Diamond armor used to be the peak. For years, if you had a full set of shiny blue gear, you were the king of the server. That changed with the Nether Update. Now, diamond is just a stepping stone. If you want to survive the Warden's sonic boom or stand a chance in high-stakes PVP, you have to upgrade to netherite armor. But it’s not as simple as just throwing some black ingots onto your chestplate anymore. Mojang changed the rules with the Trails & Tales update, and honestly, it made the process a lot more expensive.
Most players head into the Nether thinking they just need a bit of luck and a diamond pickaxe. They’re wrong. You need a template now. Without a Smithing Template, all that Ancient Debris you mined is basically decorative.
The Hunt for Ancient Debris
You can’t just find Netherite. It doesn't exist in the world as a raw ore. You have to find Ancient Debris. It’s rare. Like, soul-crushingly rare. It spawns mostly between Y-levels 8 and 22, though most veterans swear by Y-15.
Don't use a pickaxe to find it. That’s a rookie mistake. Use beds. Since beds explode in the Nether, they act as cheap TNT. Clear out massive chunks of netherrack at the lower levels and look for those brownish, swirly blocks. You need four scraps for every one ingot. That means for a full set of armor, you’re looking for 16 blocks of Ancient Debris minimum.
Keep in mind that Ancient Debris is blast-resistant. The explosion will vaporize the netherrack around it but leave the debris perfectly intact. It also floats in lava. If you accidentally blow up a pocket of lava and your ore falls in, don’t panic. Just wait for the fire to clear and go grab it.
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Smelting and Crafting the Ingot
Once you’ve survived the explosions and the Ghast fireballs, take that debris back to a furnace. Smelt it into Netherite Scrap. Now, you need gold. Four gold ingots and four scraps make one Netherite Ingot. The pattern doesn't even matter in the crafting table; just toss them in. It's a weirdly heavy investment for a single bar of metal, but the payoff is the highest durability and knockback resistance in the game.
The Bastion Problem: Finding Smithing Templates
This is where most people get stuck. Before version 1.20, you just put your armor and an ingot in a Smithing Table and you were done. Now? You need a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template.
These things only spawn in Bastion Remnants.
You have to find a Bastion, fight off a horde of Piglins and Piglin Brutes, and loot chests. The drop rate isn't guaranteed unless you find a Treasure Room Bastion, which has a 100% chance to house a template in the central chest. In other types of Bastions, the chance is only about 6.4%. It’s a grind.
If you find one, do not use it immediately. Seriously. If you use your only template to upgrade your boots, it’s gone. You’ll have to find another Bastion to get another one. Instead, you should duplicate it. You can craft a copy of the template using seven diamonds and one block of netherrack. It’s pricey, but diamonds are easier to find than Bastions. Always keep one template in a chest at home as a "master copy."
How to Actually Upgrade to Netherite Armor
Once you have the template, the ingot, and your diamond gear, head to the Smithing Table. The UI has three slots now.
- Place the Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template in the far-left slot.
- Put your piece of Diamond Armor in the middle slot.
- Drop the Netherite Ingot into the right slot.
Your enchantments will carry over. This is huge. If you have Protection IV and Mending on your diamond chestplate, the netherite version will keep them. You don't have to re-enchant anything.
One thing people forget: Netherite armor is fireproof. If you die in a lake of lava, your items won't burn. They’ll just float on the surface. You still die, obviously, but at least your gear is waiting for you when you run back. It’s a massive safety net for End City raiding or Wither fights.
Why the Upgrade is Mandatory for Late-Game
Is it worth the hassle? Yeah.
Netherite isn't just about higher defense numbers. It’s about the Knockback Resistance. When a Ravager hits you or a Creeper goes off nearby, you barely move. This keeps you in control of the fight. Plus, the durability is significantly higher. A diamond chestplate has 528 durability; netherite bumps that to 592. It sounds small, but when combined with Unbreaking III and Mending, the armor is basically indestructible.
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Common Pitfalls and Mistakes
- Upgrading damaged gear: Technically, you can do it, but why would you? Repair your diamond gear first or just let Mending handle it after the upgrade.
- Forgetting the gold: You’ll find yourself with stacks of scrap and zero gold. Raid a few Bastions or set up a gold farm in the Nether roof to keep the supply steady.
- Wasting templates: I’ll say it again—duplicate them. Diamonds are renewable through trading with villagers if you’re patient; Bastion chests are not.
- Mining too high: If you’re at Y-40, you’re just wasting your time. Stay low.
Actionable Next Steps for Your World
To get the most out of your gear, don't stop at the upgrade. Start by securing a Mending villager. Netherite is too expensive to repair using ingots at an anvil; it will eventually become "Too Expensive" to ever fix again. Mending uses XP to heal the armor, making it permanent.
Next, gather at least 28 diamonds before you find your first template. You'll need 7 for each armor piece (Helmet, Chest, Leggings, Boots) just to duplicate the templates.
Finally, enchant your diamond gear before the upgrade. It's often cheaper in terms of XP levels to combine books on diamond items than it is on netherite, though the difference is marginal in newer versions. Get your "God Armor" set ready in blue, then make the jump to black. Once you're fully kitted out, even the deepest parts of the Ancient City become manageable.