If you know how to make maps in Minecraft, you have one of the most useful and valuable items in the entire game. Not only does it show you your character’s location, but it also helps you find your way back home when you’re far away in the adventure by showing the direction you’re facing.
Combine the map with the debug screen and you can find the exact coordinates of your main base. Write these down on sticky notes, stick them on your screen, and you can always find your way home – with or without a map.
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Minecraft map size
Minecraft maps double in size each time you increase their coverage area.
A standard Minecraft map shows an area of 128 blocks x 128 blocks or 8 blocks x 8 blocks. The base level map is called “Zoom Step 0” out of the 4 possible zoom levels. Maps of this size can show individual blocks, which can be useful if you have a specific type of block that is only used in your facility – you can always define where you start.
The next map level is “step 1 zoom.” This map shows a size of 256 blocks x 256 blocks or 16 blocks x 16 blocks. With this size, it’s hard to make individual blocks – but you can easily see the trees and the path.
The next level is “step zoom 2” This size shows a much larger area with 512 blocks x 512 blocks, with 32 blocks x 32 blocks. It is more like an area map, depicting lakes and buildings rather than small details like trees.
“Step 3 zoom” shows 1024 blocks x 1024 blocks and 64 blocks x 64 blocks. This is a huge space showing the mountains and rivers around your base. This map size is useful for planning landscaping modifications around your home premises.
The final map size is “zoom step 4” This is the largest map size that can show 2048 blocks x 2048 blocks and 128 blocks x 128 blocks. Entire biomes are included in this map. This level of the map is useful for decoration, but not too much utility unless you want to adventure away from home while staying within its range on the map.
How to make a map in Minecraft
There are many ways to create maps in Minecraft. First, you will need 8 pieces of paper and a compass. Before we show you how to create maps in Minecraft, we will show you how to create these items.
How to craft paper
Paper is an essential resource for creating maps and books in Minecraft. You can craft it by placing three cane on the crafting table. This creates three pieces of paper. You’ll need eight to make the map, so keep an eye out for the sugar cane or destroy the bookcases in the villages.
How to make a compass
Compass is a powerful tool that points in the direction of your spawn point. To craft it, you need four iron ingots and a piece of redstone. Iron ingots can be obtained by smelting iron ore in a furnace, and iron ore can be found in all biomes and on all world levels.
Place four iron ingots in the north, west, south and east blocks of the crafting table and place the redstone in the center. This creates a compass.
How to make a map
Once you have the necessary components, creating a map in Minecraft is easy. There are two main ways.
The first method involves a Crafting Table.
- Place eight pieces of paper around the outer contours and then place the compass in the center.
It should look like this, where P is “paper” and C is “compass:”
PPP
PCP
PPP
You’ll know this method works when an empty Map item appears on the right side of the Crafting Panel.
- Click on this Empty Map to pick it up and place it in your inventory.
The second method is to click on the green book next to your inventory to open your recipe list.
- Type “blank map” in the search bar and click on it. If you have the necessary items, they will automatically fill the Crafting Table.
- Click on the Blank Map and drag it to your inventory.
After you create the map, the map will not show any information until you put it in the hotbar and right click while holding it. The map will fill in information from around where you stand. The map only shows information about the areas you have visited. If you want to fully populate the map, you’ll need to explore the area.
How to zoom in on the map
To increase your map from its original size to a larger size, you will need eight pieces of paper and a map.
Place your map in the center of the crafting table, then place eight pieces of paper around it. Your map needs to be active – the “blank map” entry will not work. Just right click on the map in hand to fill it in.
After you place the paper around the map, you can get it from the crafting table. It will be the next largest size. Repeat this process as many times as you need until you reach the largest map size.
Why use Map?
Besides the obvious benefits of filling out a map for navigation, there are other reasons to create a map. You can create a map wall – in fact, one of the achievements on the PlayStation and Xbox versions of the game is building a 9×9 map wall.
A map wall can be a great way to get a (literally) bird’s-eye view of your Minecraft world. Depending on the world size limit, you may need dozens or even hundreds of maps to fully display it – as well as hundreds of hours of gameplay to fill it up. However, if you’re an avid fan, it might well be worth the effort.
Take the time to learn how to make maps in Minecraft. It can help you when you find yourself in an area with landmarks you don’t recognize; In fact, it’s hard to believe that you can get lost in Minecraft so easily. The map can take you home when night falls, you run out of food, and you can hear the sounds of Skeleton archers in the distance.
