When possible, you should travel by day. However, if you are somehow forced to travel at night or if you are actively seeking monsters, this guide should help you survive your encounters. :: :: :: #1: Weapons And Armor :: Always make sure you are armed and armored before attempting to take on monsters. Even simple leather can mean the difference between a terrible death and survival. However, if your armor is damaged enough, you should remove it and keep it to repair. It will not protect you in its ruined state, and it is far cheaper to fix it than to buy or make a new set. Place your armor on a crafting table with two pieces of the material it is made of (either leather, gold, iron or diamond, chainmail cannot be repaired) and you should be able to fix it. Chestplates require three pieces of material due to their larger size and greater protection. :: When choosing armor, the chestplate is the most important part. It can take the most damage and provides the greatest protection. It is usually wise to have the best chestplate you can afford. :: Take your armor off when you are safely inside a city. Falling damage will damage your armor, which is a waste of your armor’s limited damage capacity.. :: You should carry both a bow and a sword if possible, and the sword should be iron or diamond. While a wooden or stone sword are better than fists, you should still avoid combat if you do not have sufficiently powerful weapons. :: :: :: :: :: #2: Injuries :: You will be injured when fighting monsters. Even if you fight with a bow, it is unlikely you will emerge from repeated combat unscathed. You should always carry food with you to heal after combat, and if your health is even slightly low you should avoid combat altogether. If your health drops low, abandon the fight and run. Find a building with a door and barricade yourself inside. Do not open the door again until daylight, even if you heal back to full health. :: Sleep instead of eating when you can. Sleep is free, food is not. :: #3: Zombies :: The zombie is the most basic enemy you will fight. They move slowly but their attacks are powerful. Fight zombies from a distance. Attack them with a bow, aiming each shot carefully. Fall back slowly. The arrows should push the zombie back, but you may still need to give ground to stop the zombie from closing to melee range. If a zombie closes to melee range, draw your sword and slay it quickly. If you are on low health, disengage from combat and flee from the zombie. It is slow and should not catch up, which should give you time to heal. :: #4: Skeletons :: Skeletal archers are dangerous foes. They should not be attacked directly. One way to deal with them is to fight them with a bow from a range and try to dodge their arrows, but the most effective way is to draw your sword and circle them. Once you are close enough, you will be able to circle the skeleton faster than it can turn, so you can stay at its back, circling and striking until it falls. If on low health and fleeing a skeleton, take the most erratic path you can, which will make it hard for the skeleton to hit you. :: :: #5: Spiders :: Spiders are arguably more dangerous than even zombies and skeletons. They can be fought in a similar way to zombies, but you must fire faster to keep them at bay, and if they close in, you will not be able to outrun them. Slay them with your sword if possible, but find shelter if you can. :: :: :: :: :: :: #6: Zombie Pigmen :: When fighting a zombie pigman, DO NOT engage it at melee range. Fall back at high speed, and fire arrows as fast as you can. You can pick them up if you kill the pigman, if it kills you, you will lose all of your arrows. If a pigman closes in, run. Do not engage it at close range unless you are heavily armored and at high health. Run and wait for day. It is better to fail at killing the pigman than to be slain by it.