The world of Minecraft is massive, with the blocky graphics look mostly the same. It is fairly easy to get lost if you stray too far from your base. To keep track of your base and various points of interest, you can erect beacons, use torches, or draw a map. These maps will let you figure out your location, where you've been, and where you are heading. You can also add your custom markers.
In this article, we would show you how to make a map in Minecraft to keep track of your territory.
Requirements for crafting a map in Minecraft
While you can find maps in treasure chests or buy them from a cartographer, it is best to just craft one yourself. To make a map in Java Edition, you will need a compass and 8 pieces of paper. Both items can be crafted by the raw materials you find around the world.
If you are playing Bedrock Edition, you can combine 9 pieces of paper into a basic map that doesn't have location tracking. You can even start a game in bedrock with a map equipped by toggling on "Starting Map" in the World Preferences menu.
How to acquire paper?
Paper is crafted from Sugarcane, one of the more common resources. Just place 3 pieces on your crafting table to get 3 pieces of paper. Sugarcanes grows near water in both swamp and desert biomes.
How to acquire a compass?
To make a compass in Minecraft, mine 4 pieces iron ore, smelt them into ingots, then combine with one piece of redstone dust. These two resources can be found easily when mining, especially as you dig deeper to the bottom of the world. You'll need an iron pickaxe or better to mine redstone.
How to make a map in Minecraft?
To make a map, just place ingots in each of the cardinal directions then put the redstone dust in the center. Once you have the compass, place it in the middle of the crafting table then surround it with paper to create an empty map.
To fill the map, just equip and use it to instantly draw a picture of things around you. As you walk around with the map activated, more and more of your surrounding will be filled in. Your location is tracked with a tiny white marker.
>>> Read more: List Of All Ranged Weapons In Minecraft
How to update a map in Minecraft?
Update your map
The world is obviously bigger than your map. Once you leave its range, you can either create a new map or zoom the original out. To zoom, just combine it with 8 more pieces of paper at a crafting table... or just one piece of paper at a cartography table.
This can be done up to 4 times and each time would double the map's current range.
Add markers to your map
Make banners by placing 6 pieces of wool of the same color in the top 2 rows, and one stick in the bottom middle slot. Name it using an anvil then travel to the spot you want to add and place the banner down. Use the map on the banner to add the location to your map.
You can also refer to ways to make your map bigger in the video below.
Interested in more of our articles related to Minecraft? Please check out this post to find out more about the Top 5 Biomes For Beginners In Minecraft.