Minecraft: Why shields should be one of the first items you craft?

When players first enter a new Minecraft world, they quickly gather up all available resources and progress through different levels of material to craft better weapons and tools. Most even create a base and a bed before fighting hostile mobs and exploring challenging biomes. However, one of the tools players could forget to craft is a shield, which can be made from six planks and one iron ingot.

While some players may prefer strong weapons to support an offensive strategy, it can be argued that shields are more important when it comes to surviving Minecraft. Hence, shields are one of the first things a player should craft upon entering a new world.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinion.

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Reasons why shields are so important to craft first in Minecraft

Shields are the only tool that completely blocks most attacks

Can be the first line of defense, even before armor (Image via Mojang Studios)

When players get attacked, they are either hit directly on the body or their armor set takes the beating. Even if players have the strongest armor set in Minecraft, their health bars will decrease after several attacks. The only way to completely block certain attacks is by a shield.

When equipped, the shield becomes the first line of defense for players. Though it only requires a single iron ingot, it can tank most attacks (at least once) from even the strongest of enemies like the Warden, Vindicator, and others.

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Shields protect armor from getting damaged

Armor's durability can be preserved using shields (Image via Mojang Studios)

If players fail to craft a shield and only use armor set as protection, it is safe to say that they will be somewhat wasting it's durability. This is because, with every attack, each armor part loses some of its durability. After a point, these armors will start breaking and eventually vanish from the world.

Hence, to protect armor from being damaged too quickly, players can simply use a shield to completely block off any attack. This is a much more efficient way to use resources since armor can require multiple iron ingots or diamonds, but a shield only uses one.

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Shields prevent players from frequently eating food items

Save on food item by using shields (Image via Mojang Studios)

When players consume any food item, their hunger bar rises. Once it is maxed out, the game starts replenishing players' health bars. Hence, if players head into a fight without a shield, it is safe to say that they will soak up a lot of damage, which will have to be replenished through food.

However, if they take a shield with them, they will have a better chance to block most attacks and defeat the enemy without losing any health. This will prevent them from eating frequently and plowing through their food reserves quickly.

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Check out other Minecraft shield-related articles:

• 7 best Minecraft mods for shields
• How to add banner to shields in Minecraft Bedrock Edition
• 5 items every Minecraft player needs to carry