Quick Links
The rarest and best armor and tool material in Minecraft, Netherite is the current pinnacle of any player’s inventory. Dethroning the long-standing, but still iconic, diamond, Netherite may be the undisputed highest tier of material in the game, but mystery and confusion still shroud this Nether-based metal.
Related
Minecraft: 10 Mobs That Need An Update
Given the recent updates to farm animal mobs in Minecraft, these other mobs are in dire need of a similar facelift.
With abilities and qualities that no other sword or chestplate possesses, it’s no wonder Netherite is in such high demand. Between where this coveted item can appear and what this end-game material can do, and with it being part of Minecraft for over five years already, there are a few key things players need to know about Netherite.
Location
A Rare Reward
First and foremost, Netherite does not appear in a typical “ore” format like diamond or iron. Instead, players mining for this elusive metal need to keep an eye out for Ancient Debris, a Nether-exclusive block that never generates exposed to air and only appears in small clusters at most.
In general, the best mining level for Ancient Debris is Y 15, with the player standing on Y 15. As Y 16 tends to have the most Ancient Debris, this puts these blocks at head height and puts players below potential lava lakes. As Ancient Debris never appears exposed to air, players looking for it have to mine through netherrack and avoid the usual Nether hazards.
Mining Methods
Tunnels Or Explosions
When mining for Ancient Debris, there are two widely accepted methods that players use for finding these rare metallic blocks. The first is classic strip-mining, where players mine 1×2 or 2×2 tunnels as a way to excavate Ancient Debris with minimal effort. The alternative option is slightly more explosive.
Related
What to Expect from Minecraft Live 2025
Minecraft Live 2025 has now been announced, and there are bound to be a handful of exciting announcements at the special event.
Players with access to Blast Protection 4 enchanted gear, or at least those who are cautious, should use beds in the Nether to blow up sizable chunks of netherrack to more easily find Ancient Debris, as the block is highly blast-resistant.
This mining method could easily kill unprepared players, so only those ready for the hazardous nature of bed mining can reap the potential rewards.
Fire Immunity
Non-Melting Metal
For all Netherite items, one of the main benefits of these rare resources is that they are completely immune to being destroyed by fire or lava. Unlike diamond, accidentally throwing a Netherite sword into fire won’t permanently destroy the item, and accidentally dying in lava will send a Netherite chestplate floating up to the boiling surface instead of instant incineration.
While Netherite itself is fireproof, it does not grant players that same quality, though the reduced knockback taken and more effective armor protection is a fair enough trade-off. Additionally, Netherite may easily survive the disastrous nature of lava, but the threat of immediate destruction from the innocuous cactus remains.
Netherite Upgrade Template
The Bar Between Good And Great
Unlike all other material tiers in Minecraft, there are prerequisites needed to achieve Netherite quality beyond simply mining what’s needed and crafting tools and armor. On top of requiring diamond tools, swords, or armor, players have to find the rare, but thankfully duplicable, Netherite Upgrade.
Related
Minecraft: 10 Mobs That Need An Update
Given the recent updates to farm animal mobs in Minecraft, these other mobs are in dire need of a similar facelift.
Appearing 10% of the time in most Bastion Remnant chests, players must find the heavily guarded Netherite Upgrades from the Piglins to get their hands on Netherite tools, swords, or armor in any form.
Netherite Upgrades are guaranteed to appear in Treasure-style Bastions.
Like other smithing templates, the Netherite Upgrade is used in a Smithing Table to upgrade the above diamond materials to the Netherite tier, keeping any enchantments and durability damage that the original item had. As this item is highly coveted, extensively rare, and difficult to obtain, the Upgrade can be duplicated by placing the Upgrade in the top-middle slot of a Crafting Table, a block of netherrack in the center-middle, and then filling all other slots with diamonds. While duplicating the Netherite Upgrade is far more expensive than the other smithing templates, it is more than worth it compared to finding a new one.
The Cost Of Netherite
Prepare To Dig
Somehow, Netherite feels extremely expensive, yet inexpensive as a material at the same time, due to a combination of rarity and recipe cost. With Ancient Debris being so hard to find, needing four pieces of Debris to craft a single ingot of Netherite seems like it requires far more effort than other item tiers.
Along with four ingots of gold, four blocks of Ancient Debris are smelted down to Netherite Scraps to create a single Netherite item that strays far from the usual cost of items like chestplates and swords. While this is ultimately far cheaper than requiring 24 ingots or pieces of a given material for an entire set of armor, requiring four pieces of “ore” to make a single Netherite ingot necessitates players to pick their upgrades carefully.
- Platform(s)
-
3DS, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii U, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360
- Released
-
November 18, 2011