5 best practices to avoid getting lost in Minecraft 1.19 update

Minecraft has consistently proven to have one of the most extensive maps in all of gaming, with its only competitors being games like No Man's Sky and Elite Dangerous. Since the game is procedurally-generated, its map is virtually endless and gives players an unlimited amount of space to build whatever they want and explore as much as they want.

With the game primarily being identified as a survival game, exploration naturally plays a vital role in its functioning. However, without an on-screen mini-map or a full-sized automap, players can often get lost in the blocky world of Minecraft. This article aims to help players counter the issue.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the views of the author.

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Minecraft 1.19: Top 5 tips to help players stay on the beaten track

1) Always mark the path

Many players who prefer to play the game’s survival mode often carry stacks of torches with them to avoid getting lost in caves. Since these are usually quite dark, torches help players navigate through them while also marking a passage that can be used to head back to the surface.

Similarly, players can use entities like blocks, torches, or anything that stands out like a sore thumb in the middle of nowhere to help avoid getting lost.

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2) Get a high viewpoint

If players are trying returning to their base but arae unable to find the way due to getting turned around in a thicket of trees or a giant desert biome, a good technique is to find a high vantage point. These can provide a ton of perspective, even if the player's render distance is low.

An alternative option would be to use the elytra, if obtained. It can be used to fly as high as possible, so locating a pathway, base, or landmark should not be a problem.

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3) Increase render distance

Speaking of render distance, many players prefer to keep its value at lower numbers, from 4 or 6 to even 8. It is understandable that many plays do this in order to squeeze out extra performance from their gaming rigs.

However, a higher render distance or render “scaling” value can help players navigate to their destination faster, due to the obvious reason of more entities being visible from a single point.

The best way to use high render distance is to turn it up for a short while (just enough time for the player to get their bearings), ignore the performance hit, and turn it down when the player is back on track.

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4) Obtain and fill in a map

Maps are valuable items that can help players identify an area or section of the land that they have already traveled through or explored. When a player goes through a location with their map equipped, it automatically jots down every major landmark as the terrain in the area.

Players can even lock maps to stop them from updating and can create duplicates. Treasure maps are available at the village cartographer, and players can even make their own at a cartographer’s table.

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5) Use a compass

A compass is one of the simplest yet most valuable items in Minecraft. Oe may go as far as calling these items the best navigation tool in the game. It can be made using iron ingots and redstone, and can be used to locate the world's spawn point.

If the spawn point was changed using commands, players will find that the compass points to the new coordinates assigned to it. Compasses also point towards lodestone and have a new variety known as the recovery compass. This variant was added in Minecraft 1.19 and points to the location at which the player died last.