You are crafting your fortress in Minecraft, then suddenly get surrounded by hostile mobs ready to strike. You have your weapons, so you think you can go head-to-head against the enemies unscathed. Attacks are not all you need to survive, though. Defense is as important as those, and the only way to improve it is to use Minecraft armor. If you do not have the said gear to wear or display on your Minecraft armor stand, this guide is here to help you craft or find one.
Minecraft Armor Crafting Requirements
Let us discuss crafting first. You will need a workstation and some materials to start making a Minecraft armor set. The former is the Crafting Table made of four wood planks processed via your character’s crafting menu. The latter could be any supply listed in the table below.
| Material | Source/Recipe | How to Obtain/Process |
|---|---|---|
| Leather | Cows, horses, donkeys, mules, llamas, foxes, hoglins, mooshrooms | Gather when dropped by slain critters |
| Gold Ingots | One gold block or nine gold nuggets
Gold, nether, or deepslate gold ore, or raw gold |
Place block or nuggets on Crafting Table or smelt ore with fuel in Furnace |
| Iron Ingots | One iron block or nine iron nuggets
Iron or deepslate iron ore, or raw iron |
Place block or nuggets on Crafting Table or smelt ore with fuel in Furnace |
| Diamonds | Diamond block or ore | Place block on Crafting Table or smelt ore with fuel in Furnace |
| Scutes | Baby turtles | Gather when dropped by baby turtles turning into adult turtles |
NOTEScutes are the only materials for making the Turtle Shell, a Minecraft helmet. The said piece of armor gives the Water Breathing perk, which prevents your character from drowning fast while swimming or diving.
How to Make Minecraft Armor
A complete Minecraft armor set features a helmet, chestplate, leggings, and boots. The ways to craft the pieces vary but are not difficult if you follow the steps outlined here.
Helmet
1. Access your Crafting Table’s 3×3 menu.
2. Place five leather, gold or iron ingots, diamonds, or scutes in an inverted U shape like in the photo below.
3. Wait for the helmet to appear on the right output slot.
4. Drag the helmet to your inventory then equip it.
Chestplate
1. Open the Crafting Table’s 3×3 interface.
2. Fill all empty input slots, except the top-middle one, with eight leather, gold or iron ingots, or diamonds.
3. Wait for the chestplate to be available on the output slot.
4. Put the chestplate in your inventory then wear it.
Leggings
1. Go to your Crafting Table’s 3×3 menu.
2. Add seven leather, gold or iron ingots, or diamonds in an inverted U shape similar to what is featured below.
3. Wait for the leggings to show up on the right slot the arrow is pointing at.
4. Store the leggings in your inventory then equip them.
Boots
1. Launch your Crafting Table’s 3×3 interface.
2. Place four leather, gold or iron ingots, or diamonds in the right- and leftmost middle and corner slots like in the photo below.
3. Wait for the boots to emerge in the output slot.
4. Add the boots to your inventory then wear them.
Other Ways to Obtain Minecraft Armor
Crafting is not the only way to get armor sets in Minecraft. You can acquire helmets, chestplates, leggings, or boots with ease through other methods. The specific gear you want to obtain, though, is often not guaranteed. Some of the ways listed below involve exploration, fighting, and interacting with characters across the in-game world.
1. Defeat Mobs
Hostile mobs in Minecraft drop armor when slain, just like most enemies in the best open-world games. The loot can be the gear they are wearing, so target mobs equipped with the armor pieces you want. An example of Minecraft armor you can get from enemies, particularly zombies and skeletons, is the Chainmail Armor that you cannot craft. It is the third-best type of gear to wear in the game.
2. Break Chests
Chests contain Minecraft armor at times, but you will not know what specific gear is inside until you open those. That said, it is best to keep an eye out for chests anywhere you are in the game, be it a stronghold, dungeon, temple, fortress, shipwreck, outpost, or portal. You have to use a tool, which is ideally an ax, to break the chest you have found and reveal its contents.
