How to Make and Upgrade a Map in Minecraft

Making a map in Minecraft can be a useful tool for navigating and exploring your world. With just a few simple resources and crafting steps, you can create a map that shows your location, the terrain you’ve explored, and any important locations you’ve marked. 

By scaling and customizing your map, you can further enhance its usefulness and make it a valuable tool for your Minecraft adventures. So, whether you’re exploring new terrain or building your dream home, don’t forget to craft a map to help guide your way.

Materials Needed

The materials needed to make a map in Minecraft are relatively simple and easy to obtain, making it a great tool for navigating and exploring your world. They can be seen below:

• Paper – You’ll need one piece of paper to create the base of the map. You can create paper by collecting eight pieces of sugar cane and crafting them together.

• Compass – A compass is used to orient the map to the cardinal directions. You’ll need four iron ingots and one piece of redstone dust to create a compass.

• Sugar cane – You’ll need eight pieces of sugar cane to create one piece of paper.

• Iron ingots – You’ll need four iron ingots to create a compass. You can obtain iron ingots by smelting iron ore in a furnace.

• Redstone dust – You’ll need one piece of redstone dust to create a compass. You can obtain redstone dust by mining redstone ore found deep underground.

• Optional: Markers or banners – You can use markers or banners to mark important locations on the map. To create a marker or banner, you’ll need the appropriate resources.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Make a Map in Minecraft

Step 1: Gather Resources

To make a map in Minecraft, you’ll need to gather some resources first. You’ll need one piece of paper and eight pieces of sugar cane to make a paper. Sugar cane is found near bodies of water, and you can collect it by breaking the blocks with your hands or tools. Once you’ve collected eight sugar cane, open your crafting table and place them in a square shape to craft one piece of paper.

Step 2: Craft a Compass

To create a map that can be oriented to the cardinal directions, you’ll need a compass. A compass is crafted with four iron ingots and one piece of redstone dust. Iron ingots can be obtained by smelting iron ore in a furnace, and redstone dust is obtained by mining redstone ore found deep underground.

Step 3: Create the Map

To create a map, place the piece of paper in the center square of the crafting table and surround it with eight pieces of paper. This will create an empty map.

Step 4: Use the Map

To use the map, you must first hold it in your hand. When you first use a map, it will be blank and only show your location as a white dot in the center of the map. As you explore the world with the map in your hand, it will fill in with new terrain and structures that you encounter. The map will also orient itself to the cardinal directions based on the direction you are facing when you first use it.

Step 5: Scale the Map

By default, the map will be scaled to a 1:1 ratio, which means that one block on the map represents one block in the game world. This can make it difficult to navigate larger areas, so you can zoom out or scale the map to cover a larger area. To scale the map, open your crafting table and place the map in the center square with eight pieces of paper surrounding it. This will create an enlarged map that covers a larger area.

Step 6: Mark Locations

To mark locations on your map, you can use a marker or banner. Simply place the marker or banner on the ground and it will appear on the map as a small icon. You can also name the marker by using an anvil to rename the banner before placing it.

Step 7: Copy and Share Maps

If you want to create multiple copies of your map or share it with others, you can use a cartography table. Place the map in the top slot of the cartography table and surround it with paper. This will create a copy of the map with the same scaling and orientation as the original. You can also use the cartography table to lock or unlock the map, which prevents it from being updated with new terrain as you explore.

Step 8: Customize the Map

If you want to customize your map, you can use a banner or shield to add a design to the map. To do this, hold the banner or shield in your hand and right-click on the map. The design will appear on the map as a small icon.

Step 9: Upgrade the Map

Once you’ve explored a large area and filled in your map, you may want to upgrade it to show more detail. To do this, place the map in the center slot of the crafting table and surround it with a compass. This will create an upgraded map that shows more detail and includes a red arrow that points to your current location.

Originally posted on March 12, 2023 @ 5:58 pm