Dash Of Basil: Castles

Minecraft Castles

Castles and towers stand out as my favorite thing to build in Minecraft.

Here are some of my favorites.

Triskalia

I call this complex Triskalia. It sits on an island next to a lagoon with close access to excellent mining under the hills and plenty of wood in the jungle. It has more than 50 rooms, two boat docks, and several waterways passing between towers. When it is complete there will be 13 towers and a walled garden area.

Approaching Triskalia from the sea

Triskalia up close

Triskalia, Side view

Triskalia, view from the lagoon

Ascension

Ascension is one of my taller castles. It sits atop a mountain adjacent the sea, and rises up half way between the cloud level and the top of the sky. I keep going back and building it taller. But for now it looks like this (by night.)

As seen by night from the Sea

View straight up the towers from the mail roof of the castle

View up from the walk ways that join towers half-way up

View across the walkways half way up the towers

Main rooftop view

Keep reading! I'm saving my most glorous castle for last.

St. Nicholas' Cove

This is my castle at St. Nicholas Cove. It is one of the first castles I built, and I've always loved the way it looks situated there on a small island in a cove.

The castle at St. Nicholas' Cove

View back at the Castle at St. Nicholas' Cove showing the inter-continental
railway I built together with my daughter.

Interior hot tub at the Castle at St. Nicholas' Cove

Castle at St. Nicholas' Cove, view from the sea

No, I didn't build that castle and railroad with only level "3" strength. This was one of our favorite worlds that became corrupted on disk somehow and died. I recovered portions of it and "risked my life" to go in and photograph my favorite places.

Jungle Towers

I started building individual free-standing towers all over the place so that I would always have someplace safe to stay when I traveled the virtual world. Here's a couple of nice looking ones. They give you a great view of the surrounding area in addition to a place to get away from monsters.

Jungle's Edge Tower

Jungle Mountain Tower as seen from the top of Jungle's Edge Tower.

Death Portal Cove

The early settlers named this place here Death Portal Cove, because after building a beautiful little castle on a tiny island, and several small buildings on the mainland, then carving out the inside of the mountain to put a Nether Portal there, that first settler stepped through the Nether Portal and fell to his death in an enormous sea of lava. Yes, the portal came out on the other side over an ocean of lava, and by the time he realized it, it was too late.

Death Portal Cove

It was amusing to have a Nether Portal that looked so lofty but couldn't be used, and thus the settlers landed on this fitting name. You can see it there glowing purple behind the glass on the mountainside.

Death Portal Cove, the portal visible on the left

Dragon's Mouth Island Castle

I designed this castle and began building with one thing in mind: to be the most awesome castle I had made yet. At the time, it was. It has more than 100 rooms, 23 stories tall from the highest towers to the lowest level (under water) - not counting the mines below.

It is out in the middle of a small sea on the edge of the ocean. The shore of a jungle, desert, and winter biome are within reach of a round-trip day visit for food and supplies. But you can't see land in any direction from the castle (not counting the small adjacent island that I planted trees on.)

Approaching Dragon's Mouth from the sea

Approaching Dragon's Mouth from the sea - 2

Rounding toward the lava-flow side of the castle

There are four flows of lava off the corners of the highest towers, and
the central cathedral is visible here

Dragon's Mouth Island Castle, the sea port beneath the castle is visible here.

There are two different sea entrances to the castle, above water, and a third below the sea.

The gold cross above the castle is solid-gold blocks, all of which was mined. The base of the cathedral is diamond and lapis blocks, also all mined.

Interior rooftop view

View down into the interior roofs and lower towers

At the time this was my most glorious castle, but not any more.

The Jungle-Desert Mountain Castle Complex

and

The Great Wall

This was originally two separate castles, which were adjoined by an enormous wall spanning across two Minecraft maps.

The Desert Mountain Castle is at the top of a mountain just below cloud-level and ascends roughly a third of the way from there to the top of the sky.

Approaching Desert Mountain Castle from the sea

View out a window in the side of the mountain beneath
the castle toward The Great Wall

View of lower towers across the gap from main castle
The Great Wall stretches out behind these towers

Desert Mountain Castle - view up from the mail castle rooftop

There are several of these cloud pavilions on various balconies
between the three main towers of Desert Mountain Castle

For those who don't know Minecraft, and the clouds: you can build up this high and sit there and watch the clouds float through your building. I layered several balconies at various heights within the cloud level.

View down toward the desert, sea and mountain top from one of the balconies.

View down toward The Great Wall and the lower towers from
the lowest of the three high towers on the castle.

View straight down from the middle high tower showing where The Great Wall
begins and traverses the gaping canyon in the middle of the mountain.

The high tower as seen from the top of the middle tower.

The two highest towers of the Desert Castle as seen from the rooftop

The view down from the highest tower here.

The view down toward The Great Wall from the highest tower

View down the mountain side showing how The Great Wall descends the mountain

View of The Great Wall and Lower Towers from one of the lower balconies

The view up toward the highest tower from one of the balconies

This is the lower towers as you exit the main Desert Mountain Castle
atop The Great Wall

A look back up at the Desert Mountain Castle from the same position
as previous image, atop The Great Wall

View of the lower portion of Desert Mountain Castle and the start
of The Great Wall from one of the Lower Towers

The entire Desert Mountain Castle, the start of the Great Wall and
one of the Lower Towers

View Straight Down showing how The Great Wall
crosses the gap in the mountain top

An old covered bridge crosses a river next to The Great Wall
heading toward the Jungle Castle complex

Same area as previous shot, only now you can see down the length of
The Great Wall

The Desert Castle as seen from the valley below

Where The Great Wall crosses a tiny river
(There is river access for boating, and access to the interior of The Great Wall here.)

The View Back down the length of The Great Wall toward
the Desert Mountain Castle

Interior of The Great Wall

Turning around 180 degrees from the previous shot and now you can see
where The Great Wall continues on to the Jungle Castle complex

View out of Midway Tower toward the main Jungle Castle complex

View from the top of Midway Tower toward the main Jungle Castle complex

Jungle Castle complex, view toward the North Gate Tower
from the point where The Great Wall meets up with the outer wall of
the Jungle Castle complex

View back down the length of The Great Wall from atop the outer wall
of the Jungle Castle complex

View toward the main Jungle Castle from atop the North Gate Tower

View of the Jungle Castle complex outer wall
from atop the North Gate Tower

View of the North Wall of the Jungle Castle
complex, showing the gate beneath the North Gate Tower

View of Jungle Castle from the Mid Wall Tower

I usually build my towers five-by-five with separate rooms ascending the tower so that you have to climb ladders to get from level to level. But the main Central Tower of Jungle Castle is made 7-by-7 instead with a spiral staircase on the interior. This 7-by-7 tower descends beneath the earth all the way to bedrock, with access points to mines all the way down.

View of The Great Wall from atop the Central Tower of Jungle Castle

View of The North Gate Tower (on right) and The Great Wall
(on left) from the top of the Central Tower of Jungle Castle

View of the main castle complex of Jungle Castle from the Central Tower
There are hundreds of rooms, dozens of walls and passages 9 more towers,
and a separate castle on an island accessible only through the main castle.