How to make customized armor in Minecraft

Minecraft has a long history of adding features that allow players to customize their appearance and overall gameplay experience. However, the 1.20 Trails & Tales introduced a new feature that improves the ability to express yourself even more. With the introduction of smithing template items, it's possible for you to trim your armor and add a variety of different patterns and colors to it.

As of the 1.20.1 update, there are 16 different armor trim templates that can be used at a smithing table in Minecraft to create custom armor. The combination of armor types and trim patterns/colors is virtually limitless, so you can create a mix that suits you best. Here's how you can customize your armor in the game.

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How to customize armor via trimming in Minecraft 1.20

The 16 available trimming smithing templates in Minecraft 1.20 are currently dispersed across the Overworld, Nether, and End. Those who are looking for specific patterns to suit their needs will want to know where these templates can be looted or dropped, though these items aren't always guaranteed to appear and will be based partially on RNG (Random Number Generation).

In addition to looting containers, four templates are found by brushing suspicious gravel blocks within trail ruins structures. One must also be obtained by killing elder guardian mobs.

All armor trim smithing template locations in Minecraft 1.20:

• Ancient Cities - Silence Trim
• Bastion Remnants - Snout Trim
• Desert Pyramids - Dune Trim
• End Cities - Spire Trim
• Elder Guardian Drops - Tide Trim
• Jungle Temples - Wild Trim
• Nether Fortresses - Rib Trim
• Pillager Outposts - Sentry Trim
• Shipwrecks - Coast Trim
• Strongholds - Eye Trim
• Trail Ruins Suspicious Gravel - Host, Raiser, Shaper, and Wayfinder Trims
• Woodland Mansions - Vex Trims

Once you have your armor and trim template(s), you'll also need the right materials to color the patterns applied to the armor. In addition to applying different colors to an armor set, it's also possible in many situations to apply a material that matches the armor (gold trim on gold armor, etc.). However, the visual appeal, in this case, may be somewhat lacking.

Trim materials and their colors on armor in Minecraft 1.20:

• Emeralds - Green
• Amethyst Shards - Purple
• Redstone Dust - Red
• Lapis Lazuli - Blue
• Nether Quartz - White and Grey
• Netherite Ingots - Dark Grey and Black
• Diamonds - Aqua Blue
• Gold Ingots - Yellow and Orange
• Iron Ingots - Silver, Grey, and Dark Grey
• Copper Ingots - Orange and Brown

With your templates, armor, and the necessary color materials in hand, all that's left to do is combine the three at a smithing table. Any of these tables will do regardless of whether it was created by you or naturally generated for a villager.

How to trim armor in Minecraft 1.20:

1. Head to a smithing table and interact with it to open its interface.
2. Place the armor you'd like to modify in the center slot of the table.
3. Put your trimming smithing template in the left slot and the material to color it on the right.
4. You should see how the armor and trim combination looks in-game next to the output slot on an armor rack, which previews the completed piece of armor. If it doesn't look how you prefer, you can swap the templates, armor, or color material if needed.
5. Once you're happy with the results, simply remove the trimmed armor piece from the output slot.

Keep in mind that if an armor piece of a certain material has a trim placed on it made of the same material, the trim will still appear. However, the pattern's coloration will be darker than it would be if it was placed on a different armor type.

For example, if you place iron ingot-based patterns on iron armor, you'll notice that the trim is a slightly darker shade of grey. Meanwhile, if the same pattern was placed on netherite armor, the trim's color would be brighter in comparison.