How To Change Diamond Armor To Netherite: The Ultimate 2024 Upgrade Guide
The transition from diamond to netherite marks a pivotal moment in any player's journey. It is the moment you move from being a high-tier adventurer to becoming virtually unstoppable. While diamond was once the peak of protection, the introduction of netherite changed the landscape of the endgame entirely.
Learning how to change diamond armor to netherite is no longer as simple as it used to be. Recent updates have overhauled the mechanics, introducing new items and requirements that have left many players searching for the correct path. This guide will walk you through the modern process, ensuring you don't waste your precious resources.
Whether you are looking to survive the toughest boss fights or simply want the aesthetic prestige of dark, blast-resistant plating, understanding the new smithing system is essential. Let’s dive into the current meta for upgrading your gear.
Why Upgrading to Netherite is the Ultimate Power Move
Before we get into the technical steps, it is important to understand why this upgrade is a priority for serious players. Netherite isn't just a color swap for your armor; it offers substantial mechanical advantages that diamond simply cannot match.
First and foremost, netherite equipment is fireproof. If you happen to take a tumble into a lava lake in the Nether, your dropped netherite items will float on the surface instead of burning away. This single feature has saved countless hours of grinding for players who met an untimely end in the depths.
Furthermore, netherite armor provides increased knockback resistance. This means that when a mob—or another player—strikes you, you move back significantly less. In high-stakes combat, maintaining your positioning can be the difference between victory and falling into a hazard. When you learn how to change diamond armor to netherite, you are investing in the most durable material available in the game.
Essential Requirements: What You Need Before You Start
In previous versions of the game, you only needed a smithing table and a single ingot. However, the 1.20 Trails & Tales update changed the recipe significantly. To successfully perform the upgrade today, you need a specific set of rare materials.
The Netherite Upgrade Smithing TemplateThis is the most significant hurdle in the modern game. You can no longer upgrade gear using just an ingot. You must find a Smithing Template specifically designed for netherite upgrades. These are found exclusively in the Nether, hidden within dangerous structures.
Netherite IngotsTo create a single ingot, you must find Ancient Debris, smelt it into Netherite Scraps, and combine those scraps with Gold Ingots. Each piece of armor requires one full Netherite Ingot.
The Smithing TableThe smithing table is your primary workstation for this task. It has a specialized UI that features slots for the template, the armor piece, and the ingot. Without this block, the upgrade is impossible.
How to Change Diamond Armor to Netherite: Step-by-Step Tutorial
Once you have gathered your materials, the physical process of the upgrade is straightforward. Follow these steps to ensure you successfully transform your gear without losing your enchantments.
Open the Smithing Table: Right-click the smithing table to open its unique interface. You will see three distinct input slots.Insert the Smithing Template: Place the Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template into the leftmost slot. This "activates" the table for a netherite upgrade.Add Your Diamond Gear: Place the specific piece of diamond armor you wish to upgrade into the middle slot. Note that the armor can be fully enchanted, and it will retain all of its enchantments throughout the process.Insert the Netherite Ingot: Place your Netherite Ingot into the final slot.Retrieve Your New Gear: The preview window on the right will show your new netherite armor. Click it to complete the process and move it to your inventory.
By following this method, you effectively preserve the XP and effort you put into your diamond gear while granting it the superior stats of netherite.
Where to Find the Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template
Finding the template is often the most time-consuming part of the process. These items are located within Bastion Remnants, massive obsidian and basalt structures populated by Piglins and Hoglins.
The Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template is found in chests throughout these bastions. However, the drop rate is not guaranteed. If you are exploring a standard Bastion, you have roughly a 10% chance of finding a template in a chest.
If you want a guaranteed find, you must locate a Treasure Room Bastion. These specific bastions contain a central "treasure room" surrounded by lava, often guarded by a Magma Cube spawner. In the chests at the bottom of these treasure rooms, the spawn rate for a Smithing Template is 100%. Finding a Treasure Room Bastion is the most reliable way to figure out how to change diamond armor to netherite for your entire set.
How to Duplicate Smithing Templates to Save Resources
Since Smithing Templates are consumed upon use, upgrading a full set of armor (helmet, chestplate, leggings, and boots) would normally require finding four separate templates. This is incredibly difficult given the rarity of Bastions.
