Netherite armor recipe

Netherite is a brand new resource that can be created by finding resources exclusively found in the Nether! We're taking a look at exactly what you need to do to get Netherite to craft yourself some Netherite Armor and Netherite Weapons in the 1.16 Nether Update for Minecraft. It's a bit more complicated than you'd think, because it takes some additional steps than just mining it like other rare ores.

Netherite has been added officially to the game in the 1.16 patch. It gives players for the first time the ability to create armor that is stronger than Diamond. However, you will still need to have yourself some Diamond armor to craft Netherite, it will still be a pretty significant upgrade and worth heading to the underworld to get it!

If you're starting a new world in the update, check out our Minecraft 1.16 Nether Seeds post!

How to Find Netherite

Well, you don't really find Netherite itself in the wilds. You will need to locate a very rare ore called, Ancient Debris. This is only found in the Nether, so you will need to create a Nether Portal and be prepared to fight off quite a bit of the evil that dwells in this area.

Once you've reached the Nether, you will need to head to the lower levels of it like you would for Diamond. Ancient Debris should start spawning in Bedrock at around Y level 30 so, but the best place to farm it is from Y level 8 to 17. In Java, it appears that the spawn rate isn't as good as Bedrock, and the best places to get it are Y level 12 to 17. These are the areas you should focus on farming, because they have the highest density of spawns. You can check for your current level on Java by pressing F3 on your keyboard and looking for the XYZ listing. If you're on Bedrock, make sure to enable the "show coordinates" option in your settings.

You'll recognize Ancient Debris by it's brownish color and spiral like design on top. You can ONLY mine it with a Diamond or Netherite Pickaxe, if you try and use something else you will get nothing. We have further information on gathering this material in our Ancient Debris Farming Guide!

How to Craft Netherite Armor

Step 1: Smelt Ancient Debris into Netherite Scrap

Now that you have yourself some Ancient Debris, you can bring it to a furnace and smelt it using any fuel to create Netherite Scrap. Each Ancient Debris you smelt will give you 1x Netherite Scrap. You will need at least four of these to craft a Netherite Ingot. You might want to use a Blast Furnace because this process can take a while.

Step 2: Craft a Netherite Ingot

Once you have at least four Netherite Scrap, you will need four Gold Ingots along with them to craft a Netherite Ingot. Throw them into your Crafting Table to create the ingot:

Step 3: Craft the Armor, Tools, or Weapons

Now, you will need to previously have a Diamond piece of whatever armor you want to create. Netherite is technically a Diamond upgrade, you won't be crafting a separate item. Put the Diamond piece into your Smithing Table along with a Netherite Ingot and it will be upgraded to a Netherite version! Here's an example of creating a Netherite Chestplate:

You used to lose any enchantments you had on the armor or weapon previously, but now that you use the Smithing Table that is no longer the case. If you need to repair a Netherite item, you can use Netherite Ingots with an Anvil to do so!

How Good is Netherite?

Netherite will now be the best armor, weapons, and tools in the game. Tools work faster and last longer, weapons deal more damage, and the armor has more durability than Diamond. The armor also gives you +1 more Armor Toughness as well as giving you Knockback Resistance. Another pretty huge bonus effect that Netherite armor, weapon, and tools have is that it will float in lava. You will no longer have to worry about losing all of your expensive stuff in a pool of lava ever again!