8 Underrated Items You Can Use For Exploring
While embarking on an adventure in Minecraft, it’s common knowledge that weapons and food are must-have essentials. However, there are some often-overlooked items that can significantly enhance your exploration experience.
Navigating the vast world of Minecraft, especially during long journeys, can feel like a daunting task without the aid of mods. While torches, beds, and compasses are widely recognized tools for explorers, there’s a world of underrated items waiting to be discovered. These lesser-known gems can prove invaluable in enhancing your exploration.
In this exploration of the world of Minecraft, we’ll shine a light on those underappreciated items that can take your journey to the next level. These items may not be your first choice, but they have the potential to become essential assets. Our focus will encompass tools that enhance mobility and provide insights into your immediate surroundings, ensuring a richer and more rewarding exploration experience.
1. Potions
In the vast world of Minecraft, there exists a plethora of potions that can be skillfully crafted. Intriguingly, one can journey through the entire game without ever delving into the art of potion-making, as it remains an entirely optional endeavor. Regrettably, this has led many players to undertake their explorations without the valuable aid of these mystical elixirs.
Potions possess the power to become your saviors when you find yourself in dire straits. For instance, the Potion of Invisibility can be your best friend when you’re trying to evade menacing adversaries, while the Potion of Night Vision becomes indispensable during treacherous cave explorations or ventures into the eerie depths of the Deep Dark. The next time you stumble upon a brewing stand, consider taking the opportunity to craft a few potions for yourself. They might just be the difference between survival and peril in the unpredictable landscapes of Minecraft.
2. Soul Speed Boots
Venturing into the Nether is undeniably perilous, but it can also become an exercise in tedium. At times, it might seem as if the Nether Wastes stretch out endlessly before you. And when you encounter the eerie expanse of the Soul Sand Valley, that feeling of boundless desolation intensifies. To compound matters, the soul sand underfoot acts as a relentless anchor, slowing your progress to a frustrating crawl.
However, a clever solution presents itself: equip a pair of boots enchanted with Soul Speed. True to its name, this enchantment bestows upon you the gift of swifter movement across soul sand and soul soil. This newfound agility can be a game-changer, allowing you to navigate the Nether’s treacherous terrain with greater ease. Just exercise caution, for every step taken in Soul Speed boots chips away at their durability, so be prepared to maintain them.
3. More Than One Boat
Boats serve as indispensable vehicles for traversing the expansive landscapes of the Overworld. When embarking on a journey of exploration, it’s almost a given that you’ll have a trusty boat in tow. But here’s a question: do you carry more than one boat with you?
Picture this: you’re out on the open ocean, scanning the horizon for signs of adventure. Suddenly, you spot something intriguing in the distance and decide to disembark from your boat to investigate. After a thorough underwater exploration, it’s time to return to your vessel. However, if you’ve strayed a bit too far or lost your original boat, the situation can become quite troublesome, not to mention the added danger of facing Drowned attacks.
Here’s a smart solution: always carry a spare boat. Instead of fruitlessly scouring the waters or risking your life against relentless Drowned foes, you can simply deploy your spare boat and swiftly resume your aquatic exploration. It’s a small precaution that can make a world of difference in your Overworld adventures.
4. Maps
Maps in Minecraft serve a fundamental purpose: they enable you to chart and visualize the terrain around you from a top-down perspective. When you interact with a blank map, it offers you a valuable glimpse of your surroundings, making it an essential tool for various tasks.
Maps prove invaluable for monitoring the progress of your base or crafting a comprehensive overview of your entire world. They provide an efficient means to gauge your position and orientation. For instance, when faced with a vast chasm or the precipice of a new biome, a map can offer insight into the size and potential challenges that lie ahead. This knowledge helps you make informed decisions about your exploration route.
Furthermore, by arranging multiple maps within item frames, you can create a larger, interconnected world map. This cartographic tool becomes a dynamic asset, aiding you in your quest to uncover and conquer the diverse landscapes of Minecraft.
5. Obsidian
Obsidian is a remarkable material in Minecraft, formed by the interaction of water with still lava. It presents a few unique characteristics that are essential for players to harness effectively. First and foremost, it can only be harvested using a Diamond or Netherite pickaxe, which adds an element of rarity to its acquisition.
One of the most common uses of obsidian is for crafting Nether portals, the mystical gateways to the Nether dimension. Instead of relying on finding obsidian during your explorations, it’s advisable to carry enough with you to create one or more portals.
Here’s a clever strategy for efficient travel: if you find yourself venturing far from your base, consider establishing a Nether portal. The Nether dimension has a unique property where every block you travel there is equivalent to eight blocks in the Overworld. This substantial increase in travel efficiency can turn long journeys into mere shortcuts, allowing you to reach your destination swiftly. So, packing some obsidian and utilizing Nether portals strategically can be a game-changer in your Minecraft adventures.
6. Recovery Compass
In the ever-evolving world of Minecraft, the addition of Echo Shards has introduced a groundbreaking concept: the Recovery Compass. This unique item, created by combining Echo Shards with a compass, serves a remarkable purpose—it points you towards the location of your most recent death. For players, especially those new to the game, this innovation has the potential to transform the experience of dealing with the frustration of death.
When you meet your untimely end, the compass you had will drop alongside you, providing a clear indication of your demise. To ensure swift retrieval, it’s advisable to keep this valuable Recovery Compass near your bed. In the unfortunate event of your death, you can swiftly grab the compass and follow its guidance to reclaim your lost items. While the Recovery Compass may not necessarily be underrated, it remains underutilized by many players, perhaps due to the requirement of venturing into an Ancient City to craft it. Nevertheless, it stands as a game-changing tool for those who seek to ease the challenges of surviving in the Minecraft world.
7. Chorus Fruit
Chorus Fruit is a fascinating consumable item that can be found growing naturally in the End. These peculiar purple trees, as shown in the image above, bear equally peculiar fruits. When consumed, Chorus Fruit exhibits a unique property: teleportation within an eight-block radius.
While Chorus Fruit may not serve as a primary means of long-distance travel, they prove invaluable when you find yourself in a bind. Imagine being trapped in a bedrock pit with no apparent means of escape. In such dire circumstances, a Chorus Fruit can be a lifesaver. Simply consume it, and you’ll teleport to a nearby location, potentially reaching higher ground and securing your escape. It’s a handy item to have in your inventory for those unexpected situations in the world of Minecraft.
8. Glowstone
Finally, let’s talk about Glowstone, a block that can be discovered in the treacherous landscapes of the Nether. When you shatter it using a tool lacking the enchantment of Silk Touch, it yields precious Glowstone Dust, which can be reassembled into Glowstone blocks.
You might wonder, “Why should I bother with Glowstone when torches are readily available for lighting up spaces?”. Torches indeed serve as excellent lighting solutions on land, but they falter when you find yourself exploring underwater. In this aqueous realm, torches prove utterly useless. Here’s where Glowstone truly shines—pun intended. It can be artfully placed beneath the water’s surface and still radiate its luminous glow, providing an invaluable light source for underwater exploration. So, whether you’re delving into the depths or illuminating the Nether’s dark corners, Glowstone proves to be a versatile and essential addition to your toolkit in the world of Minecraft.