Shields in Minecraft: Banner patterns, best enchantments, uses and more

In Minecraft, shields are primarily used to protect players from the many hazards that are present. However, they are also highly customizable thanks to player-made patterns being capable of being placed on them. Additionally, they can even be enchanted for higher potency.

Shields are one of the most beneficial protective items players can make in Minecraft. Since they don't require a large amount of resources like diamond and netherite armor pieces do, shields are amongst the first things that players craft.

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Minecraft: Applying banner patterns to shields and examining the top shield enchantments

Various patterns can be applied to banners, and then shields, creating a huge number of customization options (Image via Mojang).

Shields can be crafted in Minecraft by using six wooden plank blocks of any type and an iron ingot in the crafting menu. Don't worry about matching the wooden plank blocks, as any assortment of them will do the job just fine.

Once the shield has been made, Minecraft: Java Edition players can attach a banner at their leisure in the crafting menu. They can also take the banner over to a loom and create their pattern, which can comprise of up to six layers.

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Minecraft: Bedrock Edition players can both create banners at the loom or the crafting table. Either way, patterns can stack in layers atop each other, with the most recent part of the pattern being placed at the top. Different patterns can appear based on where players place their respective dyes.

Once a player has their desired pattern, all they need to do to apply it to their shield is to place the blank shield and the banner pattern together in the crafting menu.

It is important to note that unlike banners, shields can't be re-painted or washed clean. As a result, players need to make sure they like the pattern before they commit and apply it to the shield.

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Enchantments to increase the protective powers of shields

For enchantments for Minecraft shields, there are three total options. These enchantments are Unbreaking, Mending, and Curse of Vanishing.

Unbreaking is usually the best enchantment to place on a shield, as it extends its durability considerably at maximum rank (rank three). Repairing shields is cheap, and requires only an anvil, wooden plank blocks, or another shield that is damaged.

Shields that are repaired have a higher 'health bar' than the total of the two damaged shields used for it.

Mending repairs the shield over time, but uses the player's experience pool to do so. Curse of Vanishing is nothing but a problem, completely removing the item from existence upon death instead of dropping it. As such, it is best to avoid putting it on a shield.