Farming Netherite in Minecraft: Best Methods & Tips for Armor and Tools

With the Nether Update 1.16, a completely new ore was introduced, replacing diamonds after a long time and finally giving players a new path for progression. Netherite, however, works differently than iron or gold, which can be a bit confusing for new players. Additionally, it is much harder to find and requires a lot of attention and patience. Therefore, today we are going to take a close look at this new material, what it can do, and how you can best farm it. A trip to the Nether is definitely worth it if you’re looking for the best armor and the strongest weapons!

Netherite in Minecraft: Properties and Advantages of the Toughest Material

Netherite is only the end product, as you first have to look for ancient debris in the Nether. Once you’ve collected enough and these Netherite scraps drop, you can craft Netherite ingots. We will explain all of this in the following sections.

First, some cool features of all Netherite blocks:

• they don’t burn in lava or fire
• immune to explosions
• float in lava
• can be used for a beacon
• required for the recipe of a lodestone (“compass” of the Nether)

Finding Netherite: Best Locations and Tips in the Nether

To obtain Netherite, you must search for ancient debris. However, this is extremely rare, and it can take several hours to find enough. This process can’t really be automated, so keep your eyes peeled.

The first method is to find Netherite like all other ores. You must dive into the Nether, as this rare material can only be found there. Ancient debris is always surrounded by other blocks and therefore not directly visible. In a chunk (16x16 blocks), there is only a limited amount of debris to be found. A vein of 1 to 4 ancient debris can be found between Y-level 8 and 22, with another 0 to 2 veins potentially spawning between 8 and 119. You can find a maximum of 5 ancient debris in one chunk. Your best chances are at Y-level 14.

Your second source for Netherite scraps or ingots is bastion remnants, as the loot in the chests can sometimes surprise you! You’ll also find other cool items when you search the chests and face the Piglins. But be on your guard, they can hit hard.

Using Netherite: Upgrading Armor, Weapons, and Tools

To craft a Netherite ingot, you need four Netherite scraps and four gold ingots. You obtain the scraps by smelting ancient debris in a furnace. Unfortunately, you can’t use enchantments that drop more items, which is why Netherite is so rare; you need a lot of it.

Thankfully, Mojang has significantly adjusted the upgrade from diamond to Netherite. You only need one ingot for each of your tools. You must perform the upgrade at the smithing table. For this, you need a Netherite ingot and a Netherite upgrade. Bastion remnants are also your best bet for finding one. Once you find one, you can copy it with seven diamonds and Netherrack.

Farming Netherite: Overview of the Most Efficient Methods

There are three different methods to best farm Netherite. One of them might be familiar to you from the overworld, but the other two options are very explosive! Here, we take advantage of the fact that ancient debris is fire-resistant and doesn’t explode. Which method you prefer depends on your resources. The best biomes for all methods are the warped forest, normal Nether, or the soul sand valley. Make sure you don’t dig under a lava lake!

You should definitely bring with you:

• Potions of Fire Resistance
• at least one diamond pickaxe (enchantments Efficiency and Unbreaking)
• sufficient armor
• enough food
• TNT + flint and steel
• cobblestone
• beds (preferably in the form of separate wood and wool, as beds can’t stack)

Regular Strip Mining: A Simple Method to Find Netherite

This method requires few resources and is very easy to implement. Simply dig down to Y-level 14 and start your operation there. In the Java Edition, you should display the chunk borders with F3 + G. Then, always dig a 2x2 tunnel along two chunks to make the most out of strip mining. With this method, you just need to ensure your pickaxe doesn’t break. You’ll be able to find around 20 to 30 ancient debris per hour.

Farming Netherite with TNT Explosions: Here’s How

This method is probably the most effective but also costs quite a bit in resources. You need both gunpowder (Build a Minecraft Creeper Farm: Infinite Gunpowder Supplies for TNT and Rockets) and sand (Automatic Sand and Gravel Farm in Minecraft: Easily Build Infinite Resources) , to make enough TNT.

Similar to strip mining, dig a 2x1 tunnel along two chunks. It can be as long as you want. Place TNT with a 3-block gap each time and then ignite it. This creates a chain reaction that exposes about a 12-block radius. Be sure to use potions of fire resistance here to avoid burning. The exploded tunnel should reveal quite a bit of ancient debris, which you can mine with a pickaxe. You can obtain up to 70 ancient debris per hour if you’re lucky.

Bed Explosions: A Cost-Effective Method to Reveal Netherite

Lastly, let’s look at exploding with beds. You can’t sleep in the Nether, as you’ll get a nasty surprise. But we can use this mechanic to our advantage! For this method, you only need a lot of wool (Automatic Sand and Gravel Farm in Minecraft: Easily Build Infinite Resources) and wood. It’s best to craft the beds on-site, as they otherwise take up a lot of space in your inventory.

Similar to using TNT, dig a 2x1 tunnel along a chunk border. First, place a bed. Then, step back 4 blocks and use a cobblestone block on the 4th block to protect yourself from the big explosion! This clears a large area, even better than with TNT. However, the method is somewhat slower, giving you about 40 to 50 ancient debris per hour.

Conclusion

Netherite can be difficult to find, but if you use the right methods and automate farming for your resources, you’ll have enough for all your armor and tools in no time. Just be prepared for explosions and lots of lava, and make sure to bring the right potions. Then the search can begin! Transform your armor and tools into the best in the game, with an endless supply of Netherite on your own server. Rent your Minecraft server and dominate the game!