How to Get Netherite in Minecraft: Full Survival Guide

Netherite is the final gear upgrade in Minecraft survival mode, and it is worth the trip into the Nether. It is stronger than diamond, lasts longer, and will not burn in lava or fire. If you already have diamond gear, you do not need to start again. You upgrade the gear you already own, and your enchantments stay on it.

This guide covers the whole process in order: how to get netherite in minecraft, from finding Ancient Debris to holding your first piece of Netherite gear. It works for Java Edition and Bedrock Edition, and it is written for survival mode. If you are still building your first diamond set, sort that out first, because Netherite is an upgrade, not a replacement for diamond gear.

Best Y level

Y=15 to Y=16, inside the main Ancient Debris range of Y=8 to Y=22 Main material|Ancient Debris, found only in the Nether Smelting result|1 Ancient Debris smelted = 1 Netherite Scrap Ingot recipe|4 Netherite Scrap + 4 Gold Ingots = 1 Netherite Ingot Upgrade recipe|Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template + diamond item + 1 Netherite Ingot in a Smithing Table Full gear cost|9 Netherite Ingots (36 Ancient Debris and 36 Gold Ingots) for full armor plus sword, pickaxe, axe, shovel, and hoe

How to Get Netherite in Minecraft, Step by Step

The short version is simple. Go to the Nether, mine Ancient Debris, smelt it, craft Netherite Ingots, find a Smithing Template, and upgrade your diamond gear. The long version is where most players waste time, so let us go through each step properly.

First, understand what you are looking for. You will not find a block called Netherite Ore. You will find Ancient Debris, a dark, hard block hidden inside Netherrack and other Nether stone. It never generates exposed to air, so you cannot just walk around and spot it on a cliff face. You have to dig, blast, or tunnel through solid blocks to reveal it.

Ancient Debris is also rare. It generates in small veins of 1 to 3 blocks, and most chunks contain only a couple of pieces on average. That is why a focused mining session at the right height works much better than wandering around the Nether at random. Patience matters here. One good session can give you enough debris for several ingots, but a rushed, unprepared trip can end in a lava lake with nothing to show for it.

What You Need Before You Enter the Nether

Do not go Netherite hunting with iron tools and no plan. The Nether punishes unprepared players quickly, and Ancient Debris mining puts you close to lava, explosions, and hostile Piglins. Pack for a long trip, not a quick look around.

You need a diamond pickaxe or better to mine Ancient Debris. A weaker pickaxe will break the block without dropping anything, which is a painful way to lose the rarest ore in the game. If you can, bring a pickaxe with Efficiency, Unbreaking, and Mending. Efficiency speeds up the tunneling, and Mending keeps the pickaxe alive while you collect Nether quartz and gold along the way.

Wear at least one piece of gold armor before you approach Piglins or a Bastion Remnant. Ordinary Piglins will leave you alone if you wear gold, although Piglin Brutes still attack on sight, gold or not. Bring plenty of food, building blocks for bridging over lava, a stack of torches if you like them for marking tunnels, and a way home. Write down your portal coordinates, because Nether tunnels all look the same after a while.

Fire Resistance potions are the single best safety item for this job. They will not make you invincible, but they buy you time if you fall into lava or set off a bed next to a hidden lava pocket. If you have never brewed them before, read our potions brewing guide before you leave. A Fire Resistance potion, a spare pickaxe, and an Ender Chest for storing debris are worth more than an extra sword.

Finally, decide what you want to upgrade first. You do not need a full Netherite set on day one. Most players upgrade in this order: chestplate, pickaxe, sword, then the rest of the armor. The chestplate gives the most armor points of any single piece, the pickaxe is the tool you will use most, and the sword gives you a clear damage boost in fights.

Step 1: Find Ancient Debris at the Right Y Level

Ancient Debris generates in the Nether in two patterns. The main pattern is a triangle-shaped distribution between about Y=8 and Y=22, with the highest concentration near Y=15. A second, much rarer pattern spreads small amounts of debris across a far wider range, up to about Y=119. In practice, that means almost all of your debris will come from the Y=8 to Y=22 band, and mining around Y=15 to Y=16 gives you the best return for your time.

Older guides sometimes give different Y numbers, and that confuses new players. The reason is that Minecraft changed how height works in newer versions. In current Java and Bedrock versions, use the modern range above: tunnel at Y=15 or Y=16, and check your coordinates as you go. On Java, press F3 to see your Y coordinate. On Bedrock, turn on the coordinate display in your world settings if it is not already on.

Mining at Y=15 has a second advantage. The big open lava oceans of the Nether sit lower down, so you are less likely to break straight into a lake than you would be at a lower level. You can still hit small hidden lava pockets, so keep a Fire Resistance potion ready and never mine straight down. If you hear lava, stop and check before you break the next block.

