The beginning of iron tier

[gaga654]

I have tried playing better than wolves a few times, but have always ended up dying before I can get enough iron to make even a single ingot. I hope to get past that point in this try, but I am not sure what to do when I reach it. My instinct would tell me that the best thing to do first would be to make a hoe so I can plant these pumpkin seeds and finally get some sort of a renewable food source, but on the other hand, if I waited a bit longer and made an iron pickaxe first, then it would be faster to get more iron after that. What would you suggest?

[Mistery159]

I have tried playing better than wolves a few times, but have always ended up dying before I can get enough iron to make even a single ingot. I hope to get past that point in this try, but I am not sure what to do when I reach it. My instinct would tell me that the best thing to do first would be to make a hoe so I can plant these pumpkin seeds and finally get some sort of a renewable food source, but on the other hand, if I waited a bit longer and made an iron pickaxe first, then it would be faster to get more iron after that. What would you suggest?

I rush hoe if I have seeds; cave exploration can be extended if you have enough wood, coal (torches), and a sustainable food suply.
You can obtain iron ores if you have patience :)

(apologize for my english if i make some mistakes)

[FlowerChild]

I suspect different people will have different approaches. I always go pick first, then sword, then likely shovel. A hoe is probably one of the last things I create, as I find occasional hunting keeps me well stocked with food in the very early game.

I think it's largely a matter of personal preference, with no absolutely correct solution. If you're not confident in your ability to stay alive, hoe might be the best bet in creating a long term gain in terms of food production that will outlive you, whereas other equipment would likely be lost on death. In terms of forward progress, a pick is probably most important, as not only will it lead to you moving forward in the tech tree, it will also result in you accumulating more iron faster.

Basically, pick for quicker gains, hoe for insurance. A sword second for me also represents a form of insurance, as once I get a pick, that means I'm heading for diamond level, and the sword helps keep me alive down there. Shovel is for digging out large areas of dirt quickly in the bottom strata to expose more stone (and potentially diamonds), so it's a rather cheap performance upgrade at only one ingot.

[Six]

As has been stated a hoe would be a way to try and get some sort of steady food going, but if you learn to be careful with your hunger nearby animals should be enough keep you going through a pick. The hoe could also help you get an early start on hemp growing, but that really can't be ground until you've got some excess food.

What is it that has been killing you generally? If food seems to be a problem makes sure you're not running (except when being chased), and put slabs/stairs up in places you find yourself travelling a lot. Also avoid 'spamclicking' when attacking things, as even though there is no direct feedback to tell you so, a lot of those swings are useless and drain hunger.

[FlowerChild]

as even though there is no direct feedback to tell you so

I hate it when people are so right ;)

I think I had forgotten about that in a manner that was a tad too convenient. What I should probably be doing is shaking the hunger bar or whatever when you engage in a high energy activity like swinging a weapon or jumping.

[Caevin]

Edit: Late Night Drunkenness. The following stupid statement does not represent the users' opinion.
I honestly don't know why that's the case. And why stop there? I want to know whenever my hunger drains! Am I walking? Wiggle it a bit. Am I standing still? How about a slight twitch? I don't see why I have to think about stuff like that when there could just be a visual indicator telling me everything.

Ahem, more on topic though. I used to always get a hoe straightaway, because I was stuck in the mentality of "must have renewable food source auuuggghhh," but after reading about other people's experiences, I started getting a pick first. And I cannot express just how tremendously that improved both my success and enjoyment in the game. Do you like using half the cobble you mine just to make more picks to mine more cobble in a vision circle-jerk pyramid scheme? Taking forever to get a decent amount of cobble/torches/iron just to scrape by?
That all becomes irrelevant once you get an iron pick, and everything becomes so much easier. I say get a pick, it immediately removes so much frustration that you experience early game with your lackluster supplies.

[Six]

I think I had forgotten about that in a manner that was a tad too convenient. What I should probably be doing is shaking the hunger bar or whatever when you engage in a high energy activity like swinging a weapon or jumping.

The increased resolution helps a lot, but in situations where you are focused on the cursor it's easy to forget about it in the moment. And the 'spamclick' attack is a particularly bad spot due to not only being focused elsewhere, but also the feedback you are getting (mob going red on a hit) doesn't give any negative feedback for uselessly attacking while they are still red.

[FlowerChild]

And the 'spamclick' attack is a particularly bad spot due to not only being focused elsewhere, but also the feedback you are getting (mob going red on a hit) doesn't give any negative feedback for uselessly attacking while they are still red.

Yup, agreed 100%, and if I am going to put an indicator for spam-click, then one for jumping to give noobs a head's up is likely a trivial addition.

I honestly don't know why that's the case. And why stop there? I want to know whenever my hunger drains! Am I walking? Wiggle it a bit. Am I standing still? How about a slight twitch? I don't see why I have to think about stuff like that when there could just be a visual indicator telling me everything.

