Your diamond equipment has served you well. It has survived ambitious builds, questionable cave expeditions and at least one creeper that arrived without an invitation. Ready to give it an upgrade?
Learning how to get netherite in Minecraft takes you from mining ancient debris to crafting ingots and finding a smithing template. There are a few steps, but each one is much easier when you know what to prepare.
This guide covers standard Java survival mechanics, with practical advice for your next TogetherCraft adventure.
The recipe to remember
To upgrade one diamond item, you need one netherite ingot and one Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template. Making the ingot takes four netherite scraps and four gold ingots. The template is consumed, so make a copy before using your last one.
In This Guide
- How to Get Netherite at a Glance
- What to Bring Before Mining
- Where to Find Ancient Debris
- Ancient Debris Mining Methods
- How to Make Netherite Ingots
- Finding and Duplicating Upgrade Templates
- How to Upgrade Diamond Equipment
- What Should You Upgrade First?
- Frequently Asked Questions
How to Get Netherite at a Glance
- Prepare a diamond or netherite pickaxe, food, building blocks and suitable equipment.
- Mine ancient debris in the Nether, with around Y=15 a useful starting level.
- Smelt ancient debris into netherite scrap.
- Combine four scraps with four gold ingots to craft one netherite ingot.
- Find a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template in a bastion remnant, or obtain one through player trading.
- Duplicate the template if you want to keep a spare, then upgrade your diamond equipment at a smithing table.
What to Bring Before Mining
The best mining trip is one you can return from. Check your supplies before heading underground, and leave unnecessary valuables at home.
| Bring | Why It Helps |
|---|---|
| Diamond or netherite pickaxe | Required to collect ancient debris when mining it |
| Efficiency, Unbreaking and Mending | Useful upgrades for a pickaxe you will use frequently |
| Armour and a suitable weapon | Protection while travelling and dealing with mobs |
| A dependable food supply | Supports hunger management and health recovery |
| Fire Resistance potions | Useful protection against fire and lava while the effect lasts |
| Building blocks | For blocking lava flows, making steps and securing routes |
| Light sources and spare supplies | Make the route easier to follow and keep the trip manageable |
| Recorded portal and tunnel coordinates | Help you find your way home |
Prepare your equipment with our best Minecraft enchantments guide, and use our Minecraft food guide to choose what to pack.
A potion is only useful if you can reach it
Keep emergency supplies accessible. Fire Resistance does not protect you against the blast damage from a bed or TNT, and an expired potion will not help during an unexpected lava encounter.
Where to Find Ancient Debris
Ancient debris is a rare block found underground in the Nether. It is usually buried rather than sitting visibly on a cave wall, so searching open caverns is not the most direct approach.
Around Y=15 is a good starting point. Ancient debris can generate at other heights, but this level is a commonly used target for focused mining. Check your Y coordinate on Java Edition’s debug screen.
Dig down using a controlled staircase and watch for lava. Avoid digging straight beneath your feet, and secure your route before beginning a long tunnel.
Use a diamond or netherite pickaxe. A lower tier pickaxe will not collect the ancient debris block. Fortune does not increase its drops, and Silk Touch is not required.
When you find a block, carefully check the surrounding area for any nearby debris before moving on.
Ancient Debris Mining Methods
| Method | What to Consider |
|---|---|
| Tunnel and branch mining | Simple to start and easier to control, but takes repeated digging |
| TNT mining | Can reveal a larger area, but requires supplies and careful explosion management |
| Bed mining | Uses beds that explode in the Nether, with significant blast, fire and lava risks |
Tunnel Mining: Our Starting Recommendation
Start with a main tunnel around your chosen level, then dig side branches to expose more blocks. An efficient pickaxe makes clearing netherrack much quicker.
Work in a planned direction and mark your route. If a lava pocket opens, retreat and block it off before continuing. You do not need to race the lava to prove your commitment to netherite.
TNT Mining
TNT can clear surrounding netherrack and reveal ancient debris, which resists ordinary TNT explosions. It also opens lava pockets and damages nearby terrain, so plan your retreat and check the area before detonating.
This method needs a supply of TNT and a suitable place to use it. On a multiplayer server, keep well away from other players’ builds and follow the server’s rules.
Bed Mining
Trying to sleep in a bed in the Nether causes an explosion. Players sometimes use that explosion to expose ancient debris, but it also creates fire and can cause serious damage.
We recommend learning controlled tunnel mining first. If you choose to use beds, prepare for blast damage as well as fire and lava. A block between you and the explosion can reduce exposure, but does not guarantee survival.
How to Make Netherite Ingots
Once you have collected ancient debris, return to a secure place to process it.
| Step | Ingredients | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Smelt ancient debris | 1 ancient debris, plus fuel in a furnace or blast furnace | 1 netherite scrap |
| Craft a netherite ingot | 4 netherite scraps and 4 gold ingots | 1 netherite ingot |
The ingot recipe is shapeless: combine the scraps and gold ingots in a crafting grid without needing a particular pattern.
