Unusual but Fun way to farm Gold

[Dorugami]

So I've recently gotten around to watching BTW streams (namely Vioki's videos/streams Notch bless his soul) and posting on the board, but have played BTW for a fair amount of time now. Just reached Steel level, and find myself in a severe lack of gold for making automation through a crap-ton of gearboxes possible. So I look towards tips and tricks all over and find the one overwhelming answer: Nether Mob Trap.

Problem is, when I started building said trap, I noticed "hell, I'm gonna need a lot of gold for this too". So I said screw it and went out with full plate and composite bow and roamed the nether with two quivers of arrows and a full stack of gravel to kill 'Golden' pigmen with.

Two weeks later, I gave up on the mobtrap and just continue roaming the nether in search of golden pigmen when the need arises. I've really taken to noticing the marginal area where Ghasts are allowed to spawn now, and with only the random Ghast and Wither skelly giving me pause, it's been so far the best adventure in BTW Minecraft. I even go there just for the thrill of the "hunt" these days.

I'm sharing this mostly because I want it to go out that mobtraps in the nether isn't the only choice, and manually hunting pigmen is a very exciting/rewarding/kickass profession. Maximum I got on a 30 minute dip in the nether has been five(!!) golden swords.

I've died several times too, and have lost my plate pants on one occasion when it burned in fire before i could retrieve it, but hell, between making gold valuable, making the nether challenging, and all those little details like wither spawns outside fortresses and hardcore spawn...that collective feature has so far been my uttermost favorite part of the lot. You may be tired of hearing thanks FC, but hell take two of my thumbs up, just for the nether bit.

[ion]

for low amounts of gold hunting is good at first, but the time invested into building a pigman farm is worth the money when going late tree building and big projects like beacons

[Dorugami]

for low amounts of gold hunting is good at first, but the time invested into building a pigman farm is worth the money when going late tree building and big projects like beacons

If what Vioki said is true, a copious amount of nether groth would be needed to make an efficient farm, which is a long way down the road for me, I haven't had the chance to get mycelium, and the alt recipe is killing thousands of my brain cells every night. But it is in the plan, after I gather enough hellfire and a beacon I suppose.

[npauwels1988]

There is a video out there of a nether mobfarm.
Not quite sure if it is still effective but if it does this should prove to be an endless gold supply
A simplified version should be effective aswell


Video here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B7WJiqrbh8

[Daisjun]

There is a video out there of a nether mobfarm.
Not quite sure if it is still effective but if it does this should prove to be an endless gold supply
A simplified version should be effective aswell

Video here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B7WJiqrbh8

We have a scaled down version of this on our server atm.

Spoiler

Show

Capture area


Killing floor

It obviously doesn't have the pistons, but as pigmen will happily jump off ledges without any encouragement they're totally unnecessary. Any pigmen with swords that spawn around the trap we just nudge down into the trap as well. Mechanics wise it uses very little resources, just enough gearboxes to run the saw. Hardest part was digging out the spawning area, which you can make as big or as little as you desire.

It's not insanely quick, but it's sufficient for our needs. Six gearboxes per sword makes it definitely worth it :)

[Dorugami]

-snip-

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you have to be within the vicinity of the trap for it to function yes? I read somewhere that the distance required would be 32 blocks for the farthest point in the trap else the mobs don't move. So in order for the trap to be running you'd have to afk in the middle of the trap or something similar.

[Katalliaan]

No Dorugami. That's an artificial limitation that Mojang put in; FC reverted it in 4.65 so that they will move as long as they are loaded.

[odemarken]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you have to be within the vicinity of the trap for it to function yes? I read somewhere that the distance required would be 32 blocks for the farthest point in the trap else the mobs don't move. So in order for the trap to be running you'd have to afk in the middle of the trap or something similar.

I think you are, in fact, wrong, sorry - FC changed that behaviour quite some time ago precisely to un-nerf mob traps. So i'ts enough if you're within 120 blocks (or was it 144?) from the trap so they don't despawn / keep spawning.

Edit: ninja'd.

[Dorugami]

No Dorugami. That's an artificial limitation that Mojang put in; FC reverted it in 4.65 so that they will move as long as they are loaded.

So no more sky traps that are 120 blocks above ground to concentrate spawns then? This is definitely something that opens up new possibilities for me, thanks.

[Daisjun]

Yeah I think with the nerf to gold and iron we'd all ragequit if there wasn't a way to build effective mob traps, especially considering how insanely hard gold is to get and how crucial it is now.

Not to take away from your original post, it's certainly a kick ass way to play the game :) Our trap naturally arose from how dangerous facing pigmen was and how desperately we needed the gold. Our original strat involved one person to lure and kill pigmen, and another to nudge them into range of the player that had aggro'd them. Worked right up until we realised that aggro could be passed on to someone else when the original aggroer either left the nether or died.

I guess it's different when playing multiplayer as we're always conscious about how dying and losing items affects the hard work that everyone's put in to get them, hence we're always looking for the safest way to do things.

[Dorugami]

Yeah I think with the nerf to gold and iron we'd all ragequit if there wasn't a way to build effective mob traps, especially considering how insanely hard gold is to get and how crucial it is now.

