How To Upgrade To Netherite: The Ultimate Minecraft Gear Guide

For years, diamond gear stood as the undisputed pinnacle of survival in Minecraft. However, the introduction of Netherite completely shifted the endgame meta, offering players unparalleled durability, built-in knockback resistance, and the unique ability to float in lava. While the upgrade process was once relatively straightforward, recent major updates—specifically the 1.20 Trails & Tales update—have overhauled how players transition from diamond to netherite.

Acquiring a full set of Netherite armor and tools is no longer just a matter of mining and smelting; it now requires strategic exploration, dangerous combat, and resource management. This comprehensive guide details every step of the process, ensuring you can navigate the perils of the Nether, secure the necessary templates, and forge the strongest gear in the game.

Understanding Netherite: The Ultimate Endgame Material

Netherite is a rare, fire-resistant resource found deep within the fiery depths of the Nether dimension. Unlike iron or diamond, you cannot craft tools or armor directly from raw Netherite ore. Instead, Netherite serves as an alloy coating that you apply to existing diamond equipment. This ensures that all of your hard-earned enchantments are preserved during the upgrade process, making the transition seamless yet incredibly powerful.

Beyond the obvious aesthetic appeal of dark, reinforced armor, Netherite offers massive statistical advantages. It possesses higher durability than diamond, meaning your tools and armor last significantly longer before requiring repairs. Additionally, Netherite armor provides built-in knockback resistance, which helps keep you on your feet when blasted by Creepers or attacked by Ravagers. Perhaps its most famous trait is its buoyancy and immunity to fire; if you happen to fall into a pool of lava, your dropped Netherite items will float to the surface unharmed rather than burning away.

With the release of Minecraft 1.20, Mojang introduced the Smithing Template system to slow down endgame progression. To upgrade your gear now, you must acquire a specific "Netherite Upgrade" Smithing Template. This change has made the upgrade process a true test of a player’s exploration and combat skills, transforming Netherite from a simple mining grind into a grand adventure.

Diamond vs. Netherite: A Technical Comparison

To appreciate why upgrading to Netherite is worth the monumental effort, it is helpful to look at the raw technical specifications. While diamond gear is more than sufficient for general survival, Netherite provides the marginal gains necessary to survive the game's toughest challenges, such as the Wither, the Warden, or intense multiplayer PvP combat.

The table below outlines the core statistical differences between Diamond and Netherite tools, weapons, and armor sets:

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Upgrade to Netherite

Upgrading your gear to Netherite requires a methodical approach. The journey is divided into four distinct phases: mining ancient debris, securing the elusive upgrade template, crafting the alloy ingots, and executing the final upgrade at a smithing table.

Phase 1: Locating and Mining Ancient Debris

Your journey begins in the Nether, where you must hunt for Ancient Debris, the raw ore form of Netherite. Ancient Debris generates in small veins deep within the Nether, primarily between Y-levels 8 and 22, with Y-level 15 being the absolute mathematical sweet spot for spawning rates. Because this ore is completely immune to explosions, standard mining tactics are often bypassed in favor of explosive mining.

The two most popular methods for mining Ancient Debris are bed mining and TNT mining. Beds are incredibly explosive in the Nether; placing a bed, putting a safety block between you and the pillow, and attempting to sleep will trigger a massive blast that clears out vast quantities of Netherrack while leaving any Ancient Debris intact. If you have an active gunpowder farm, TNT is a safer and faster alternative that can be daisy-chained and detonated from a safe distance. Remember, you must use a Diamond or Netherite Pickaxe to mine Ancient Debris; using any lesser tool will simply destroy the block without dropping the resource.

Once you have secured a sufficient amount of Ancient Debris, place it into a standard Furnace or Blast Furnace. Smelting each block of Ancient Debris will yield one unit of Netherite Scrap. You will need four scraps for every single Netherite Ingot you wish to craft.

[Ancient Debris] ---> smelted in Blast Furnace ---> [Netherite Scrap]

Phase 2: Finding the Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template

Prior to Minecraft 1.20, smelting scrap and gold was the final hurdle. Now, you cannot progress without finding a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template. These templates are located exclusively within Bastion Remnants—massive, darkstone fortresses guarded by hostile Piglins and Piglin Brutes. This makes gearing up for the Nether a prerequisite for the upgrade itself.

You can find these templates inside chests scattered throughout the Bastion. While standard Bastion chests have roughly a 10% chance of containing a template, the "Treasure Room" variant of the Bastion contains a chest at the very bottom (surrounded by magma cubes and gold blocks) that is guaranteed to contain at least one Netherite Upgrade Template. Navigating these structures requires extreme caution, a shield, and ideally fire resistance potions to counter the surrounding lava hazards.