Fortunately, there is a duplication recipe that allows you to create more templates using diamonds. This is a "pro-tip" for anyone looking to gear up an entire team or save time on exploration. To duplicate a template, you need:
7 Diamonds1 Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template1 Cobbled Deepslate
By combining these in a crafting table, you will receive two Smithing Templates back. While the diamond cost is high, it is often much faster than searching for multiple Bastions in the dangerous Nether environment. This duplication method is the secret to efficiently completing the task of how to change diamond armor to netherite.
Gathering Ancient Debris: The Best Mining Strategies
To get the ingots required for the upgrade, you need to head to the lower levels of the Nether. Ancient Debris is the rarest ore in the game and does not generate in view of the air—you must mine through netherrack to find it.
The optimal level for finding Ancient Debris is Y-level 15. At this height, the concentration of debris is at its peak. Because Netherrack is very soft, players have developed two main "high-speed" mining methods:
1. The Bed Mining MethodSince beds explode in the Nether, they can be used as a budget-friendly explosive to clear large areas. By placing a bed and clicking it while standing behind a blast-shielding block, you can expose hidden Ancient Debris quickly.
2. The TNT Strip Mining MethodFor players with an abundance of gunpowder, placing lines of TNT is the most efficient way to find the materials needed for netherite. TNT does not destroy Ancient Debris, making it a safe way to reveal the ore while clearing out the surrounding netherrack.
Netherite vs. Diamond: Is the Upgrade Actually Worth It?
A common question among the community is whether the high cost of diamonds and the danger of the Nether is truly worth the effort. When you look at the stats, the answer for endgame survival is a resounding yes.
Diamond armor is powerful, but it has a lower armor toughness rating compared to netherite. Higher toughness means that the armor's protection value doesn't drop as much when you take a high-damage hit (like a Creeper blast or a Ravager attack).
Additionally, netherite has significantly higher durability. A netherite chestplate can withstand much more punishment before needing to be repaired at an anvil or via the Mending enchantment. When you finally master how to change diamond armor to netherite, you are essentially future-proofing your character against the most dangerous updates and environments.
Troubleshooting Common Upgrade Mistakes
Even experienced players can run into issues when trying to upgrade their gear. Here are the most common pitfalls to avoid:
Using the Wrong Template: There are many different "Armor Trim" templates found in the world. These are for aesthetics only. Ensure your template is specifically the "Netherite Upgrade" variant, which has a distinct dark icon.Trying to Use a Crafting Table: You cannot use a standard 3x3 crafting grid to upgrade armor. The game requires the Smithing Table UI to recognize the recipe.Incomplete Materials: Ensure you have smelted your Ancient Debris into Scraps and then crafted those scraps with gold into an Ingot. You cannot use raw Ancient Debris in the smithing table.Armor Durability: While you can upgrade damaged diamond armor, it is often better to repair it first or ensure you have a Mending enchantment, as netherite repair costs (using ingots) are extremely expensive.
Maximizing Your Gear’s Potential
Once you have successfully learned how to change diamond armor to netherite, your next step should be optimization. Because netherite is so valuable, you should always aim to have the Mending and Unbreaking III enchantments on your pieces as soon as possible.
Mending allows your armor to repair itself using the Experience Orbs you collect from defeating mobs or mining. This ensures that your hard-earned netherite set lasts forever, preventing you from ever having to repeat the grueling process of hunting for templates and debris unless you lose the gear entirely.
Staying informed on the latest mechanics is the best way to maintain your edge. As the game continues to evolve, the methods for obtaining the best gear may shift, but the dominance of netherite remains a constant for those who want the very best protection available.
Conclusion
Upgrading your gear is a journey that takes you from the deepest mines of the Overworld to the most hazardous fortresses of the Nether. By understanding how to change diamond armor to netherite using the modern smithing template system, you ensure that your character is equipped for any challenge the game throws at you.
While the process has become more complex in recent versions, the sense of accomplishment—and the sheer defensive power—makes it a must-do task for any dedicated player. Gather your diamonds, prepare your fire resistance potions, and head into the Nether to claim the ultimate prize in armor technology. With your new netherite set, you aren't just surviving the world; you are mastering it.
