Better Than Wolves Forum

icynewyear wrote:Either way. As long as I'm working a shaft or diving into gashes I'm happy.

*zing*

And that folks is how a signature is born....

As for me, cave diving at the start. Some odd ravine lovin' if I can find one. More cave diving until I find some diamonds, then it's strip mining for more diamonds and some odd caving/ravine/mineshafting for iron and gold.

I rarely ever walk away from a strip mining expedition with less than 6 diamonds and a half a stack of iron, and I run out of torches before my pick runs out usually.

I think it is relatively safe (no pun intended) to say that caving is usually the fastest and cheapest for collecting iron and coal. Until you hit some of the gargantuan monstrosities of a cave my world has, and you realise that one lifetime is not enough to fully explore and light them up. I'm still exploring and finding dark areas in the very first cave system I found in my world, 3 years back or so ;)

Strip mining on the other hand is the best if safety and convenience is the prime worry, as long as you have a crucible as mentioned. But since this topic is about early iron, caving is your friend.

I really always start the same way when I spawn in an unknown area: create a shelter and start digging a staircase downwards from it.

Digging the staircase provides me with an ample initial supply of cobble and IMO is a better use of time than just expanding the shelter or whatever during the night. Often I intersect a cave, and I can then further explore that each night from the relative safety of my shelter.

If I hit the next strata before I find a cave or develop the tools to dig through it, then I dig along top of it listening for darkness/monster noises until I find a cave system.

I tend to even do this in temporary shelters as I roam about to pass the night, and give myself a point to continue from if I happen to stay there again. I hardly ever explore surface level caves unless I happen to see some resources at the entrance or am specifically trying to light everything up in an area.

I don't think I've ever had problems finding diamonds using this approach either, as the deeper you intersect a cave, the greater the chance it goes down to diamond level.

So am I cave or strip mining? I think I may be in the "other" category :)

FlowerChild wrote:Snip

I do almost the exact same thing. The thing I do differently from you, I believe, is that on the early game I don't like using cobble to make stairs, so I make shallow staircases with dirt slabs instead...

jorgebonafe wrote:I do almost the exact same thing. The thing I do differently from you, I believe, is that on the early game I don't like using cobble to make stairs, so I make shallow staircases with dirt slabs instead...

Actually, I tend to use wood since it's easier to collect in bulk with stone tools than cobble, and it's a bit of an aesthetic thing too, but yes, I do make stairs instead of slabs :)

The thing with dirt slabs though (assuming it isn't packed), is you don't get the movement bonuses from them, so it takes you longer to go up and down (plus the additional distance covered with them). Not a big deal if it isn't your main base and you won't be traveling that route all the time mind you.

I follow the exact same routine FC does, except instead of stairs I often start out with a ladder down to the first strata. I'm just not particularly fond of long deep stairwells I suppose.

I also really enjoy ladders till I have boatloads of cobble. I feel like I stay better oriented and it is easier to secure a chute. Also great that you can grab a snack while you climb. Only bummer in the temptation to hop off to decend quickly (I have murdered myself countless times :P)

I HCSed on the edge of the zone recently and wandered into one of the semi-abandoned villages. I thought that the "other" method could be trading with them for tools but I high tailed it out of there the moment I got a compass :P

I guess FC has the closest to an "other" as he is really just getting stone and happening on iron in the process.

Sandrew wrote:I follow the exact same routine FC does, except instead of stairs I often start out with a ladder down to the first strata. I'm just not particularly fond of long deep stairwells I suppose.

The only issue with that being that if you get crippled and manage to run back to base, or if you run out of food, you could be stuck at the bottom of your ladder without a way to get back to base.

Taleric wrote:Only bummer in the temptation to hop off to decend quickly (I have murdered myself countless times :P)

A water pit 5-6 blocks deep might solve that :P

As a sidenote, do you guys ever bother fully exploring abandoned mineshafts for on-topic reasons? They are my biggest nightmare atm, they just never seem to end. My ocd is killing me. (I have to collect all rails and wood and ores and string out of every tunnel...)

MoRmEnGiL wrote: As a sidenote, do you guys ever bother fully exploring abandoned mineshafts for on-topic reasons? They are my biggest nightmare atm, they just never seem to end. My ocd is killing me. (I have to collect all rails and wood and ores and string out of every tunnel...)

it usually takes days and I only do it if I really need it(like for a mob trap, or Iron Beacon), but it's possible. just try not to get lost too much and in some time you might manage to do it(specially since you're also taking the wood)

MoRmEnGiL wrote:

Taleric wrote:Only bummer in the temptation to hop off to decend quickly (I have murdered myself countless times :P)

A water pit 5-6 blocks deep might solve that :P

As a sidenote, do you guys ever bother fully exploring abandoned mineshafts for on-topic reasons? They are my biggest nightmare atm, they just never seem to end. My ocd is killing me. (I have to collect all rails and wood and ores and string out of every tunnel...)

Its worth it.
Theres a lot of iron down there, as well as minecarts with some pretty decent loot.
Also chances are you'll find another cave/ravine to explore too.

If you're feeling ballsy theres also the option of farming some mossy cobble.

I hear ya on the water drops, I get lazy to position the cute or dig out flow paths lol.

The mine shafts are excellent especially the diamond level ones. So much lumber but you really have to be prepared for the lighting and time spent clearing. Those dang cave spiders are so BTW leathal and I always get them in a funny location like a ravine or cave opening that make them hard to contain.

There are better early iron options due to the gear required for the mineshafts I feel.