3. Trade with Villagers
A villager trade is a good alternative to crafting Minecraft armor because you can get the specific helmet, chestplate, leggings, or boots you want. For example, you can approach a leatherworker for leather armor or armorers for iron and diamond armor. You can only do that, though, if you have the material required for the exchange. Items considered as payment are usually emeralds and diamonds. The villagers should also be at a certain level, which is reached the more trades you do with them. The higher their level, the better the quality of the gear offered to you.
4. Try Fishing
Fishing is not only for recreation in the game. It can help you get leather boots, although the said footwear is not the toughest Minecraft armor piece. The boots you will reel in are most likely tattered, but still fine if you have just begun your adventure. After all, having something to wear is better than nothing.
5. Use Minecraft Mods
The best Minecraft mods not only alter the game’s environment, mobs, mechanics, and item availability. They can also change how your character looks in many ways. If you want armor to improve your character’s appearance instead of his or her defense rating, skins from mods are perfect for you. Some resemble the armors or costumes of superheroes, other video game characters, or famous people, which make those fun to wear. Moreover, the mods are easy to find and install from reliable and safe sources such as the Google Play Store, App Store, or Minecraft player community-recognized websites.
Best Armor to Get in Minecraft
While all armor types increase your defense against attacks, there is always one that is better than the other. If you are interested in what is on top of the Minecraft armor tier list, it is the Netherite set.
Having the highest durability, whether per piece or in full, the Netherite armor set is the best. You can get it by upgrading your Diamond armor through Netherite ingots, which we have discussed in detail in our Minecraft smithing table guide.
Even if you already know which Minecraft armor type is the best, having them ranked could help you decide which one to craft or find if you do not have the Netherite set yet. For that, refer to the table below that shows the armor types from strongest to weakest based on durability.
| Armor Type | Ranking | Durability Points |
|---|---|---|
| Netherite | 1st | Helmet: 407, Chestplate: 592, Leggings: 555, Boots: 481 |
| Diamond | 2nd | Helmet: 363, Chestplate: 528, Leggings: 495, Boots: 429 |
| Chainmail | 3rd | Helmet: 165, Chestplate: 240, Leggings: 225, Boots: 195 |
| Iron | 3rd | Same as Chainmail armor pieces |
| Golden | 4th | Helmet: 77, Chestplate: 112, Leggings: 105, Boots: 91 |
| Leather | 5th | Helmet: 55, Chestplate: 80, Leggings: 75, Boots: 65 |
| Turtle Shell | 6th | Helmet only: 275 |
How to Enhance Armor in Minecraft
The fun of gearing up in the game does not end with just getting the best helmet, chestplate, leggings, or boots. Do you know that you can further improve your Minecraft armor?
For starters, you can enhance your Minecraft armor via enchantments. Enchantments are special abilities that can improve or restore durability, resistance to the elements, movement speed, and more. They come in the form of books or are already applied to armor you got as loot from enemies.
We have listed here the top enchantments for armor. You can add these to your gear via the Minecraft enchanting table. Just put the book and some Lapiz Lazuli on the workstation’s input slots, then you can choose an enchantment.
| Top Armor Enchantments | Maximum Tier | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Mending | 1 | Restores durability points lost when attacked |
| Unbreaking | 3 | Increases durability points |
| Protection | 4 | Boosts armor damage reduction |
| Fire Protection | 4 | Lessens fire damage taken |
| Blast Protection | 4 | Lessens explosion damage taken |
| Projectile Protection | 4 | Lessens projectile damage taken |
| Thorns | 3 | Reflects damage taken |
| Depth Strider (for boots only) | 3 | Speeds up underwater movement |
| Frost Walker | 2 | Generates ice block paths above water |
| Aqua Affinity (for helmets only) | 1 | Speeds up underwater mining |
If you want to combine enchantments, use the Minecraft anvil instead. You can merge special abilities from two books or armor pieces through the workstation.
Gear Up in Minecraft Now
Minecraft armor makes it easier for you to survive the dangers of the expansive world in the game. It is as important as weapons and tools. Wearing top-tier variants is the best protection because it grants you the highest defense rating against any hostile mob or boss that you take on. With this guide, you can now gear up with the Minecraft armor set of your choice and emerge victorious in any battle!
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