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20 Tricks You Didn't Know You Could Do in Minecraft

Mar 6, 2012 10:13 PM
Mar 29, 2014 04:51 AM

Welcome to Minecraft World! Check out our full tutorials and make sure to post to the community forum if you have any questions or cool builds you want to share.

All of these tricks were taught as a part of one of our old community workshops for the 1.2.3 update, but the majority of these still apply in the latest version of Minecraft. Even if you've playing Minecraft for years, you'll probably still learn a thing or two.

When you're done here, move on to some of our other popular Minecraft guides, like these redstone tips, making an automatic minecart system, building tripwire traps, bending and shaping trees, transferring redstone power with water, making pixel art, and more!

20 Things You Didn't Know About Minecraft

It's you've got some time to spare, watch the full video walkthrough below, which details every one of the tips learned in the community workshop. You can also skip below to see them listed and explained individually.

Tip #1

You can place torches on furnaces and crafting tables! You will need to go through a short process before doing so, but it IS possible.

Make sure you have a transparent block behind your furnace/crafting table before we begin. If there are any solid blocks around the crafting bench/furnace, remove those, as well. If you do not remove all solid blocks around them, the torches will gravitate towards them instead of placing itself on top of the crafting bench/furnace.

Targeting the transparent block's edge that is facing the crafting bench/furnace, right-click with a torch in your hand. You will notice the torch magically place itself on the crafting table!

"Diagram illustrating a tip for building in Minecraft, featuring transparent blocks and redstone mechanics."

Tip #2

You can place blocks on the side of a torch by hovering over the torch until you see the grid box.

Right-click on the side of the torch grid box with a block in your hand, and it will place the block to the side of the torch! This tip is very helpful for crossing lava pools and saving resources.

Minecraft scene showing a character standing on a stone platform above lava, with a grid labeled.
A character standing near a lava pit in a block-based game environment.
A block of lava with a spider on top in a Minecraft environment.
Lava flowing in a stone cave or tunnel.
Minecraft scene showing a character standing on a stone platform above lava, with a grid labeled.
A character standing near a lava pit in a block-based game environment.
A block of lava with a spider on top in a Minecraft environment.
Lava flowing in a stone cave or tunnel.

Tip #3

Torches placed under falling gravel or sand will break the sand/gravel for you, as long as the sand/gravel falls 2 blocks.

Hold a torch in your hand and break the lowest sand block.

Instruction for placing a torch in a game environment.

Right as the sand block breaks, place your torch under it quickly!

Instruction for gameplay in a sand block scenario in a video game.

Watch the torch do the heavy lifting for you, preventing backaches while excavating!

20 Tricks You Didn't Know You Could Do in Minecraft

Tip #4

Torches can hold any amount of weight on them.

This allows you to create a sandstone-free pyramid and other fun designs.

Torches placed on walls in a Minecraft environment.

Tip #5

You can stack signs on top of each other, and line them up to make for awesome detail in your builds.

Instructions for stacking signs in a Minecraft build.

Signs have "grids" just like every other block in Minecraft!

Construction detail showing wooden slats and a grid on a slant.

Tip #6

Wooden slabs are not affected by fire and also have a stronger blast resistance than that of wooden planks.

If you play on a server that has fire-spread enabled, you do not need to worry about your wooden slabs catching fire!

Comparison of half slabs and regular planks in a fire-themed Minecraft scene.

Tip #7

Redstone can travel through half-slabs, allowing you to hide your redstone like never before!

Redstone circuit setup with half slabs in a Minecraft environment.

All redstone is connected except for full blocks on either end.

Minecraft building materials with redstone wiring.

Tip #8

Pressure plates can hold water and lava inside of them without it spilling all over!

Minecraft checkered board with lava and water blocks.

Tip #9

Signs and ladders can stop water and lava.

This tip is great for mob spawners, secret underwater rooms, and the like.

