Minecraft: Diamond or Nether Armor? Here’s Which One To Enchant

It’s been a long battle between Netherite and Diamonds in Minecraft; which one is better, and is Netherite armor even worth it in the end? We can take many approaches to the problem and end up with different results every time, but we can at least try and lay it all out to end the discussion once and for all: Is it better to enchant Diamond or Netherite armor?

Is upgrading gear to Netherite worth it?

Each individual player will have to answer this question for themselves, but I’m going to help guide you through the decision and in what instances you should choose Netherite armor or Diamond Armor. If you’re a PvPer playing on a server where you wish to be the last man standing in most fights, perhaps it would be wise to upgrade to Netherite armor.

The minor differences become major when it comes to PvP. Although stat-wise, Netherite armor isn’t all that better than Diamond armor; it’ll make a difference if your opponent has Diamond armor and you happen to have Netherite. If you’re an average builder and only need the armor for the occasional creeper and skeleton, you can also go with Diamond armor.

I would make an exception to this rule. If you’re used to facing strong mini-boss mobs, you may go with Netherite armor. In any other instance, Diamond armor will protect you fully.

Does Netherite armor provide more protection than Diamond armor?

To answer this question, we need to look at all the attributes associated with Minecraft armor in general and the difference between Netherite and Diamond. It might also be good to explain these attributes since it appears that not many people know how armor in Minecraft actually protects you and what makes one armor better than the other.

Tools and weapons are simple in Minecraft. They have durability, which is how often you can use them before they’re destroyed, attack damage and swords and axes have a few special features that are easy to understand. Does the same simplicity hold true for armor?

There’s a total of 4 mechanics relating to armor that make all the difference in the world regarding how well each one protects you. They are toughness, defense points, durability, and damage protection. Toughness relates to a second protection attribute of armor. When the player receives a lot of damage, normally, armor nullifies a lesser portion of that damage, but toughness resists that effect. By default, only Diamond and Neterite armor do this, with Diamond armor proving +8 resistance with a full set, whereas Netherite armor provides +12 for a full set.

Durability is self-explanatory. It relates to the number of uses, the uses being how many times you can get hit by something before the armor gets destroyed and you need to replace it. Defense points are nothing but a mere visual representation of how well a certain full set of armor or each individual piece protects you. Only Diamond and Netherite armor fill the armor bar to full, so there’s no difference between the two in that sense.

Finding Netherite Ingots

Another thing to consider when discussing whether it is worth obtaining Netherite armor is how easy it is to find the materials needed to create it. So let’s talk a bit about where you can see each of these, the risks, the chances of finding them, and the risks involved.

Netherite ingots can be obtained through mining Ancient Debris found in the Nether. When smelted, Ancient Debris gives you Netherite Scraps, which, when combined with gold ingots, give you a Netherite Ingot. You only need one ingot per gear to get Netherite Armor. Each ingot is comprised of 4 Netherite Scraps, meaning you need a total of 16 Ancient Debris for a full set of armor.

The chances

The chances of obtaining Ancient Debris are meager. Y level 15 has the most Ancient Debris, so you are encouraged to look for it there, but of course, Ancient Debris can be generated elsewhere. You’ll rarely if ever, find Ancient Debris veins, and it is said that, on average, there are 1.65 Ancient Debris in a single chunk. This statistic, however, requires testing.

The risks

Ancient Debris is mined in what is likely the most dangerous place in Minecraft. Every mob in the Nether is out to get you, and the fact that everything below is lava also doesn’t help. It’s harder to make your way through the Nether, so if you die, it will be harder to collect the items you lost in the process.

The time

The fastest way to mine for Ancient Debris is to use beds. Beds explode in the Nether if you try and use them so you can take advantage of ancient Debris being blast and fire-resistant to mine for them. This should help you mine it in less time than it normally takes, but it’ll still take a while.

Finding Diamonds

You can find Diamonds practically anywhere in the Overworld, but it’s best to go caving to find them. They are likely to generate the most on Y levels -58 and -59, and you can either make a strip mine to find them or perhaps look for a cave deep underground. Mining for Diamonds is a tedious task, but you are more likely to come across a large vein that contains a lot of them.

To get a full set of Diamond armor, you’ll need 24 Diamonds which is more than the Ancient Debris required to upgrade your armor to Netherite. Remember that to upgrade your gear to Netherite armor, you must already own a full set of Diamond armor.

The chances

Besides the fact that Diamonds can be mined, you can also obtain them from different structures. Moreover, you can obtain them through trading, so even though Diamonds themselves are not renewable, anything that can be made with Diamonds is. In 1.19, Diamonds aren’t exactly a rare ore, and setting up a strip mine and mining them with a Fortune-enchanted pickaxe can get loads of them in no time.

The risks

There’s virtually no risk when it comes to mining for diamonds since you’re going strip mining. If looking for diamonds in a cave, you run the risk of facing the common mobs found in the Overworld, but it’s nothing that can’t be managed if you equip yourself with enough torches and food since you can prevent these mobs from spawning again by spawn proofing the area with torches.

Possible armor enchantments and which ones to choose

The best enchantments for any armor, especially Netherite, and Diamond, which are harder to obtain, are Mending, Protection IV, and Unbreaking III. Other possible enchantments are very situational and depend on the piece of armor you want to enchant. The one I prefer the most out of all the enchantments is Feather Falling which reduces the damage you take.

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