Minecraft breaks one of its fundamental rules. Diamonds are no longer the best material in the game. Instead, Netherite takes its place and is likely to be the dream of many players …
In Minecraft, there has been a fundamental rule since the game’s release. Diamonds are the best material in the game. They can be used to craft the best equipment, whether in terms of armor, weapons, or tools. They are durable and extremely fast. However, with the next update, diamond items will only be a stepping stone toward a greater improvement. Minecraft introduces the new material “Netherite”.
What is Netherite? Netherite is a new resource that players can obtain in the Nether. The next patch will indeed add new biomes in the Nether and thus significantly revamp the area. There will be a creepy type of forest in the Nether, but also soul sand valleys.
What makes Netherite so special? Netherite ensures that weapons, armor, and tools will become even more durable and powerful. They can be used longer, work faster, and even have a better value when enchanting, making it easier to obtain strong or numerous enchantments.
But the best part: Netherite items do not burn in lava! If you die, for instance, because you’ve once again swum in lava, your items will remain safe and float on the lava. You can retrieve them, for example, if you drink a fire resistance potion.
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How do you obtain Netherite? Obtaining Netherite is quite a lengthy process. Here are the individual steps:
- First, you need to gain access to the Nether and work your way deep down.
- Ancient debris can be found quite rarely there.
- Smelt the ancient debris in a furnace to obtain Nether scraps.
- Combine 4 units of Netherite scraps with 4 gold ingots to create a Netherite ingot.
- Then you can use the Netherite ingots to upgrade your diamond equipment.
This is likely to be a very labor-intensive process, as ancient debris is extremely rare. In each “chunk” (an area of 16x16x256 blocks), only 5 units of ancient debris can appear and they are never directly exposed to the air.
Are diamonds then useless? No, they are not. Diamonds will still serve a purpose going forward. For one, they are needed if you want to build a Nether portal in the conventional way, as only diamond tools can break the materials required for it. More importantly, however, diamonds will continue to provide the “basic material” from which Netherite items are crafted. You combine, for instance, a diamond pickaxe with a Netherite ingot to obtain a Netherite pickaxe.
Diamonds are thus still very important in Minecraft, but they no longer represent the optimal choice on their own.
What else is in the update? The snapshot 20w06a brings a lot of other innovations, primarily in the Nether. The Nether will be populated with new types of creatures, the Hoglins. Additionally, wood and giant mushrooms can now be found in the Nether, occurring in the new biomes. You can also place “Soul Fire Torches” that glow in a creepy blue color.
Please note that Netherite is currently only available in the “snapshot”, a preview of the next Minecraft patch. It may take weeks or months before this is also present in the live game.
