Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-4603881-20130107135130/@comment-81.163.12.94-20130108112809

- 16Y is too high for diamonds - see here: http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Altitude - Y:5-15 seems to be the best.

- Condenser would actually cost you: 1 diamond for covalence dust, 1 diamond for chest, 3 diamonds for pickaxe (to mine 4 obsidian), 4 diamonds for condenser = 9 (+1 to condense more).

- My usual route is: 1st diamond - covalence dust (to make Tier 3 divining rod, talisman of repair, and to fix tools); 2nd diamond - alchemical chest (combined with talisman means free repairs); 3rd to 6th diamonds - pickaxe (to mine obsidian required to make portal, transmutation tablet, energy condenser); 7th to 10th diamond - depending on other circumstances (e.g. availability of iron for armor and weapon, availability fo lava pools to make obsidian) I either make the portal to get glowstone and make philosopers stone, or make condenser to make more useful materials from useless crap until I can safely go to the Nether. Usually in the mean time I make other useful stuff like Iron Furnace (quicker & cheaper smelting), and/or Generator+BatBox+Macerator (doubling yield from mined ores). Not to mention more "vanilla" stuff like tree farm, wheat farm etc. as required.