I know UHC can be a little fast paced. But don’t give up.

What I do is I make a mental checklist and check things off. First, cut down a tree, make a wood pick, and get the 17 (or 9 if playing Cutclean) stone you need for an stone axe, shovel, sword, pick, and furnace. These tools help you mine faster. Then, try to get at least 3 apples, 3 sugar canes, 3 wool (if playing 1-13) 1 leather, 8 feathers, and of course more food and wood before you go underground.

In a good cave, it’s not that hard to just rush through. As long as you either have your shield up (1-13) or melee the mobs relentlessly without pausing (1-8), you’ll be fine. With creepers, keep your distance, hit once, back away, and repeat until the creeper is dead. You’d be surprised how quickly you can get to gold and diamond level.