For the easiest mining, choose the Nether Wastes biome if you can. It is mostly flat Netherrack, which is quick to dig through and easy to blast. Basalt Deltas are much slower, because basalt and blackstone take longer to mine and get in the way of tunnels and explosions. The debris itself is not rarer there, but the work to reach it is harder, so most players avoid that biome for this job.

Step 2: Mine Ancient Debris With the Method That Fits Your Supplies

There are three main ways to find Ancient Debris: branch mining, bed mining, and TNT mining. All three work. The right choice depends on what you have, how much risk you accept, and how fast you want to go.

Branch mining is the safest method. Dig a long main tunnel at Y=15, then dig side tunnels every few blocks so you expose as many blocks as possible. It is slow, but it uses almost no extra resources, it does not set anything on fire, and it is the best choice if you are new to the Nether or short on wool and gunpowder. Check the walls, floor, and ceiling of every tunnel, and mine around any debris you find, because veins can hide a second or third block nearby.

Bed mining is the fastest cheap method, and it is the one most experienced players use. Beds explode when you try to use them in the Nether, and because Netherrack is weak and Ancient Debris is highly blast-resistant, the explosion clears a large area and leaves any debris behind, ready to mine. Dig a tunnel at Y=15, place a bed at the end of a short side pocket, step back, and place a solid block between you and the bed as a shield before you trigger it. Then check the blast area for exposed debris and repeat.

Bed mining is powerful, but it is dangerous if you rush it. The blast hurts you, it starts fires, and it can open a hidden lava pocket right where you are standing. Always wear decent armor, keep Fire Resistance potions in your hotbar, and never trigger a bed while standing next to it with no cover. Beds do not stack, so they take up a lot of inventory space, and you will need a lot of wool and wood to make a good supply. That cost is still far lower than TNT for most survival players.

TNT mining works on the same idea as bed mining, but with more control and a higher cost. Place TNT along a tunnel, light it from a safe distance, and let the chain clear the area. It is fast and clean, but gunpowder and sand are expensive in bulk, and you still need to watch for lava and fire. If you already have a creeper farm or a large gunpowder stockpile, TNT is a strong option. If not, beds will get you there for much less.

Whichever method you choose, remember two rules. First, Fortune does not give you extra Ancient Debris, so do not waste an enchantment slot hoping for more drops. Each block of debris drops one block, and that is it. Second, never leave debris behind in a blast crater without checking the whole area. Because debris generates in veins, one visible block often means another is hiding one or two blocks away in the wall, floor, or ceiling.

Step 3: Smelt Ancient Debris Into Netherite Scrap

Once you have Ancient Debris, the next step is easy. Put it in a furnace or a blast furnace with fuel, and smelt it. Each block of Ancient Debris smelts into 1 Netherite Scrap. There is no extra step, no special fuel, and no chance of losing the material in the furnace, as long as you remember to collect the output.

Do this at your base, not in a risky Nether outpost. Ancient Debris itself does not burn in lava or fire, and neither does Netherite Scrap, but there is no reason to carry raw debris around the Nether longer than you need to. Smelt it, store the scrap safely, and keep a count of how many ingots you can make. Four pieces of debris give you four scraps, which is exactly one ingot once you add the gold.

Step 4: Craft a Netherite Ingot

To craft a Netherite Ingot, open a crafting table and place 4 Netherite Scrap and 4 Gold Ingots anywhere in the grid. The recipe is shapeless, so the exact positions do not matter. The output is 1 Netherite Ingot.

That 4-to-4 ratio is why gold matters as much as debris. For every ingot, you need 4 gold ingots, and for a full set of armor plus five tools, you need 36 gold ingots in total. If you are short on gold, mine Nether gold ore while you are already in the Nether, and keep piglin bartering in mind as a side source. Do not spend your last gold on other projects until you know how many ingots you still need.

Here is the full shopping list, so you can plan in advance. One piece of armor or one tool costs 1 ingot. Four armor pieces cost 4 ingots. Armor plus a sword, pickaxe, axe, shovel, and hoe costs 9 ingots. That is 36 Ancient Debris and 36 Gold Ingots, plus 9 Smithing Templates if you count duplicates, which we cover next. If that number looks big, remember that you do not need it all at once. One ingot already upgrades your most-used tool or your chestplate, and that alone is a real improvement.

Step 5: Find and Duplicate the Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template

Since the 1.20 update, you cannot upgrade diamond gear with just an ingot. You also need a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template. This is the step that catches out players who followed older guides, so do not skip it. Without the template, the Smithing Table will not give you the Netherite result, no matter how many ingots you have.

