Taking Inventory: String

Spiders are my favorite enemy to hunt in Minecraft, and I’ll tell you why. First, they’re noisy so you can hear them approaching (looking at you, Creepers). Second, they’re pretty big and easy to hit (looking at you, baby zombies). Finally, they drop string – which is one of the most versatile mob drops in the game, and also happens to be our item of the week!

String has been a part of Minecraft for a loooOOOooong time, ever since version 0.31. It was added in one of the game’s most fundamental updates – the one that also introduced sticks, coal, diamonds, iron, and gold ingots... oh, and the entire concept of crafting. Without the beautifully-named “Java Edition Indev 0.31 20100129” update, we’d have had to just call the game “Mine”.

As noted above, string is primarily acquired from dead spiders, but you can also get hold of it in other ways too, including breaking cobwebs, fishing, and looting it from jungle temples, desert pyramids, and dungeons. If you have a cat around, it might also bring you some string from time to time.

I can see you asking: “What is even the point of string?”, so let me explain. String is used to craft some pretty useful items – wool, looms, leads, fishing rods, bows and crossbows, and even scaffolding all require string in their recipes.

You can also trade it with fisherman villagers, and place it on the ground as tripwire. When connected to a tripwire hook, it’ll activate when any creature walks past, making it handy for setting up hidden traps. Pro tip: if you don’t want to activate someone else’s hidden trap, cut the string with shears and it won’t trigger.

In the real world, humans have been making string for tens of thousands of years – long before we started writing down history. In prehistoric times it was used to make fire, fishing lines, nets, clothing, shelters, traps and bows. Most primitive drills used string – making it fundamental to early woodworking and dentistry.

Look around you and you’ll still see string in all kinds of unexpected and important places. Not only is it still a vital part of clothing, but today it’s also used to hold your shoes on your feet, to create beautiful music as part of guitars, violins and pianos, to play racquet sports like tennis and squash, and even to keep boats moored to the shore. It’s even a tourist attraction in its own right.

Why, though, do Minecraft spiders drop string? Well, spiders (as well as lots of other insects including ants, bees, wasps, beetles, flies, and fleas) produce a very strong, string-like protein called silk inside their bodies which is used to build webs and cocoons. Humans have been harvesting it and spinning it into fabrics since ancient times.

So next time you’re hacking away at an aggressive spider, consider that you’re continuing a tradition that’s been going on for tens of thousands of years. Then shift your attention back to the fight – those spiders can be cunning.