Building Tips¶
About This Documentation
These docs were generated with AI assistance and are continuously improved.
Want to build things that DON'T fall down? Here's how.
The Golden Rules¶
Rule 1: Light on Top, Heavy on Bottom¶
GOOD: BAD:
[Wool] ← Light [Iron] ← Heavy!
[Wood] [Stone]
[Stone] [Wood]
[Iron] ← Strong [Wool] ← Weak!
══════ ══════
Pyramid = Strong! Upside down = 💥
Rule 2: Support Your Bridges¶
A bridge anchored to solid ground at both ends is far stronger than one sticking out from one side.
GOOD: BAD:
[W]─[1]─[2]─[3]─[W] [W]─[1]─[2]─[3]─[4]─[5]─[6]...
Both ends share One side does all the work = 💥
Rule 3: Build on Solid Ground¶
Your build needs to reach the ground to stand up. The ground is what holds all the weight, so it never breaks.
On most servers, the ground is bedrock or the very bottom of the world. But in a survival world you build on dirt and stone, far above bedrock!
If your server turns on foundations, you don't need bedrock. A block counts as standing on the ground when it has enough solid natural blocks (dirt, stone, sand, gravel, ore…) straight below it — like a foundation reaching down. Ask your admin if it's on, and how deep the ground needs to be.
Two things to know:
- The column below must be unbroken. A cave or air gap under your build stops it from counting as grounded.
- Only natural blocks count — dirt, stone, and the like. Your own placed blocks (planks, glass, wool, bricks) don't, so a hollow tower can't ground itself off its own walls.
Your admin may also set a foundation block — a special block (like reinforced deepslate) that anchors your build when you place it on solid ground. Use it as the base of a big build.
Rule 4: Watch for Cracks¶
[ ─BLOCK─ ] ← Hairline cracks = fix it soon
[ ╱BLOCK╲ ] ← Clear cracks = fix it now
[ ▓BLOCK▓ ] ← Crumbling = RUN!
How to Make Blocks Stronger¶
Reinforcement¶
Use a Support Beam to make a block stronger.
Each beam adds +50% load capacity, up to a cap your admin sets (default up to +300%).
Two ways to reinforce:
- Support Beam item — craft it (3 iron ingots in a column), then right-click a tracked block.
/strux reinforce— look at a tracked block and run the command.
Scan first
You can only reinforce a block that's already part of a tracked structure. Run /strux scan over the build first. Foundation blocks are already immovable, so you can't reinforce those.
Repair Damaged Blocks¶
If a block has cracks, clear the damage:
Look at the cracked block and run the command. Full strength restored.
Check Before You Break¶
Want to know what a block is holding up before you touch it?
Look at a block and run it — Strux tells you how many blocks would lose support if it broke. Handy for finding the keystone of a build (or an enemy's).
/strux grade gives the whole world's builds a letter grade (S is best, F is worst).
Good Building Patterns¶
The Pyramid¶
Wide at the bottom, narrow at the top. Weight spreads out. Very stable.
Pillars for Wide Spaces¶
Building a big room? Add pillars so the roof isn't one long unsupported span.
Arches¶
The curve of an arch shares the weight down both sides — stronger than a flat bridge.
DO and DON'T¶
✅ DO¶
- Use strong materials at the bottom.
- Add support pillars for wide spaces.
- Reinforce important blocks with Support Beams.
- Build sloped roofs (snow slides off).
- Fix cracks when you see them.
❌ DON'T¶
- Put heavy stuff on weak stuff.
- Build long bridges with no support.
- Use glass for walls (windows only).
- Ignore cracks.
- Jump on damaged floors.
Fun Experiments¶
Scan each build first, or nothing will collapse!
- How high? Build a stone tower. How tall before the base gives way?
- How far? Build a bridge from a wall. How far with no support?
- Boom test. Build a house, blow up one corner with TNT, watch what happens.
- Jump test. Damage a floor with TNT, then jump on it from different heights.
- Snow watch. Build a flat roof in a snowy biome and wait.
Remember!¶
1. Heavy on top of light = BAD
2. Long bridges need supports
3. Cracks = danger
4. Don't jump on damaged floors
5. When in doubt, add more pillars!
Happy building!