The joy of Minecraft is that you are able to make quite literally anything. The multitude of blocks means that you can make a variety of structures, mechanics, and even landscapes.
While the more avid builders would prefer to build in creative mode, it is not impossible to make the exact same builds in survival mode. It just takes more time and patience, but that just makes it more rewarding.
There are always Minecraft updates coming out that are adding new blocks and features to work with. These updates either allow you to upgrade a previous build or spark inspiration for a new one.
Playing in survival mode allows you to get the best aspects of Minecraft: mining and crafting. It keeps play interesting as you get to explore a variety of biomes looking for resources.
A popular place to find unique survival builds is on Minecraft servers. There are a lot of creative people out there and you can get to learn a lot by seeing their builds and possibly gain some inspiration from them.
Below we have compiled a list of 5 builds that you can do in survival mode that are both useful, and extremely cool.
A Barn
There are many animals in Minecraft, and it seems like more and more keep being added. Most of them provide valuable resources such as food, leather, and wool. Food is especially important in survival mode.
So, it is a good idea to keep a supply of them on hand in your survival world.
Ideally, you want at least 2 of every animal in order to breed them, but that doesn’t stop you from having a horde of chickens.
The best way to keep all of your animals organized is to build a barn for them. That way you can have different sections for each animal and also have them themed for the animal.
A large barn also keeps all of your animals safe from mobs. Which is good when you have an attachment to your horses.
You can make your barn out of simple materials found everywhere like wood or stone. Wood is preferred because it will match the aesthetic of a barn more, but the stone would be less prone to catching on fire.
A good wood choice is acacia wood because it is the closest you can get to that typical red barn look.
You can have an indoor area and an outdoor area to make it like a legit farm. Decorate the area with fences, hay blocks, and wheat.
Try to leave room to upgrade your barn, you never know when more useful animals will be added to Minecraft.
Redstone Farm
A great build to pair with your barn is a redstone farm.
Of course, you could just build a farm, but a redstone farm automates the whole harvesting process, which saves you a lot of time.
While you can get food from animals, it is a lot easier to grow crops. You don’t have to lose any cows or waste coal in a furnace when cooking meat.
Some of the best crops to grow are potatoes, carrots, and wheat for bread and cakes. You can also grow a variety of other crops like watermelon and sugar cane.
The crops can be used for other things apart from food, such as paper, potions, and for breeding animals.
You want to keep your farm near your base and properly lit up and protected against mobs.
Many beginner Minecraft players are intimidated by redstone, this is because it is probably the most complicated aspect of the game. Don’t panic, there are many tutorials online teaching you how to make automated farms so you don’t have to spend hours learning how redstone actually works.
Castle
Minecraft is a world of creative possibilities, so why not live in an extravagant castle?
You can have one that is based on historical castles or one from a fantasy setting. It is completely based on personal preference.
One of the best parts about a castle is that it is large. This means that you have ample storage for all of your resources. You can have specific rooms for food, armor, and weapons.
Choose a big plot of land to build your castle on, this way you can add in your other builds (like a barn and farm) close by.
Similar to real-life castles, adding a moat can help to protect your castle against mobs. You can make it out of lava for extra protection, just make sure you are careful to not fall in.
You can make your castle out of any material you like, but different kinds of stones will make it look more authentic and give it protection against fires.
Why not build your castle next to a village (or build your own village if you have enough time) so that you have some subjects to rule and protect.
Upgraded Nether Portal
When the Nether first came out, the portal could only be 2×3, that is not the case anymore. You can make the portal as large as you want which opens up a world of possibilities for decorations.
The Nether is a great source of gold and bountiful fortresses, so having a readily available portal is a must. You also need it for valuable ore and ingredients for potions.
Since you would be using your portal frequently, why not make it look good. You can decorate it with a variety of items from the Nether like quartz, glowstone, and netherack. You can make it look spooky and ominous as you like.
If you build yourself a castle, why not make a basement room specifically for your portal. That way you can dedicate an entire room to theming, and you can have the room look as if the Nether is bleeding out into your world by only having one-half of a large room decorated.
If you are a fan of irony, then you can decorate your portal with pleasant items, like flowers and vines.
Once you have decorated your portal, make sure there are fences around it or there is a door to its room. You don’t want any creatures coming out and wandering around your world.
Subway System
Once you have multiple builds, you may find that your world is getting too large to travel easily across, this is where a subway system can be helpful.
The benefit of a subway system is that it is underground, so you don’t have to ruin the aesthetic of your overworld with tracks.
While you are digging out the area for your subway system, you will get lots of resources (that can be used to make tracks and minecarts). This build style is best suited for strip mining.
Beneath each of your larger builds, you can make a subway terminal. You can make these look like actual subway terminals with seating and booths.
Also read: Who is Minecraft Head Guy? Discover Here
Final Thoughts
Starting out a new survival game means that you only have the bare minimum, everything that you gain is what you worked hard for. So whatever build you manage to make will be twice as impressive.
Remember, there is no shame in quickly changing to creative mode to get an item you can’t find, no matter how hard you have tried.
The more you build in Minecraft, the better you get. Eventually, you will be able to make builds that have never been made before and will be an inspiration for other builders.