Relax dude. The case of spam clicking on attack is rather unique, as like Six mentions above, you're actually getting feedback from the game that you're only performing one action, when you may be performing 10. It's basically feeding players false information, which isn't cool.

It's not a question of players thinking about the game, it's a question of the game having a crappy interface that isn't telling you what's going on (not an insult against MC there...just how it works out in BTW). Hiding it from the player that they're getting tired swinging around wildly isn't good for anyone.

[Zhil]

Hmm, I came to the same conclusion as Six a while ago. I could swear I posted it here somewhere. Stupid memory.

In any case, the spamclick issue for me boils down to the fact that I haven't seen anyone figure it out, unless told by someone who knew already. When you have a feature in a game that no one even notices that it exists, something is wrong. It's not an issue in vanilla because everything has huge durability, but in BTW, it does really hurt the game-play.

I, myself, tend to pick up on such things, because it's my job to, yet I also had to figure this one out by being told by someone else after I had been playing for months.

[jkievlan]

Back on topic: lately I've started going for my hoe first, at least in the first couple of bases in a new world, for two reasons. First, I may die early on even with my best efforts; and if I do, there's huge value in having a couple of sustainable farms in my world to relieve some of the need to roam and hunt animals that might mean the difference between life and death on a later HCS. Second, in the early game caving is the only efficient method of mining, and an iron pick doesn't save nearly as much time there since I'm not tearing through a bunch of stone. (I find that branch mining is only barely viable with an iron pick, since it's difficult to get 27 iron before the pick's durability runs out.)

This approach tends to slow my progression up the tech tree somewhat, but on the other hand, I get a world that is far more survivable (more free-roaming animals, and the possibility of finding a farm with plenty of food, assuming I have chickens, which I always do). When I wait to build a farm until after I've built picks and swords, I end up stripping large areas around my bases, which can make it difficult to survive long enough to find a base on an HCS.

Also, I have a philosophical preference for maximum sustainability, which doesn't have anything to do with the game per se, but pleases me nonetheless :)

[gaga654]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. For me, I feel like the game is just a race against starvation until I get a renewable food source, and it's a race that I want to win as fast as possible.

[eternal8phoenix]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. For me, I feel like the game is just a race against starvation until I get a renewable food source, and it's a race that I want to win as fast as possible.

I know the feeling, but a pick is honestly a lot better of a plan I've found. It means less time spent walking back to a crafting table, less trees punched and overall less energy used while getting the next 18 pieces for the hoe. I did go hoe second, but I also managed to loot a sword off of a zombie first, so a bit of give and take there.

And renewable food is possible without a hoe. Mushrooms, while absolutely pathetic in their ability to restore hunger, did manage to sustain me along with hunting trips until I got a hoe. Bonus points for not needing to cook them.

[Dorugami]

Well this is starting to make me feel like an idiot. Am I the only one who's starting out with shears and a fishing rod?

[eternal8phoenix]

Well this is starting to make me feel like an idiot. Am I the only one who's starting out with shears and a fishing rod?

I did make a fishing rod early on one particularly bad hcs (between an ocean, desert and jungle...yuck) but mostly I don't have the patience for it. I'd rather spend the night clawing out cobble than fishing, because fishing is dull, moderately risky (I hate hats) and once I've got renewable eggs I'll never use the rod again.

[jkievlan]

Well this is starting to make me feel like an idiot. Am I the only one who's starting out with shears and a fishing rod?

No shears, but a fishing rod is absolutely my first use of iron no matter what. I don't really count that as an "iron tool" though, since it only takes one nugget.

EDIT: And to the above post: fishing is not even slightly risky...if you do it right. A fishing pier is your friend :)

[Dorugami]

Well this is starting to make me feel like an idiot. Am I the only one who's starting out with shears and a fishing rod?

I did make a fishing rod early on one particularly bad hcs (between an ocean, desert and jungle...yuck) but mostly I don't have the patience for it. I'd rather spend the night clawing out cobble than fishing, because fishing is dull, moderately risky (I hate hats) and once I've got renewable eggs I'll never use the rod again.

Well it blended perfectly with the two cows I got corralled with the shears. Now I can make fish chowder while waiting out the night. I know it's a bit of a break from the usual, but I'm on an island with no way to roam for food.

[ExpHP]

I have many, many bases in this world, and in every single one of them, I've gone pick first, because it really speeds things up. But in your case, a hoe might be better.


What I do essentially is make a rush to iron. Basically, I spend the first few days gathering meat and wood, and the first few nights strip mining in search of a cave. After a few days, I basically stop going outside and just keep mining for a cave. By the time I find one, I (often) have more than enough resources to just rush in (assuming it's not a ravine or some other horrible place), light up as much as I can, block off what I can't, and then mine all the iron and coal I need at my leisure. I get all the required iron for a pick in my first caving trip.


