5 best mining tips for Minecraft beginners (2023)

Mining is arguably the most vital element of Minecraft's gameplay, as it is mentioned in the title's very name. However, there are different ways to make mining more efficient that some new players may not be aware of.

Although mining is incredibly important in Mojang's popular sandbox game (at least in Survival/Hardcore Mode), newcomers may not be familiar with how to mine efficiently. There are plenty of tricks that players can pick up along the way as they mine more and more over time.

Beginners can make this process slightly easier by learning these tricks early on. Ideally, these Minecraft tricks will allow newcomers to skip several hours of learning things the hard way.

This article reflects the personal views of the author.

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Useful mining tips that Minecraft beginners should be aware of

1) Know where ores generate

Knowing where to look for ores will save players plenty of time searching (Image via u/tigeer/Reddit)

When mining any type of ore in Minecraft, from coal to gold to diamonds and beyond, it's best to learn the best locations to find them. For example, emeralds are found in greater concentrations at higher height levels, while diamonds become more plentiful the further underground players go.

The game's ore generation mechanics always provide a level of variance, but newcomers can save a ton of time by looking for the height levels that have the highest concentrations of specific ores.

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2) Bring more tools than you think you need

When players are mining, it's always best to stock up on pickaxes (Image via u/iSolivictus/Reddit)

Short mining trips in Minecraft have a strange way of becoming fairly long mining trips. After finding a few ores, players generally want to collect as much as they can before they return to their storage. As this is often the case, it's wise to bring along as many tools as possible while conserving some inventory space.

Pickaxes are the most obvious tool to stockpile, but it isn't a bad idea to bring along plenty of shovels to break through weaker blocks like dirt or gravel and save a player's pickaxe durability whenever required.

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3) Stock up on light sources

The correct placement of light sources can prevent hostile mobs from spawning (Image via Mojang)

The deeper players dig into a mine, the further away from the ultimate light source (the sun) they get. When a player's mine gets dark and the light level hits zero in certain areas, hostile mobs can spawn and create problems for a mining trip.

It's not great to have a Creeper sneaking up on a player from behind and detonating, so they should ensure that they bring along plenty of light sources. Torches are a great option for beginners to keep their mine well-lit, with lanterns, redstone lamps, and campfires being other decent choices to get the job done.

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4) Enchantments matter

An enchanted pickaxe can go a long way when mining in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

Whenever standard-issue pickaxes aren't quite doing the job for newer Minecraft players, it's time to give them some extra firepower. By enchanting the highest quality pickaxe that a player can find, that tool can become far more durable and efficient, allowing them to receive additional material drops or mine at greater speeds.

As long as players strictly avoid the curse enchantments, they can reap plenty of benefits from their favorite enchanted mining tool. While some of the most powerful enchantments won't be easy to obtain, they're certainly worth looking into.

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5) Keep storage nearby

Players should not make too many trips back to their base (Image via KillaNinja13/Minecraft Forum)

The more that a Minecraft player mines, the bigger their mines get, and branches can go on for hundreds or even thousands of blocks in multiple directions. Keeping this inevitable reality in mind, it's best for players to not waste too much time marching all the way back to their house or base to store excess blocks, ores, and other items and do their crafting.

Instead, players, especially newcomers, should consider creating rooms specifically for storing items, crafting, and smelting ores to save on time. Rather than traveling all the way back to their base and wasting precious time, taking advantage of crafting and storage rooms within the mine itself will vastly improve the player's overall efficiency.