Tools are an essential part of your gear in Minecraft. They’re great for breaking specific blocks or handling various tasks. Each tool is specialized for one or more use cases. Some tools you should always keep with you, no matter where you are—you never know what you’ll run into. Another perk of certain tools is that you can upgrade them with Minecraft’s resources and metals. The further you progress, the more effective your tools become. And even if not everything that glitters is gold, these upgraded tools are almost always worth it. On top of that, there are a number of other tools you should craft as well.
Minecraft tools: basics, crafting, and upgrades
With tools in Minecraft, you can do all sorts of things. They are usually specialized for a single task and excel at it. But there are often hidden functions and useful applications that aren’t obvious at first glance.
Every tool has a certain durability, which in some cases can also be improved by using better materials. You can also increase their use speed, letting you work faster and save time in the long run. For some new resources you’ll need an upgraded tool to mine them at all—you can’t mine diamonds with a wooden pickaxe. Finally, the material also determines a tool’s enchantment potential, which many players don’t realize.
The order of materials for tools in vanilla Minecraft:
- Wood: Wooden tools are hardly ever worth it, except maybe an axe and a pickaxe to get started mining stone. Their only real advantage is that they can be used as furnace fuel.
- Stone: The second-weakest material, but more than twice as durable as wood. Easy to obtain and always the best fallback.
- Iron: Iron tools are solid and carry you through the entire mid-game. Before long you’ll have more than enough.
- Gold: Gold is deceptive—it looks like an upgrade thanks to its extremely fast mining speed. Its high enchantability is also a plus. But its durability is even worse than wood, making gold tools a real rip-off.
- Diamond: The gold standard for a long time. High durability combined with speed still makes them very strong, especially now that diamonds are easier to find.
- Netherite: The best upgrade for your tools, with significantly higher durability and a slightly faster mining speed. The grind to get there can be a bit tough.
- Copper (note): There’s no copper tool tier in vanilla. You use copper for spyglasses, lightning rods, or decorative blocks; with an axe you can remove oxidation from copper blocks.
You can repair tools on an anvil using their base material. Alternatively, you can combine two identical tools to merge their durability with a small bonus. Rent a Minecraft server for you and your friends, then learn how to repair tools as well.
Essential Minecraft tools and upgrades: axe, pickaxe, shovel, hoe
These four tools are basically always part of your core loadout, and they’re also the ones you can upgrade with different materials. Each has its own use cases and therefore earns a permanent spot on your hotbar. You can further enhance them with enchantments.
- Axe: Axes are true all-rounders in Minecraft and far more flexible than they used to be. Yes, you can fell trees and harvest any kind of wood with them. You can also strip logs and de-oxidize copper. Plus, they’re powerful weapons—slower than swords, but they hit harder.
- Pickaxe: With pickaxes you can work through any type of stone and mine ores. Just pay attention to the required mining level.
- Shovel: Use shovels to dig natural blocks like dirt, snow, or sand. You can also make paths or extinguish campfires with them.
- Hoe: Generally, a hoe lets you prepare farmland and then plant the crop of your choice. Hoes are also great for breaking leaves, sculk blocks, moss, or hay bales. Soft natural blocks break faster with a hoe.
Additional Minecraft tools for special tasks
Beyond the four essential tools, there are several other items you should have in your arsenal. They’re only used in specific situations, so you don’t always have to carry them with you. Unlike the previous tools, they can’t be upgraded and instead have unique crafting recipes.
For special tasks in the game:
- Flint and steel: Handy for setting things on fire, lighting the Nether portal, or lighting candles.
- Fishing rod: Perfect for a fishing trip; can be combined with a carrot (for pigs) or warped fungus (for striders).
- Brush: Use a brush on suspicious sand and suspicious gravel to uncover buried treasures. You can also collect armadillo scutes with it.
- Bucket: Transport water, lava, or even animals. Learn more in our dedicated guide (Minecraft buckets: water, lava, milk & animal transport explained) .
- Glass bottle: Essential for brewing. Collect water bottles, honey bottles from beehives, and dragon’s breath in the End for lingering potions.
Interaction with animals:
- Name tag: Lets you give animals nicknames, and you can rename almost any other item too. Not craftable; you’ll find them in chests, by fishing, or via trading with librarians.
- Saddle: Also not craftable. You’ll find saddles in structures, by fishing, or via trading (master-level leatherworker). Ride horses, mules, camels, or pigs with it.
- Lead: With a lead you can easily move animals from A to B. We’ve published an in-depth guide on animal transport (How to transport animals in Minecraft: food, leads, boats, minecarts, and the Nether) .
- Shears: Surprisingly versatile. You can shear sheep, and also harvest wool, cobwebs, and many plants. You can carve pumpkins, collect honeycombs, and remove armor from animals.
Navigation in your world:
- Spyglass: Perfect for surveying your surroundings.
- Map: Use it to chart your world and view it from above in different sizes. There are also treasure maps to hidden riches and structures.
- Compass: A compass will always guide you back home or to a lodestone.
- Clock: Shows you the day–night cycle.
- Bundle: Small pouches that are great for adventures. They can hold up to 64 different items, saving a lot of inventory space.
Conclusion: Using the best Minecraft tools in everyday play
In Minecraft, you should always have the right tool for the job. Alongside the classic combo of pickaxe, shovel, axe, and hoe, there are many other tools that can help you on your journey through the world of Minecraft. Since you decide what you enjoy most, the choice of tools is highly individual. Just keep an eye on tool durability—and for essential tools, make sure you can actually mine the blocks or resources you’re targeting.
