Gold vs. Iron Armor in Minecraft: Which Is Better?

Armor is a vital part of the Minecraft experience and the first line of protection you will craft as soon as you’re able to. The first armor you will craft in Minecraft will probably be leather armor, and then when you’re able you’re going to upgrade to rarer and better materials. But rarity doesn’t necessarily mean upgrade, such is the case with iron and gold armor. Iron is incredibly common, gold however is not. By that logic alone, gold should be better, but is it? This is what we’re going to be dealing with in today’s post. Now let’s see if gold armor is better than iron armor in Minecraft.

Gold Armor vs. Iron Armor: Material Comparison

Both iron and golden armor require the exact same amount of material. To craft full sets of both armors you’re going to need 24x iron bars and 24x golden bars. The main difference is, that gold is rarer than iron, significantly. Due to its rarity, at first, it’s difficult to gather a significant amount of gold so wasting it on a full armor set with bad stats is not a wise move. Iron is commonplace, you will run into it much earlier than you will run into gold. You can have a reasonable amount of iron at your disposal as soon as you start mining seriously.

When it comes to looting golden armor, each piece of armor from the set can be found in the Bastion Remnants and Nether Fortresses. Iron armor on the other hand can be found in Strongholds and Villages.
Not only is iron armor easier to make, but it’s also easier to find in the world as well. It’s much more commonplace and requires less effort than acquiring golden armor through the loot.

Iron armor 1: Golden armor 0

Defense points comparison

Golden armor provides you with a total of 11 defense points and that goes for the whole set including chestplate, leggings, helmet, and boots. Iron armor on the other hand provides you with 15 defense points. As you can see, when it comes to protection provided golden armor is the second worst armor in the game, right behind leather armor.

The only advantage when it comes to the protection that golden armor has is related to Piglins and the Nether. If you have at least one piece of golden armor equipped while you’re traversing Nether rest assured that Piglins won’t touch you. They are naturally attracted to gold and if you just so happen to drop a piece of gold equipment in the Nether they will stop to examine it.

Having said that, it still doesn’t make Golden Armor a good investment. You can easily craft a pair of gold boots and use them in Nether.

Iron armor 2: golden armor 0

Durability comparison

Once again, golden armor seems inferior. When it comes to durability pieces of golden armor (helmet, chestplate, boots, leggings) are on par with chainmail armor and slightly better than leather armor. Once again golden armor is proven to be the second-worst armor in the game.

Iron armor is far more durable and easier to repair as well due to the material being available almost everywhere you look. Any kind of greater damage threatens to break your golden armor, and that sounds like a risky move to take, especially if you’re stuck in a serious fight while adventuring. This is probably an attempt to emulate real life in Minecraft, as gold is considered a soft material far less durable than iron
Iron Armor 3: Golden Armor 0

Enchanting comparison

Enchanting is probably the only aspect of golden armor straight-up better than iron armor. Armor items made out of gold have a bigger chance of getting protection enchantments at an enchanting table than armor items made out of other materials. In general, when it comes to magic of any kind, gold has far better usage in that aspect.

Iron armor 3: golden armor 1

Iron armor vs. Gold armor: Which is better?

If you’re looking for a good replacement for your current armor, iron armor is definitely better than golden armor. For starters, it’s easier to make due to iron ore being more commonplace. Gold is extremely rare in the overworld, and once you reach the Nether where it’s far more common, you will have more important items to craft with it.

Golden armor is also much weaker and much more durable than iron armor. Even though it’s made out of rare material, it’s honestly a really bad armor, only exceeded by leather armor. If you’re looking for armor that has around the same stats as golden, go for chainmail, at least it’s easier to make.

The only redeeming quality that golden armor has is the fact that it’s needed in the Nether in order to stop Piglin attacks. And when it comes to enchanting, it has a better chance of spawning more valuable enchantments.

The conclusion is, that iron armor is far superior in almost all aspects. Save your gold for other purposes.

And that’s about it. If you did craft golden armor already and now you’re stuck with bad stats, check out our guide on how to get god-level items in Minecraft.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!