How to Get Netherite in Minecraft: Ancient Debris, Best Y-Level and Upgrade Template

Netherite is the strongest gear material in Minecraft, and it's the only armor that won't burn up if you drop it in lava. Getting it is a three-part job: dig up Ancient Debris deep in the Nether, refine it into Netherite ingots, and find a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template so you can turn your diamond gear into Netherite at a smithing table.

Everything below is correct for the current versions, Java Edition 26.3 and Bedrock Edition 26.30.

Quick answer

Each piece of Netherite gear costs one ingot, which means four Ancient Debris per item, plus one template.

Requirements

• A diamond pickaxe (or Netherite). Any other pickaxe breaks Ancient Debris without dropping anything.
• The diamond item you want to upgrade. Enchant it first – enchantments carry over.
• Gold ingots, four per Netherite ingot. Nether gold ore and gold nuggets you find while mining help a lot.
• Diamonds and Netherrack if you want to copy your template (seven diamonds per copy).
• Fire Resistance potions strongly recommended, plus beds or TNT if you want to blast-mine.

Where Ancient Debris spawns

Ancient Debris only generates in the Nether, in any biome. It's placed so that it's never touching air, so you won't spot it on cave walls – you have to dig or blast it out. It can appear anywhere from Y 8 to Y 119, but most of it sits in a low band:

• Java Edition: one vein of up to 3 blocks per chunk, spread between Y 8 and 24 and peaking around Y 16, plus a second vein of up to 2 blocks anywhere from Y 8 to 119.
• Bedrock Edition: up to two veins of up to 3 blocks between Y 8 and 23, plus three more small veins of up to 2 from Y 8 to 119. That means more debris per chunk on Bedrock.

The sweet spot is Y 15: stand with your feet at Y 15 and your two-block tunnel covers Y 15 and 16, the richest layers. It's also safely below the Nether's lava seas, which sit at Y 31 and lower.

Step-by-step: from debris to Netherite gear

1. Get to Y 15. Press F3 on Java, or turn on "Show Coordinates" in Bedrock's world settings. Write down your portal's coordinates before you dig down so you can find your way back.
2. Mine for debris. Strip-mining works fine with an Efficiency pickaxe, since Netherrack breaks almost instantly. Always check the blocks around every debris you find – veins come in clusters of up to three.
3. Or blast-mine with beds or TNT. Ancient Debris shrugs off normal explosions, but Netherrack doesn't, so blowing up big chunks of rock exposes debris fast. Beds explode when you try to sleep in the Nether (power 5 – stronger than TNT's 4) and are far cheaper to craft. Dig a short side tunnel, place a bed at the end and use it from as far back as you can reach – at close range the blast can kill you. TNT is safer, since you can light it and walk away.
4. Smelt the debris. Put it in a furnace or blast furnace. Each Ancient Debris becomes one Netherite Scrap.
5. Craft Netherite ingots. Combine 4 Netherite Scrap and 4 Gold Ingots anywhere in a crafting grid.
6. Raid a Bastion Remnant for the template. Bastions are the huge blackstone castles full of Piglins, found in every Nether biome except basalt deltas. The treasure room's central chest always contains a Netherite Upgrade, and the bridge, hoglin stable and regular chests each have a 10% chance.
7. Duplicate the template. Put the template in the top-middle slot, Netherrack in the center and 7 diamonds in the remaining slots. You get two templates back – the original plus a copy.
8. Upgrade at a smithing table. Place the template, the diamond item and one Netherite ingot. Out comes the Netherite version with the same enchantments, trim and durability damage. Unlike an anvil, it costs no XP.

What you can upgrade

Every diamond armor piece, plus the sword, pickaxe, axe, shovel and hoe. Newer additions also count: diamond horse armor, diamond nautilus armor and the diamond spear all have Netherite versions made the same way.

A full Netherite armor set takes 4 ingots – that's 16 Ancient Debris and 16 gold ingots – plus four templates. Copy your template before you use it, because each upgrade consumes one.

Bastion loot as a shortcut

Bastion chests can also hold Ancient Debris, Netherite Scrap and, in the treasure room, even whole Netherite ingots. It's random, so don't count on it, but a treasure bastion can give you a real head start on top of the guaranteed template.

Tips and common mistakes

• Using an iron pickaxe. The debris breaks and you get nothing. Diamond or Netherite only.
• Upgrading before you've copied the template. The template is used up. Spend 7 diamonds on a copy first, or you'll be back in a bastion.
• Sleeping too close to the bed. A Nether bed blast can kill you outright and starts fires. Use Blast Protection, keep your distance and carry a Totem of Undying if you have one.
• Opening chests near Piglins. Piglins get angry when you open containers or mine gold blocks in a bastion. Wear at least one piece of gold armor and be ready to fight Piglin Brutes, which attack regardless.
• Digging up into lava. Lava pockets are common below Y 31. Keep Fire Resistance potions in your hotbar and a block ready to plug leaks.
• Hunting for "chunk border" tricks. Mining along chunk borders isn't more efficient – just tunnel at Y 15.
• Upgrading damaged gear. The Netherite item keeps the same amount of durability lost, so repair or mend diamond gear before upgrading it.
• Losing gear to lava. Not a worry once you have it: Netherite items – and the debris, scrap and ingots – float on lava and don't burn, so a death over a lava lake won't wipe out your gear.