How to make netherite gear in Minecraft 1.20

For most Minecraft players, at least in the vanilla iteration of the game, netherite gear stands as the best. With magnificent durability, efficiency, and damage output/defense ratings for weapons/armor, it's hard to argue with that assertion. However, the recent Trails & Tales update has made obtaining netherite gear tougher.

In previous versions of Minecraft, players could simply combine their diamond gear with a netherite ingot in a smithing table to create netherite armor, tools, and weapons. This is still mostly true, but players will now need an additional item as part of the smithing recipe: a Netherite Upgrade smithing template.

Unfortunately, these new smithing templates only appear in one location in Minecraft 1.20, but players can create copies once they have at least one in their possession.

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Steps to craft netherite gear in Minecraft 1.20 Trails & Tales

As of Minecraft's 1.20 update, there are certainly plenty of smithing templates that can be looted. However, only the Netherite Upgrade template will accomplish the task at hand. It can be found within bastion remnant structures in the Nether. These structures are undoubtedly dangerous, but they're the only option without using commands or Creative Mode.

Once players have at least one Nether Upgrade smithing template, they can copy/clone more of them with sufficient materials. Specifically, players will need seven diamonds, their upgrade template, and a block of netherrack. This will convert the lone template into two, saving players time invested in looting structures.

Once Minecraft fans have their diamond gear, their Netherite Upgrade smithing template(s), and some netherite ingots, they can finally start the process of acquiring their netherite gear.

Here's how to upgrade to netherite gear in Minecraft 1.20:

1. Find or place a smithing table and interact with it. If you can't find this table block, you can craft one at a crafting table by combining two iron ingots and four wooden plank blocks of any type.
2. Once you've interacted with the smithing table, its interface should pop up onscreen. Here, place your upgrade template into the left slot of the smithing table, your diamond gear in the center slot, and your netherite ingot in the right slot.
3. Remove the resulting netherite gear from the output slot to the far right of the smithing table interface and place it into your inventory.

The good news is that unlike other gear qualities, netherite tools, weapons, and armor only require one netherite ingot in their recipe. This may be a balancing choice by Mojang, as netherite ingots are already tough to acquire since they require four netherite scraps and four gold ingots to craft.

According to the developer, the change to netherite gear in update 1.20 was done intentionally to make it feel more rewarding when obtained. Meanwhile, to hear Mojang tell it, it also increased the value of diamond equipment since players will spend more time with it on average before they have a chance to upgrade.