I can do this because I have a lot of experience with caves. By this point, I've died so many times in them that I've learned how to avoid most of the pitfalls of caving, and I can quite reasonably assess which areas are safe versus what is dangerous. If you're still learning however, it's best to take things slower, which makes the hoe a perfectly reasonable option, as you will most certainly need to consume more food in the process.

And renewable food is possible without a hoe. Mushrooms, while absolutely pathetic in their ability to restore hunger, did manage to sustain me along with hunting trips until I got a hoe. Bonus points for not needing to cook them.

...yikes! I would definitely not recommend raw mushrooms as food. Stick every single last one you find under a wall in your base or some caves (with some distance between them of course, so they can spread), because you'll need all of the mushrooms you can get before Mushroom Omelettes really become a sustainable option.

[eternal8phoenix]

...yikes! I would definitely not recommend raw mushrooms as food. Stick every single last one you find under a wall in your base or some caves (with some distance between them of course, so they can spread), because you'll need all of the mushrooms you can get before Mushroom Omelettes really become a sustainable option.

Maybe I should have been clearer. Raw mushrooms on their own suck. I don't survive purely off of them. I do get a mushroom farm going as soon as humanly possible though. Early game, I use the mushrooms on the hunting trips to keep me floating just above peckish for the trip so I don't do reduced damage. May only be 1/6 of a point but it's enough to keep a 2 axe-smack kill on a sheep without it buggering off. Better to use shrooms for that than seeds since the seeds can be "converted" to a more efficient food. Later they become omelette fodder.

[PatriotBob]

I find it's highly dependent on the my position when I get two iron ingots.

If I'm in an area where animals are scarce and travel is taxing. (Latest: Tiaga, surrounded by Jungle, Desert and Ocean) And I haven't found a cave system that delves deep in the the strata, then I'll build the hoe first. My food supply is limited, and going hunting requires more hunger than usual. So I'll make a few hunting trips as possible, and get up a farm to minimize the impact on my precious animal supply.

If I have enough area to hunt in reliably. And I have found a cave system that looks large and goes into the deeper strata I'll build a pick first. Once you have access to a deep running cave system and an iron pick, the time to acquire two more iron ingots is greatly reduced. So it becomes feasible to start a farm shortly after creating a pick.

It's seems more a choice made based on my situation, rather than a preference. Also if you haven't yet found pumpkins it's kinda a non-issue.

[jkievlan]

I would point out, by the way, that ham and eggs are the shit. It's one of the main reasons I like to have a farm -- it doubles the food value of pigs, because you can turn the seeds into eggs (and when you run out of pork, into omelettes).

[erikdk321]

I go for a iron pick first no matter what because it helps me get iron much faster to make a hoe, shears or a sword, i normally make a hoe or shears before a sword.

[EtherealWrath]

Hoe Vs Pick

I ask myself- how hungry will I be in a MC week or two?
How much iron is readily available? (ie shallow caves)
Remember farms take a fairly long time to kick in

If you're hungry now- a hoe won't help much. Go hunt/gather.
If your rations are kinda low, and the iron is slow coming- make a hoe.
If you have enough for now- make a pick.

[Shinxy]

Hoe Vs Pick

I ask myself- how hungry will I be in a MC week or two?
How much iron is readily available? (ie shallow caves)
Remember farms take a fairly long time to kick in

If you're hungry now- a hoe won't help much. Go hunt/gather.
If your rations are kinda low, and the iron is slow coming- make a hoe.
If you have enough for now- make a pick.

I'll have to second on this. Absolutely depends on how much food/surface iron ya got. Though I will say, if you happen to have pumpkin seeds when it comes time to make the first tool, I'd lean more towards the hoe, then pick, because pumpkins growing (and thus seeds for eggs) doesn't take that long over all, especially if you wanna bite the bullet and risk some hunger grinding for bonemeal.

Unless you're some kinda weirdo (read: me) who makes a pick the third-to-last thing they make, because you're all about food supply and having tons of surplus early-game.

[Zhil]

I just don't see how you could EVER run out of food if you're planning your hunting trips right. I agree that if I'm low on food, I'd go hoe first, I've just never seen that happen. By the time the friendly mobs start to become scarce, I'm usually at my 5th iron pick or whatever.

[Whuppee]

Pick first, always.

Life gets fairly devastated in a radius around Steve, anyway. I would suggest an immediate goal of over-predation.. worry about ranging further afield to procure sustainable means later.

It's not just the time/hunger conserved by mining faster or with less crafting interruptions: it's needing significantly less cobble and wood, which further conserves time/hunger.

This is of particular note if you're in an area without the wood type* best suited and most efficiently harvested for use as fuel.

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birch

In every case, it's a reliance best reduced. Expend less wood (and expend less resources acquiring said wood); spend more time caving.

A single pick should easily yield 7 ingots, with many more both possible and likely. That's a fast shears/sword, minimum; everything is now safer.

From here, one can easily and sustainably branch out.. pen up animals, farm, cave extensively, fish*.. simultaneously, balancing day/night activities.. ever onward and upward.

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something, something.. full moon