The template is found only in Bastion Remnant chests in the Nether. Bastion Remnants are large blackstone structures, and they are dangerous places full of Piglins and Piglin Brutes. The Treasure Room variant of a Bastion Remnant has a guaranteed template in its central chest, while other Bastion types have only a chance of containing one. If you find a Treasure Room, go for the central chest first, but clear Brutes carefully, because they attack even if you wear gold armor.

Here is the good news: you only need to find one template. Before you use it, duplicate it at a crafting table. Place 1 Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template, 7 Diamonds, and 1 Netherrack in the crafting grid, with the template on top, the Netherrack in the middle, and diamonds filling the remaining slots. The output is 2 templates. Repeat that recipe until you have one template for every item you plan to upgrade, plus one spare kept safe at your base.

Each upgrade consumes one template, so never spend your only copy on your first item and then go hunting for another Bastion. Duplicate first, upgrade second. Seven diamonds per duplicate sounds expensive, but it is far cheaper and safer than raiding another Bastion for every single piece of gear. If you need more diamonds, our guide to the best Y level for diamonds will help you stock up.

Step 6: Upgrade Your Diamond Gear at the Smithing Table

Now comes the satisfying part. Place a Smithing Table, open it, and put three things in the three slots: the Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template, the diamond item you want to upgrade, and 1 Netherite Ingot. Take the Netherite item from the output slot. That is the whole process, and there is no experience cost.

If you do not have a Smithing Table yet, craft one from 2 Iron Ingots and 4 Wooden Planks, or look for one in a Toolsmith villager house. The table itself is cheap. The expensive parts are the ingot and the template, which is why this guide spends most of its time on those two items.

The most important detail is this: your enchantments stay. When you upgrade a diamond sword with Sharpness, a pickaxe with Efficiency, or armor with Protection, the Netherite version keeps those enchantments. That is why experienced players enchant their diamond gear first, before upgrading. If you upgrade first and enchant later, you can still enchant the Netherite item, but you lose nothing by enchanting the diamond version first, and you avoid wasting a Netherite item on a bad enchantment roll.

For the best results, plan your enchantments before you upgrade. Our best enchantments guide covers the strongest combinations for armor and tools, including Unbreaking, Mending, and Protection. A Netherite pickaxe with Efficiency V, Unbreaking III, and Mending is a tool you will use for hundreds of hours, so it is worth getting the enchantments right before you spend the ingot.

Diamond vs Netherite: Is the Upgrade Worth It?

Yes, for most late-game players, but it helps to know exactly what improves and what stays the same. Netherite does not give you more armor points than diamond. A full set of either material gives 20 armor points. The difference is in toughness, durability, damage, knockback resistance, and lava safety, and those differences add up in hard fights and dangerous terrain.

Knockback resistance is easy to underestimate until you feel it. Each piece of Netherite armor gives 10% knockback resistance, so a full set gives 40%. That means enemy hits, explosions, and mob attacks push you around far less. In a fight near a cliff, a lava lake, or the edge of the End island, staying in place can be the difference between surviving and falling to your death.

Lava safety is the other big win, but understand it correctly. Netherite items do not burn, and if you drop them in lava, they float on the surface instead of disappearing. Worn Netherite armor also takes no durability damage from fire and lava. That does not mean you can swim in lava forever. You, the player, still take damage in lava, and you still need to get out quickly or use Fire Resistance. What Netherite gives you is a second chance: if you die above lava, your gear may still be there when you return, instead of being gone for good.

Finally, Netherite tools mine a little faster and last about 30% longer than diamond tools, and Netherite items have a higher enchantability value, which gives slightly better results at an enchanting table. None of these bonuses alone is game-changing. Together, they make Netherite the clear endgame choice once you have the materials.

Tips From Experienced Players

Enchant your diamond gear before you upgrade it, not after. Your enchantments carry over, so a great diamond sword becomes a great Netherite sword for the price of one ingot and one template. If you upgrade a plain diamond item first, you have not ruined anything, but you have missed the easiest way to get a fully enchanted Netherite set.

Duplicate your Smithing Template before you use it. This is the tip that saves the most time in the whole guide. One template, seven diamonds, and one Netherrack give you two templates. Do that a few times, store a spare in an Ender Chest, and you will never need to raid another Bastion just for a template.

Bring an Ender Chest to the Nether if you have one. Ancient Debris, scrap, and ingots are too valuable to lose to a surprise Ghast fireball or a lava fall on the way home. Drop your debris into the Ender Chest as you find it, and it will be waiting at your base even if you die on the return trip.

Mark your tunnels. A simple torch pattern, a block of a different color, or a sign at each junction will save you from getting lost in a maze of blast craters and side tunnels. Record your portal coordinates in a book, on a sign at your base, or outside the game, and check them before you leave the Nether.

