One of the best things about playing Minecraft is the part where you build a base. Building bases can be pretty exciting as players have free reign when designing their bases from the building blocks to the design. And since a good base is the heart of a survival player’s world, creating a strong and sturdy base would be essential in survival. But unfortunately, not all base designs are as good as the others. And some bases can even be unsafe for the player, especially without proper fortification. An excellent way to keep you safe in survival mode relies mainly on having a strong and sturdy base with plenty of room for essential items and necessary utilities such as enchanting tables, crafting tables, furnaces, etc. Even more so as there are many hostile mobs in the overworld which spawn at night that would likely want to attack the player whenever possible, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Hence, we have listed down some ways you can use to fortify your base and keep it danger-free.
Minecraft Guide: How To Fortify Your Base
1. Do Not Play With Water and Lava
Be extra careful when working with fragile items such as Redstone contraptions and torches. These items can easily be destroyed and swept away when it comes in contact with any water block or water source. When you accidentally place down a water block on the ground, this can flood the area and possibly ruin any items or decorations you have inside your base. If you are unlucky, you might even accidentally flush yourself down into a hole in the ground as these holes are predominantly seen in the plains biome and would often lead to an underground cave or cavern. To prevent this from happening, try not to play around with buckets of water, or as a preventive measure, place some slabs and blocks on top of your Redstone mechanism to avoid any accidental spillage. Essentially, the same goes for lava. Although lava flows much slower than water, lava is more dangerous as the player, mob, or flammable block that comes into contact with lava will automatically start burning until it is reduced to ashes. Lava is also a dangerous substance that can destroy almost any dropped items once it falls into the lava, so any weapons and armor you might have will burn when you die swimming in lava.
2. Do Not Build Your Base on Sand and Gravel
That goes without saying, never build on or use sand and gravel as these blocks are incredibly fragile and can cave in at any second with the slightest movement, even more so as they have less resistance to explosions than other blocks. And additionally, both sand and gravel blocks are better off used as crafting materials rather than building materials. They both have important uses in the game, such as glass obtained by crafting sand and flint and concrete obtained from gravel. Both sand and gravel are easily affected by gravity. So when a player digs a block from above, any sand or gravel block it’s sitting on will automatically fall. This can be quite dangerous as any player hit by the falling sand or gravel block will take damage, and the player may also die of suffocation if they cannot escape immediately from the block that falls on them.
3. Do Not Build Your Base Entirely Out of Wood
Like in real life, Wood is flammable and fragile to explosions. Building your base entirely using wooden blocks may look nice on the outside but is more labor-intensive to produce and is extremely fragile, especially against fire. When using wooden blocks, be careful not to place them next to lava or other ignited blocks. To be safe when building with wood, try building a three-block thick wall: a wall with two wooden blocks on either side and a cobblestone block wall in the center. In this way, even if one side is caught on fire, the other side will not be affected. This is particularly important in Minecraft multiplayer as some players could burn your house down.
4. Build Using Cobblestone Blocks Instead
Using non-flammable blocks such as cobblestones and stones is generally an ideal base building material. Stones and cobblestone blocks are easily obtainable as these can be mined using your pickaxe in almost all overworld biomes in Minecraft. This is especially important when building bases or structures in the Nether as cobblestones are highly resistant to a ghast’s fireball attacks. If you prefer aesthetic over general use, using stone blocks is best. Not only is stone blocks just as sturdy and ideal for building, but it also blends well with almost all builds in the game, including building furniture such as countertops and other structures such as swimming pools. Another excellent building block choice is obsidian. Although obsidian is mainly used to create a nether portal, it can also be used for base building as it is just as strong and sturdy as cobblestone and stone blocks, if not more. However, obsidian is quite hard to obtain as you would need to mix an actual lava block and water to create. And what is more, it can only be mined using a diamond or netherite pickaxe. Otherwise, it will only break and get destroyed in the process.
5. Always Use Preventive Measures on Mob Spawning
The main reason hostile mobs will only spawn at night is the darkness that comes with it. Hostile mobs, in general, will spawn when the light level is seven or lower. And when building an enclosed house or structure, the inside may create a dark atmosphere in which hostile mobs may spawn even during the day. Always use preventive measures such as creating fences around your base and putting up torches and lanterns to light the entire place up. Having a well-lit base is the key to preventing any hostile mob from spawning in your base and keeping you safe inside.
6. Get Help from Iron Golems
Generally, iron golems are friendly mobs that protect a village from hostile mobs, and they mean no harm to any player so long as the player remains on good terms with them. However, iron golems are considered neutral mobs since any attack they receive from the player may become hostile and aggressive towards the player. But do not let this bother you, for iron golems are one of the best helpers in Minecraft when it comes to guarding one’s base. You can easily create an iron golem to help protect your base using four blocks of iron and one carved pumpkin. Once you have an iron golem in your base, it will kill any hostile mobs it sees and ultimately keeps you safe.
7. Build Your Base on Elevated Ground
As most hostile mobs roam on the ground, try to build your base on an elevated area to prevent them from easily walking inside. Building your base on an elevated ground can help keep you safe from hostile mobs and prevent any player from easily accessing your base in Minecraft multiplayer. You can also use this to your advantage by killing the hostile mobs from above using a ranged weapon such as a bow or crossbow using a Redstone contraption. You can use a staircase or a ladder for your entrance or even create an automatic elevation. It is better and safer to have an elevated base than one on ground level.