Because finding these templates is highly dangerous, you should never use your last template directly on a tool. Instead, you can duplicate templates using a crafting table. By combining one Netherite Upgrade Template, seven Diamonds, and one block of Netherrack, you can craft two templates. This cloning process is expensive, but it allows you to safely expand your templates in the comfort of your home base.

[1x Netherite Upgrade Template] + [7x Diamonds] + [1x Netherrack] ---> [2x Netherite Upgrade Templates]

Phase 3: Crafting Netherite Ingots

With your Netherite Scrap and Gold Ingots in hand, you are ready to forge the highly coveted Netherite Ingot. This process is simple but resource-intensive, requiring a precise 1:1 ratio of netherite scrap to gold ingots.

Open a standard Crafting Table and combine four pieces of Netherite Scrap with four Gold Ingots. The arrangement of the items in the crafting grid does not matter; as long as all eight ingredients are present, you will be able to retrieve one Netherite Ingot. Because each piece of gear requires exactly one ingot, a full set of armor and a basic toolset (Pickaxe, Axe, Sword, Shovel) will require a total of eight Netherite Ingots, which equates to 32 Ancient Debris and 32 Gold Ingots.

Phase 4: Using the Smithing Table to Upgrade Your Gear

Once you have your diamond gear, a Netherite Upgrade Template, and a Netherite Ingot, you can head to your Smithing Table. The UI of the Smithing Table features three distinct slots designed specifically for this endgame modification.

1. Place the Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template into the leftmost slot (the template slot).
2. Place your Diamond tool or armor piece into the middle slot (the gear slot).
3. Place the Netherite Ingot into the rightmost slot (the material slot).

Upon placing all three items, the output slot will reveal your brand-new Netherite gear. Retrieve the item from the slot. You will notice that all pre-existing enchantments (such as Mending, Unbreaking, or Fortune) and any remaining durability wear are fully carried over to the new Netherite item, saving you from having to re-enchant your gear from scratch.

Pros and Cons of Upgrading to Netherite

While Netherite is undeniably the strongest material in Minecraft, the path to obtaining it is paved with significant challenges. Weighing the benefits against the overall resource investment can help you decide when to make the transition.

Pros:

• Lava Immunity: Your dropped tools, weapons, and armor will float safely on top of lava, removing the risk of losing your best gear to accidental falls.
• Superior Stats: Higher durability, faster mining speeds, increased weapon damage, and added armor toughness.
• Knockback Mitigation: A full set of armor reduces knockback by 40%, which is highly effective when fighting skeletons, ghasts, or players using knockback weapons.
• Enchantment Preservation: Upgrading diamond items preserves all custom enchantments and current durability levels.

Cons:

• Extreme Resource Cost: The addition of Smithing Templates in 1.20 means players must expend large sums of diamonds simply to clone the templates.
• High Risk of Death: Bastions are among the most dangerous structures in Minecraft, filled with high-damage Piglin Brutes that ignore gold armor distraction.
• Time-Consuming: Locating enough Ancient Debris via bed or TNT mining requires hours of setup, resource gathering, and tunnel excavation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I upgrade damaged diamond gear to Netherite?

Yes. You can place damaged diamond gear into the Smithing Table, and it will upgrade to Netherite while retaining its exact durability level. However, because Netherite is much more expensive to repair than diamond, it is highly recommended to apply the Mending enchantment to your diamond gear before upgrading, allowing you to easily repair it using experience points.

What happens to my enchantments when I upgrade?

All enchantments, including custom books, curses, and name tags applied to your diamond gear, are fully preserved when you perform the upgrade in the Smithing Table. You will not lose any levels or enchantment progress during this transition.

Can I find Netherite Templates outside of Bastion Remnants?

No. The Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template can only be found within Bastion Remnant chests. They do not generate in Nether Fortresses, Ruined Portals, or any Overworld structures. If you lose your templates and have none left to duplicate, you must locate another Bastion to secure a new one.

Is Netherite gear completely indestructible?

No. While Netherite items cannot be destroyed by fire, lava, or cactus blocks, they can still be destroyed by void damage, manual item deletion, or the explosion of a blue Wither skull. Additionally, they still lose durability when used, meaning they can break if they are not maintained with Mending or repaired using Netherite Ingots.

Gear Up for Your Next Adventure

Now that you know how to conquer the Nether, secure the rare templates, and forge the ultimate tier of equipment, it is time to put your skills to the test. Take your newly upgraded Netherite gear and face off against the Ender Dragon, clear out an Ancient City, or dominate your local multiplayer server.

Do you have a favorite mining strategy for finding Ancient Debris, or did you survive a close call in a Bastion Treasure Room? Share your epic Minecraft stories and base builds with our community in the comments below, and don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for more pro-tier gaming guides and survival tips!