Basics

This section explains the core progression loop in ExNihilo Bedrock and the first steps of developing "from nothing".

Starting the Game

The player begins with almost no resources. The main early goal is to establish access to:

  • wood
  • string
  • basic crafting materials

Without these, further progression is impossible.

Step 1: Getting Wood

Trees are the main source of early-game resources.

Crook

The crook is used on leaves and allows you to:

  • obtain silkworms
  • obtain string from infested leaves

This is the first key progression tool.

Step 2: Basic Infrastructure

At this stage, the player prepares the foundation for progression:

  • crafting table
  • barrel
  • crook and hammer

The barrel becomes the first block for processing and early automation.

Step 3: Barrel

The barrel is used for basic automation and processing of organic materials.

It allows you to:

  • compost organic resources to obtain dirt
  • collect rainwater
  • work with simple liquids
  • summon entities (in development)

Step 4: Sieve

The sieve is the main source of early-game resources.

With it, you can sift:

  • dirt
  • gravel
  • sand
  • dust

(see Sieve for details)

Results:

  • ore pieces
  • seeds
  • pebbles
  • other basic resources

The sieve forms the foundation of the entire early economy.

Step 5: Hammer

The hammer becomes useful after obtaining the sieve.

It is used to prepare materials:

  • stone -> gravel
  • gravel -> sand
  • sand -> dust

Step 6: Getting Clay, Bone Meal, and Porcelain (Key Progression Stage)

At this stage, the player unlocks access to ceramics and further development through the crucible.

Getting Bone Meal

Bone meal is a core progression resource.

It is obtained through:

Getting Clay

Clay is created using a barrel:

  1. obtain dust through a sieve
  2. place the dust into a full barrel of water
  3. this produces clay

Crafting Porcelain

Porcelain is used as an intermediate material for crafting the crucible.

Recipe:

  • clay + bone meal -> porcelain

Crucible

Next, the player completes the chain:

  1. craft an unfired crucible from porcelain
  2. fire the unfired crucible in a furnace
  3. obtain a fired crucible

Step 7: Crucible

The crucible is used to obtain and transform liquids.

With it, you can:

  • turn stone-based materials into lava
  • process leaves and saplings into water

For melting, the crucible uses heat from torches, campfires, fire, lava, and other heat sources. See Crucible for details.

Progression Loop

The main gameplay loop looks like this:

  1. getting wood
  2. using the crook on leaves
  3. obtaining a sieve and basic resources
  4. using the hammer to improve processing
  5. getting bone meal and clay
  6. crafting porcelain
  7. crafting a crucible
  8. producing lava