time/effort might put a hole in the food chain.
(Its useful for finding/connecting caves)

Wheres cave diving tends to be a little more exciting, and its kinda good to practice in the upper strata before going on that diamond run.
With a good technique you can avoid getting trapped/ambushed, or even turn the tables and ambush the monsters.
Phantom screams echo through the ruined facility
A horrible silence builds an eerie tranquility
The souls of many innocent fill the air
The hope they all died with scattered down there
User avatar
DaveYanakov
Posts: 2090
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2011 5:17 am

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by DaveYanakov »

Strip mining for caves is what I generally do, particularly when spawning in tough biomes. When your only food source is fish either way, there is less pressure to hunt for surface caves but a huge amount of pressure to not go outside any more than you can help.
Better is the enemy of Good
abculatter_2
Posts: 122
Joined: Sat Jul 13, 2013 11:37 am

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by abculatter_2 »

DaveYanakov wrote:Strip mining for caves is what I generally do, particularly when spawning in tough biomes. When your only food source is fish either way, there is less pressure to hunt for surface caves but a huge amount of pressure to not go outside any more than you can help.
This. Also, some other tips for early strip mining that I do:

ALWAYS collect ALL the dirt and gravel you find. Dirt is amazing for early-game building, especially walling off sections of caves and making chokepoints once you've found one. Also, shovels cost one third as much stone and if I remember correctly have almost a stack of durability, plus they dig things out much faster. You'll get a lot more coal and iron, and uncover a lot more caves. Also, gravel + ladders = poor man's spelunking gear.

Make stairs into your strip mine immediatey. If you're spending a lot of time strip mining or are in a low-food environment, you want to conserve your food as much as possible. Also, cobble stairs cost less wood, and you're going to be getting a lot of excess cobble from mining anyway, so stone stairs are definitely an option. (Or you could just use packed dirt slabs)

Go hunting in the same direction you strip mine. No point in wasting perfectly good food, plus it encourages hunting in one direction rather then going off in random directions, so you have a better chance of having animals nearby if you don't bury some in the first few days.
tedium
Posts: 183
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2012 1:56 am

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by tedium »

i had a start recently where i had access to a big lava lake next to a water source. it took a few goes, but i eventually made a nether portal using just water and lava and dirt. on that run, there was still iron in the walls of nearby ravines and i was skipping it, just smelting down the swords and shovels that i picked up off mobs.

but short of coming across a nice accessible lava lake, mineshafts and ravines have always been my preferred source for iron hunts. i tend to only go short distances into caves as i hate jumping out (so hunger-draining, nothing worse than running from a creeper that dropped out of nowhere only to find you can't jump anymore) and i'm always shocking at keeping my orientation. above ground i'm fine, underground and i'm lost after the third turn.
FlowerChild makes heroes of us all, and gives us battle axes where we had swords weak as zombie paws.
EtherealWrath
Posts: 298
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2012 1:37 pm

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by EtherealWrath »

tedium wrote:i tend to only go short distances into caves as i hate jumping out (so hunger-draining, nothing worse than running from a creeper that dropped out of nowhere only to find you can't jump anymore) and i'm always shocking at keeping my orientation. above ground i'm fine, underground and i'm lost after the third turn.
A lot of cave diving is down to technique;
Spoiler
Show
-move slowly and tread carefully
-plan your route, and use dirt slabs to save on jumping
-never turn your back on the darkness
-explore/light the cave first, then go back for the ores.
-if you hit a branch; block off the other paths before continuing
-when a section is cleared, mark the branch entrance with cobble/packed earth
-clear the higher sections first
-put torches on the left. keep them on the right to get to safety
-be careful when digging into the ceiling
-plant mushrooms as you go; its a fairly safe way to collect easy food.
Phantom screams echo through the ruined facility
A horrible silence builds an eerie tranquility
The souls of many innocent fill the air
The hope they all died with scattered down there
User avatar
DaveYanakov
Posts: 2090
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2011 5:17 am

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by DaveYanakov »

abculatter_2 wrote:...ALWAYS collect ALL the dirt and gravel you find. Dirt is amazing for early-game building, especially walling off sections of caves and making chokepoints once you've found one. Also, shovels cost one third as much stone and if I remember correctly have almost a stack of durability, plus they dig things out much faster. You'll get a lot more coal and iron, and uncover a lot more caves. Also, gravel + ladders = poor man's spelunking gear.
BTW is the game that makes you feel like you won the lottery every time you find dirt while looking for iron
Better is the enemy of Good
User avatar
dawnraider
Posts: 1876
Joined: Sun Dec 11, 2011 7:00 pm

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by dawnraider »

I generally prefer ravines over anything else, since strip mining is so time/hunger/material consuming, and caves can be a bit unreliable in terms of reaching bottom strata (plus they're a lot easier to get lost in). I got lucky in my most recent world in that a ravine 50 blocks from spawn had diamonds visible from the surface, but ravines are nice in general because of the resources in the walls and branching caves. Mobs dropping aren't a problem as long as you start at the top and work your way down.
DaveYanakov wrote:BTW is the game that makes you feel like you won the lottery every time you find dirt while looking for iron
This is too true.
Come join us on discord! https://discord.gg/fhMK5kx
Get the Deco Addon here!
Get the Better Terrain Addon here!
Get the Vanilla Mix TP here!
Get the Conquest TP here!
EtherealWrath
Posts: 298
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2012 1:37 pm

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by EtherealWrath »

DaveYanakov wrote:BTW is the game that makes you feel like you won the lottery every time you find dirt while looking for iron
And when you steal it from the zombies.
I looked like a king with my iron crown.
Phantom screams echo through the ruined facility
A horrible silence builds an eerie tranquility
The souls of many innocent fill the air
The hope they all died with scattered down there
User avatar
icynewyear
Posts: 195
Joined: Mon Nov 05, 2012 1:03 am

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by icynewyear »

Fast and furious. Mineshafts with minimal torches are the best.
User avatar
FlowerChild
Site Admin
Posts: 18753
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2011 7:24 pm

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by FlowerChild »

icynewyear wrote:Fast and furious. Mineshafts with minimal torches are the best.
Interesting. I always thought you were more into jumping into ravines in order to avoid all that tedious mining/caving :)
User avatar
icynewyear
Posts: 195
Joined: Mon Nov 05, 2012 1:03 am

Re: Early Iron Mines - Cave, Strip, Ravine or Other?

Post by icynewyear »

FlowerChild wrote:
Interesting. I always thought you were more into jumping into ravines in order to avoid all that tedious mining/caving :)
Either way. As long as I'm working a shaft or diving into gashes I'm happy.
Post Reply