Interior view of a water-filled structure in a block-building game, featuring wooden signs and a ladder against a stone wall.
Lava flowing in a stone structure with wooden ladders.
Interior view of a water-filled structure in a block-building game, featuring wooden signs and a ladder against a stone wall.
Lava flowing in a stone structure with wooden ladders.

Tips #10 and #11

Ice placed under soul sand will make you walk even slower than just soul sand.

Soul sand registers in the game as a smaller block than the rest.

With these two tips, you can make a pretty awesome trap!

Sign depicting a warning in a Minecraft game about players getting stuck inside a structure.

Tip #12

You can break boats and minecarts with a bow and arrow!

Aerial view of a Minecraft-style outdoor area with water features, fences, and resource containers.

By breaking a boat with a bow and arrow, you receive the same drops as you would by breaking the boat normally.

20 Tricks You Didn't Know You Could Do in Minecraft

When you break a minecart with a bow and arrow, you receive a minecart again. It's the same as if you were to break it regularly!

A scenic view of a Minecraft landscape featuring a pond, railway track, and wooden fences.

Tip #13

Items thrown into flowing water that is atop ice blocks will result in the item flowing incredibly fast.

Race to the finish game setup with two water tracks.

Look at the difference in speed in the image below!

Minecraft competition layout with water race tracks.

Tips #14 and #15

You cannot see player names through chests and signs, even if the player is not crouching.

Minecraft scene showing players near chests with signs, highlighting game mechanics.

When players are behind a wall or underground without crouching (holding the shift key), you can see their player names.

Game tutorial on how to interact with a wall in Minecraft.

When a player crouches while behind a wall or underground, you will not be able to see their name.

Stone monument with wooden signs and a wall of golden blocks in a Minecraft setting.
20 Tricks You Didn't Know You Could Do in Minecraft
Stone monument with wooden signs and a wall of golden blocks in a Minecraft setting.
20 Tricks You Didn't Know You Could Do in Minecraft

Tip #16

A player that is in a minecart on a rail can ride directly through a 1-block wall.

This tip is great for tricking people on your roller coaster—or simply for traps!

Map layout showing a solid well and a minecart track in a game environment.

Tip #17

One lava bucket will fuel a furnace for 1,000 seconds and can cook 1,000 items in a furnace. One blaze rod will fuel a furnace for 120 seconds and can cool 12 items in a furnace.

You can use ANY item that is made out of wood to fuel a furnace, including but not limited to saplings, jukeboxes, bookshelves, fences, trapdoors and chests.

Lava bucket being used as fuel in Minecraft furnace.
Crafting process showing a sapling being smelted in a furnace in a game inventory.
Minecraft crafting tutorial showing a blaze rod being used as fuel in a furnace.
Lava bucket being used as fuel in Minecraft furnace.
Crafting process showing a sapling being smelted in a furnace in a game inventory.
Minecraft crafting tutorial showing a blaze rod being used as fuel in a furnace.

Tip #18

Nether fences and regular fences do not connect. This allows you to use them for designing something fresh and unique!

Wooden structures resembling fences, with a note about their disconnection.

Tip #19

Sticky pistons that are powered with only one tick will push blocks instead of holding onto them.

20 Tricks You Didn't Know You Could Do in Minecraft
Redstone circuit setup in a Minecraft landscape with grass and dirt blocks.

Setup

Minecraft scene with grass blocks, torches, and a stone pressure plate.
20 Tricks You Didn't Know You Could Do in Minecraft
Redstone circuit setup in a Minecraft landscape with grass and dirt blocks.

Setup

Minecraft scene with grass blocks, torches, and a stone pressure plate.

Tip #20

In survival mode, swords break melons and cacti the fastest, while axes break pumpkins the fastest!

20 Tricks You Didn't Know You Could Do in Minecraft

Questions for the Audience:

  • Did you learn anything new?
  • Was this tutorial helpful?
  • What was your favorite tip?
  • What kind of posts would you like to see in the future?

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