Not to take away from your original post, it's certainly a kick ass way to play the game :) Our trap naturally arose from how dangerous facing pigmen was and how desperately we needed the gold. Our original strat involved one person to lure and kill pigmen, and another to nudge them into range of the player that had aggro'd them. Worked right up until we realised that aggro could be passed on to someone else when the original aggroer either left the nether or died.

I guess it's different when playing multiplayer as we're always conscious about how dying and losing items affects the hard work that everyone's put in to get them, hence we're always looking for the safest way to do things.

Man, I'd give a few things to be able to play coop with someone I know well. I pretty much envy a lot of people that. On the topic of killing pigmen and how dangerous it is...it's not, even for one guy like me. I just suffocate them in gravel/sand. They don't generate aggro that way and I collect the golden loot without undue risk. Of course, I lose exp that way but hey, free gold.

The only real threats on my trips to the nether are those underground fortresses, because I suddenly find withers attacking me without warning.

[DNoved1]

No Dorugami. That's an artificial limitation that Mojang put in; FC reverted it in 4.65 so that they will move as long as they are loaded.

So no more sky traps that are 120 blocks above ground to concentrate spawns then? This is definitely something that opens up new possibilities for me, thanks.

While mobs will move outside of the 45~ block range, they do still despawn when 128 blocks away. Sky traps are still quite effective, and can net huge profits that easily outweigh the fact that they are not active when you are not in the appropriate spot.

[Daisjun]

I just suffocate them in gravel/sand. They don't generate aggro that way and I collect the golden loot without undue risk. Of course, I lose exp that way but hey, free gold.

Can't believe I never thought of that myself, awesome idea which I am now sadly forced to steal :)

[Dorugami]

I just suffocate them in gravel/sand. They don't generate aggro that way and I collect the golden loot without undue risk. Of course, I lose exp that way but hey, free gold.

Can't believe I never thought of that myself, awesome idea which I am now sadly forced to steal :)

Heh, be my guest, I can at least share a few tricks with others even if I don't have a partner to share em with. Although personally it feels like an exploit, I still use it, although I do get a trip out of being swarmed when I deflect that random fireball onto a random pigman.

[Mr_Hosed]

Love the hunt! Battle Axe + looting baby!

I haven't reached the nether in my latest world, but in my previous world I created a spawn platform over a lava lake and would roam that with a looting battle axe for my gold needs. Was amazingly effective. Place a wart farm and blood wood farm (for the saplings more then anything) near by and it was 30 minutes well spent.

[chaoticneutral]

Heh, be my guest, I can at least share a few tricks with others even if I don't have a partner to share em with. Although personally it feels like an exploit, I still use it, although I do get a trip out of being swarmed when I deflect that random fireball onto a random pigman.

Hey, pigmen are dumb. They don't realize that you have anything to do with the gravel falling in their heads, that's why they don't aggro. For this reason, I don't see it as an exploit.

[Dorugami]

Heh, be my guest, I can at least share a few tricks with others even if I don't have a partner to share em with. Although personally it feels like an exploit, I still use it, although I do get a trip out of being swarmed when I deflect that random fireball onto a random pigman.

Hey, pigmen are dumb. They don't realize that you have anything to do with the gravel falling in their heads, that's why they don't aggro. For this reason, I don't see it as an exploit.

And yet they're very capable of hive-mind coordination. Call it what it is, but dropping gravel onto rotting bipedal pork meat while they stare at you is a bit of a "lolwut" moment for me. If it weren't for the constant threat of ghasts I'd rather prefer hitting them with the pointy end of my battle-axe.

[chaoticneutral]

And yet they're very capable of hive-mind coordination. Call it what it is, but dropping gravel onto rotting bipedal pork meat while they stare at you is a bit of a "lolwut" moment for me. If it weren't for the constant threat of ghasts I'd rather prefer hitting them with the pointy end of my battle-axe.

When a pigman is attacked, it releases pheromones in the air. They indicate roughly the kind of menace - if a ghast or the "ugly pigman non-piggy thing" [aka Steve]. Like bees. But individual bees are still dumb, as are pigmen, hehe.
(Zombie pigmen pheromones smell like Enderdragon farts, by the way.)

If it weren't for the constant threat of ghasts I'd rather prefer hitting them with the pointy end of my battle-axe.

Jokes aside, what about building an specific arena for that? Just a large room with a 3m high ceiling would allow pigmen but not ghasts to spawn.

[Dorugami]

When a pigman is attacked, it releases pheromones in the air. They indicate roughly the kind of menace - if a ghast or the "ugly pigman non-piggy thing" [aka Steve]. Like bees. But individual bees are still dumb, as are pigmen, hehe.
(Zombie pigmen pheromones smell like Enderdragon farts, by the way.)

Heh, then they shouldn't mind me deflecting fireballs at them then, picky bastards. They don't seem to mind ghasts blowing them up one bit.

Jokes aside, what about building an specific arena for that? Just a large room with a 3m high ceiling would allow pigmen but not ghasts to spawn.

Well sure that would be safe but immensely boring. I took up BTW because vMC was exactly that, redundant, stale...linear. A reason to go into hell to hunt for rare swords is like Zelda in sandbox mode. Added with a few lava, ghasts, withers and whatnot and I have something that tickles my senses better than punching wood, and I never know what kind of circumstances I'll have to tackle and overcome the next time I go in.

Sound exciting? It is, it's my most favorite past-time.