Armor
The best armor in the game: +1 armor toughness per piece over diamond, 10% knockback resistance per piece (40% for the set), higher durability — and it can't burn.
Minecraft survival guide
How to get Netherite
The complete guide to Minecraft's toughest material — where Ancient Debris hides, how to mine it fast, and how to forge a full Netherite kit that laughs at lava.
- Nether only
- Diamond pickaxe required
- Fireproof & floats on lava
Y 15
best mining level
4 + 4
scrap + gold per ingot
36
debris for a full kit
1,200
blast resistance — TNT-proof
The basics
What is Netherite?
Netherite is the strongest gear tier in Minecraft, added in the 1.16 Nether Update. It isn't crafted from an ore you can see glinting in a cave wall — it's refined from Ancient Debris, the rarest ore in the game, found only in the Nether and averaging fewer than two blocks per chunk.
Netherite doesn't replace diamond — it upgrades it. Every Netherite item starts life as a diamond item and gets reforged at a Smithing Table. In return you get more durability, more damage, knockback resistance, and gear that survives a swim in lava.
| Stat | Diamond | Netherite |
|---|---|---|
| Sword damage | 7 | 8 |
| Pickaxe durability | 1,561 | 2,031 |
| Mining speed | 8 | 9 |
| Armor toughness (full set) | 8 | 12 |
| Knockback resistance (full set) | 0% | 40% |
| Enchantability | 10 | 15 |
| Survives fire & lava as a dropped item | ✕ | ✓ |
Netherite items also never despawn in fire and float on top of lava — die over a lava lake and your gear waits for you on the surface.
Step by step
How to get Netherite
Seven steps stand between you and the strongest gear in the game. Here's the full pipeline, from portal to smithing table.
-
Gear up & open a portal
Build a Nether portal (a frame of at least 10 obsidian blocks) and light it with flint and steel. The Nether is unforgiving, so pack properly before you jump in:
- Diamond pickaxe — ideally with Efficiency and Unbreaking (Ancient Debris requires diamond or better)
- Fire Resistance potions — one lava pocket ends a careless trip
- One piece of gold armor — Piglins stay neutral if you wear gold
- A stack of cobblestone or netherrack for bridging and plugging lava
- Food, weapons, and a flint and steel in case your portal gets snuffed
- Beds — not for sleeping (see step 3)
-
Dig down to Y = 15
Ancient Debris generates between Y=8 and Y=119, but spawn rates peak around Y=13–17, so Y=15 is the classic target. Open the debug screen (F3 on Java) or enable coordinates (Bedrock) and tunnel down — never straight down. Watch for lava: the Nether's lava ocean sits at Y=31 and below, and pockets hide everywhere.
-
Mine for Ancient Debris
Ancient Debris almost never generates exposed to air — it hides fully buried in netherrack. Two proven ways to find it:
Strip mining. At Y=15, dig long straight 2-block-tall tunnels, leaving two blocks between each tunnel. Slow, safe, and it pays out steadily.
Blast mining. Ancient Debris has a blast resistance of 1,200 — explosions can't destroy it, but they vaporize the netherrack around it. TNT works, but beds are cheaper: trying to sleep in the Nether makes the bed explode harder than TNT.
Bed mining, safely: dig a tunnel, place a bed at the end, back up two blocks, put a block between you and the bed, then click the bed from around the corner. Collect the debris the blast reveals, repeat. Bring Fire Resistance — the explosion sets things on fire. -
Smelt it into Netherite Scrap
Ancient Debris drops itself as a block (Fortune does nothing — Silk Touch changes nothing either). Run it through a furnace or blast furnace: each block smelts into 1 Netherite Scrap.
-
Craft Netherite Ingots
Combine 4 Netherite Scrap + 4 Gold Ingots in any crafting grid. The recipe is shapeless — arrangement doesn't matter — and yields one Netherite Ingot.
Crafting table · shapeless
4 × Netherite Scrap + 4 × Gold Ingot → 1 × Netherite Ingot
-
Find a Netherite Upgrade template
Since Minecraft 1.20, upgrading also requires a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template. They're found only in Bastion Remnants: guaranteed in every treasure room chest, and roughly a 1-in-10 chance in other bastion chests.
Each upgrade consumes one template, but you can duplicate them: 7 diamonds + 1 netherrack + 1 template in a crafting table yields two templates. Grab one from a bastion, then copy it for the rest of your gear.
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Upgrade at a Smithing Table
Place the template, a diamond item, and a Netherite Ingot in a Smithing Table. Out comes the Netherite version — with every enchantment and all durability carried over. One ingot and one template per item.
Smithing table
Template + Diamond gear + Ingot → Netherite gear
Full-kit shopping list: 4 armor pieces + 5 tools = 9 ingots. That's 36 Ancient Debris, 36 Gold Ingots, and 9 templates (1 looted + 8 copies: 56 diamonds' worth of duplication).
Spend it well
What Netherite is used for
Nine ingots kit you out completely — anything beyond that goes into flexes and utility blocks.
Tools & weapons
Netherite swords hit for 8 damage, tools mine faster than diamond and last ~30% longer — 2,031 uses on a pickaxe. Drop one in lava and fish it off the surface later.
Lodestone
One ingot + 8 chiseled stone bricks crafts a Lodestone. Right-click it with a compass and that compass points to the Lodestone from anywhere — even in the Nether and the End.
Block of Netherite
Nine ingots compress into one block — compact storage, a valid beacon base, and the single most expensive way to decorate. The ultimate late-game flex.
Quick answers
Netherite FAQ
What's the best Y level for Ancient Debris?
Y=15. Debris generates from Y=8 up to Y=119, but the distribution peaks in the Y=13–17 band. Mine there and you'll hit the most per hour.
Does Fortune work on Ancient Debris?
No. Ancient Debris always drops itself, exactly one per block, so Fortune (and Silk Touch) change nothing. Put Efficiency and Unbreaking on your pickaxe instead.
Can I get Netherite without mining?
Occasionally. Bastion Remnant chests can contain Netherite Scrap, and treasure room chests can rarely hold a full Netherite Ingot. Treat it as a bonus while template-hunting — mining is far more reliable.
Do I lose enchantments when I upgrade to Netherite?
No. The Smithing Table transfers every enchantment and the item's current durability damage. Upgrading is always safe — enchant your diamond gear first if you like.
Why can't I craft Netherite armor directly from ingots?
By design, Netherite is an upgrade tier, not a craft-from-scratch tier. Every piece must start as diamond gear and be reforged at a Smithing Table with a Netherite Upgrade template plus one ingot.
Is bed mining dangerous?
A bed blast in the Nether is stronger than TNT and it will kill you at point-blank range. Always detonate from behind a corner block, keep Fire Resistance active, and never bed-mine near a lava ceiling. Done right, it's the cheapest blast mining in the game.
TL;DR
Mine at Y=15 → smelt debris into scrap → add gold → loot a template → hit the Smithing Table.
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