How Much Ancient Debris Do You Need?
| Upgrade Goal | Ancient Debris | Gold Ingots |
|---|---|---|
| One item | 4 | 4 |
| A pickaxe and sword | 8 | 8 |
| All four player armour pieces | 16 | 16 |
These totals assume you make all your scraps by smelting mined ancient debris. You also need one upgrade template for each item; the diamonds required to duplicate templates are additional.
Finding and Duplicating Upgrade Templates
A Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template is a separate requirement from the ingot. It is found in bastion remnant chests, with guaranteed template loot in the treasure chests of treasure room bastions.
Bastions contain piglins, piglin brutes and other hazards. Do not assume wearing gold makes the structure safe: piglin brutes attack regardless of what you wear, and interacting with loot can anger ordinary piglins.
On a multiplayer server, a previously explored bastion may already have been looted. Player shops can offer an alternative to finding your own first template.
How to Duplicate a Netherite Upgrade Template
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template | 1 |
| Diamonds | 7 |
| Netherrack | 1 |
At a crafting table, place the template in the top middle slot and netherrack in the centre. Fill the other seven slots with diamonds. The recipe produces two templates, giving you one extra overall.
Keep one template for next time
Make a copy before using your last template. If you use every copy in a smithing table, you will need to find or buy another before you can duplicate more.
How to Upgrade Diamond Equipment
With your materials ready, open a smithing table. Craft one using two iron ingots above four planks if you do not already have one.
- Place a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template in the template slot.
- Place the diamond item you want to upgrade in the equipment slot.
- Add one netherite ingot in the material slot.
- Check the result, then take your upgraded netherite item.
The template and ingot are consumed. Your equipment keeps its enchantments and custom name, so you can upgrade a favourite diamond item without starting its enchantments again.
You do not craft a netherite sword or chestplate by copying the diamond recipe with netherite ingots. Start with the matching diamond equipment and upgrade it.
Diamond helmets, chestplates, leggings, boots, swords, pickaxes, axes, shovels, hoes and spears have netherite upgrades. Other equipment, such as elytra, bows and shields, does not use this process.
Netherite equipment does not make you lava proof
Dropped netherite equipment resists burning in fire and lava. Wearing it does not give you the Fire Resistance effect or make a lava swim safe. Your other belongings may still burn, and dropped items can still despawn.
What Should You Upgrade First?
Our recommendation is to upgrade equipment you already use and intend to keep.
| Your Play Style | A Useful First Upgrade |
|---|---|
| Frequent mining | Your main enchanted pickaxe |
| Combat and dangerous exploration | A frequently used weapon or armour piece |
| Large building projects | The tool you spend the most time using |
Netherite brings benefits such as increased durability, and netherite player armour adds toughness and knockback resistance. It is a worthwhile long term goal, but well enchanted diamond equipment is already useful.
There is no need to turn every tool purple in one evening. Upgrade steadily and enjoy the equipment you have.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Best Y Level for Ancient Debris?
Around Y=15 is a commonly recommended target for focused mining. Ancient debris can generate at other heights, and no level guarantees a find.
Can You Mine Ancient Debris with an Iron Pickaxe?
No. Use a diamond or netherite pickaxe to collect the block. An iron pickaxe is not sufficient.
Does Fortune Give More Ancient Debris?
No. Fortune does not increase ancient debris drops. Efficiency, Unbreaking and Mending are useful for maintaining the pickaxe you use during the trip.
How Much Ancient Debris Makes One Netherite Ingot?
Four ancient debris smelt into four netherite scraps. Combine those scraps with four gold ingots to craft one netherite ingot.
Is the Netherite Upgrade Template Consumed?
Yes. Each equipment upgrade consumes a template and an ingot. Duplicate your template beforehand if you want to keep a spare.
Will Upgrading Remove My Enchantments?
No. Upgrading eligible diamond equipment preserves its enchantments and custom name. You can enchant your diamond equipment first and upgrade it later.
Does Netherite Armour Protect You from Lava?
It does not make you immune to lava or grant Fire Resistance. Dropped netherite equipment resists burning, which is a different property from protecting the player wearing it.
Can You Make Netherite Equipment without Diamonds?
For the standard upgrades covered here, you need the matching diamond item. You can obtain equipment through trading or other players, but netherite ingots do not replace the diamond item in the smithing recipe.
Plan Your Next Nether Adventure on TogetherCraft
On TogetherCraft, use the Resource Nether for gathering materials and respect other players’ builds and belongings. Our server guide and rules explain how to get started and explore responsibly.
Prefer to trade for your supplies? Browse the Shop Directory for player listings and check individual shops for current stock.
TogetherCraft is an adult Minecraft server where you can build, explore and share your progress with a community. If you are looking for a Hermitcraft like server, discover your next survival home at TogetherCraft.