Mine gold and quartz while you are down there. You need 4 gold ingots per Netherite Ingot, so every Nether gold ore you pass is part of your next upgrade. Quartz also gives experience, which helps repair Mending tools while you work. A mining trip that returns with debris, gold, and experience is three times as useful as a trip that returns with debris alone.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most common mistake is mining with the wrong pickaxe. Stone, iron, and gold pickaxes will not drop Ancient Debris. Only a diamond pickaxe or better works. If you are not sure, check your pickaxe before you enter the Nether, not after you find your first vein.

The second mistake is trying to upgrade without a template. Since the 1.20 update, the Smithing Table needs a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template as well as the ingot. If the output slot stays empty, the template is almost always the missing piece. Go back to a Bastion Remnant, or duplicate a template you already own.

The third mistake is bed mining without cover. A bed explosion in the Nether is stronger than many players expect, and it sets fire to the area around you. Standing next to the bed, with no block shield and no Fire Resistance, is how good mining trips end in a death screen. Place a block between you and the bed, step back, and only then trigger it.

The fourth mistake is spending all your diamonds on duplicates and then having none left for tools or repairs. Plan your duplicates. For a full set of armor plus five tools, you need 9 templates in total, which means 8 duplications after your first find, or 56 diamonds for duplicates alone if you duplicate one at a time. That is a lot, so do it in stages, and upgrade your most important items first instead of trying to do everything in one day.

The fifth mistake is assuming Netherite makes you lava-proof. It does not. Your gear survives lava, but you still take damage, and you still need Fire Resistance, quick movement, and a safe exit. Treat lava with the same respect in Netherite gear as you did in diamond gear. The upgrade gives you a safety net for your items, not permission to swim in lava.

Troubleshooting: When Netherite Hunting Goes Wrong

I cannot find any Ancient Debris. First, check your Y level. If you are mining at Y=30 or higher, you are above the main debris band, and only the rare second pattern can appear there. Drop to Y=15 or Y=16 and tunnel in a straight line. Second, check your method. If you are only digging a short tunnel and stopping, you may simply need more distance. Debris is rare, so a long tunnel with regular side branches or bed blasts will find far more than a short poke into a wall. Third, make sure you are actually in the Nether and digging through solid blocks. Debris never generates exposed to air, so surface caves and open cliffs will not show it.

I found debris, but my pickaxe broke it without dropping anything. Your pickaxe was below diamond tier, or you used an explosion that you thought destroyed it. Ancient Debris itself survives explosions, so if nothing dropped, the tool was the problem. Switch to a diamond or Netherite pickaxe and try again. Fortune does not change the drop, so do not blame that enchantment.

I have ingots, but the Smithing Table shows no result. You are almost certainly missing the Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template, or you have placed the items in the wrong slots. The Smithing Table needs three inputs: template, diamond item, and Netherite Ingot. If any one is missing, there is no output. Check that your base item is actually diamond, not iron or Netherite already, and that you are using a Smithing Table, not a crafting table or an anvil.

I cannot find a Smithing Template. Go back to Bastion Remnants and look for the Treasure Room variant, which has a guaranteed template in its central chest. Other Bastion types can contain one, but it is not guaranteed, so you may need to search more than one structure. Wear gold armor, watch for Piglin Brutes, and bring blocks to bridge over lava moats. Once you have one template, duplicate it immediately so you never have to repeat the hunt for every item.

I died in lava. Is my Netherite gear gone? Not necessarily. Netherite items do not burn in lava or fire, and they float on lava instead of sinking. If you died above a lava lake, return quickly with Fire Resistance and look on the surface of the lava where you died. Diamond gear in the same situation would be gone, but Netherite gear often survives. Move fast, because items still despawn after five minutes in loaded chunks, even if they do not burn.

I upgraded my gear, but it does not feel stronger. Check what you expected to change. Armor points are the same as diamond, so your armor bar will look identical. The improvements are toughness, durability, knockback resistance, mining speed, and lava safety. You will notice those most in long fights, against strong mobs, near cliffs and lava, and over many hours of mining, not in a single hit. If your enchantments disappeared, you may have crafted a new item instead of upgrading, so check your method and try again with a diamond item, a template, and an ingot in the Smithing Table.

I am playing Bedrock and my friend on Java finds debris faster. Small generation differences exist between editions, and Bedrock can have a few extra small debris clusters per chunk, but the best Y level is the same in both versions. Luck, tunnel length, and method matter far more than edition. Stick to Y=15 to Y=16, use beds or TNT if you have the supplies, and give the session enough time. One unlucky hour does not mean your world is broken.

Netherite is a grind, but it is a fair one. Every step has a clear location, a clear recipe, and a clear result, and once you have your first ingot, the rest of the set is just repetition. Start with one upgrade, learn the Nether routes that work for your world, and build the full set piece by piece. When your Netherite chestplate, pickaxe, and sword are finally together, with your enchantments intact and your gear safe from lava, you will understand why so many survival players call this the true endgame.