Minecraft Bedrock Tools Guide

The Pickaxe

The pickaxe is one of the most vital tools in Minecraft Bedrock Edition, primarily used for mining various blocks and ores. Pickaxes can be crafted from wood planks, cobblestone, iron ingots, gold ingots, or diamonds, using two sticks as a handle and three units of the chosen material for the head. Netherite pickaxes, the strongest variant, require a diamond pickaxe and a netherite ingot to upgrade at a smithing table. Pickaxes can also be used as a weapon, dealing the third most damage per second among tools.

Better materials generally result in faster mining speeds and increased durability, with the exception of gold, which is the fastest but least durable. Some materials can only be mined with a pickaxe of sufficient quality; for example, you need a stone pickaxe or better to mine iron or lapis lazuli, and only a diamond or netherite pickaxe can mine obsidian.

Enchantments significantly enhance a pickaxe’s capabilities.

The Shovel

The shovel is one of the most frequently used tools in Minecraft Bedrock Edition, excelling at digging through softer materials like sand, gravel, dirt, clay, and soul sand. It significantly increases the speed of breaking these blocks compared to using bare hands or other tools. Shovels can also be used to break snow layers instantly, making them essential for collecting snow efficiently.

Crafting a shovel requires two sticks and one unit of wood planks, cobblestone, iron ingot, gold ingot, or diamond. The material used determines the shovel’s durability and speed, with wooden shovels being the weakest and slowest, while diamond shovels offer the best balance of durability and efficiency. Netherite shovels can be crafted by upgrading a diamond shovel using a smithing table with a netherite ingot, making them the most durable and fastest option. However, since netherite is relatively rare and valuable, many players prefer to use diamond shovels as a more practical alternative.

In addition to standard digging functions, shovels have unique secondary uses. Tapping and holding on dirt, grass, or coarse dirt with an unenchanted shovel converts the block into a path block, making it an essential tool for landscaping and decorative purposes. Shovels can also be used to extinguish campfires instantly by tapping and holding on them, providing a quick and easy way to put out a fire without breaking the campfire itself.

Shovels can be enchanted to enhance their performance and durability. Efficiency increases digging speed, allowing players to break blocks almost instantly at higher levels.

The Axe

The axe is the primary tool for cutting down trees and breaking other wooden items like chests, fence posts, and wooden planks in Minecraft Bedrock Edition. Crafting an axe involves two sticks and three units of wood planks, cobblestone, iron ingots, gold ingots, or diamonds.

Netherite axes can also be created via upgrading. Axes are the most efficient tool for harvesting wood, and higher-tier materials like diamond and netherite chop down trees much faster. Beyond wood, axes are also the most efficient for breaking pumpkins and melons. Right-clicking with an axe has several special functions, including stripping logs of their bark, removing oxidation from copper blocks, and unwaxing waxed copper blocks.

Uniquely, axes can be used in combat to temporarily disable a player’s shield for five seconds. When used for tasks they are not designed for, axes lose durability twice as fast.

Shovels can be enchanted to enhance their performance and durability. Efficiency increases digging speed, allowing players to break blocks almost instantly at higher levels. The available enchantments for axes include Efficiency, Unbreaking, Mending, Silk Touch, and Fortune, and they can also be enchanted with combat enchantments like Sharpness, making them a viable early-game weapon.

The Hoe

The hoe is primarily used for turning dirt or grass blocks into farmland, which is essential for growing crops in Minecraft Bedrock Edition. Crafting a hoe requires two sticks and two units of wood planks, cobblestone, iron ingots, gold ingots, or diamonds.

Netherite hoes can be crafted as well. While the material of the hoe doesn’t affect the speed at which farmland is created, higher-tier hoes have increased durability. Hoes have gained additional functionality in recent updates. An efficiency-enchanted hoe can instantly mine leaves and sponges.

Furthermore, a fortune enchantment on a hoe can significantly increase the number of saplings obtained from breaking leaves. In the Nether, hoes can instantly mine netherwart blocks, netherleaves, and shroomlights. Hoes are also effective for quickly breaking hay bales and moss blocks. The enchantments applicable to hoes are Efficiency, Unbreaking, Mending, Silk Touch, and Fortune.

Shears

Shears are a unique tool crafted from two iron ingots. In Minecraft Bedrock Edition, shears are used to collect wool from sheep without harming them, obtain leaf blocks from trees, and gather string from cobwebs. They are also used to collect vines and tall grass.

To shear sheep in Minecraft Bedrock Edition on mobile, tap and hold on the sheep while holding shears. For collecting items like leaves, simply tap and hold on the target block. Shears can be enchanted with Efficiency to speed up collecting leaves or wool, Unbreaking to make them last longer, and Mending to repair them using XP.

Flint and Steel

Flint and Steel is crafted from one flint and one iron ingot. Its primary function in Minecraft Bedrock Edition is to ignite blocks, setting them on fire. This is essential for creating fireplaces, lighting TNT, and activating NetherPortals. Flint and steel can also be used to light campfires. Flint and steel can be enchanted with Unbreaking and Mending to increase its lifespan.

Compass

A compass is a navigation tool that always points toward the world spawn point unless altered. It is crafted using four iron ingots and one redstone dust. Unlike other tools, a compass does not have durability and can be used indefinitely. It is particularly useful for players who do not have access to coordinates or who prefer a more immersive way of finding their way back home.

However, the compass only functions in the Overworld and becomes erratic in the Nether and the End. Compasses can also be combined with paper to create a locator map, which allows players to track their position as they explore. Additionally, a lodestone compass can be created by using a regular compass on a lodestone block, making it point permanently to that location, which is especially useful in the Nether.

Bucket

A bucket is one of the most versatile tools in Minecraft, allowing players to collect and place liquids such as water, lava, and powder snow. It is crafted using three iron ingots. Unlike most tools, a bucket does not have durability and can be used an unlimited number of times

Buckets are crucial for creating infinite water sources, farming, and extinguishing fires or lava hazards. They are also used for collecting milk from cows, which removes status effects like poison and Wither. Additionally, buckets can be used to transport axolotls, fish, tadpoles, and even powder snow, making them an essential tool for both survival and adventure.

Clock

A clock is a timekeeping device that helps players track the day-night cycle, which is particularly useful when underground or in enclosed spaces where sunlight is not visible. It is crafted using four gold ingots and one redstone dust. Unlike other tools, a clock does not have durability and functions as long as it is in the player’s inventory.

When placed in an item frame, the clock’s rotating needle provides a visual representation of the time, with the sun symbolizing daytime and the moon indicating nighttime. However, like the compass, a clock does not function in the Nether or the End, as these dimensions have no traditional day-night cycle.

Fishing Rod

A fishing rod is a tool used for catching fish, which provides a renewable food source. It is crafted using three sticks and two string. Fishing rods have a durability of 65 uses but can be repaired using another fishing rod or an anvil. When used, the player casts the line into the water, waits for the bobber to dip, and then reels in the catch. Fishing can yield raw cod, raw salmon, pufferfish, and tropical fish, as well as treasure items like enchanted books, name tags, and saddles.

Additionally, fish rods can be enchanted with Lure, which decreases waiting time, and Luck of the Sea, which increases the chances of catching valuable items. Fishing rods can also be used to pull in mobs or players, making them useful in combat or multiplayer interactions. They can even be combined with a carrot or warped fungus to create a carrot on a stick or warped fungus on a stick, used for steering pigs and striders.

Map

A mapis a valuable navigation tool that provides an aerial view of the player’s surroundings, updating as they move. A map is crafted using eight pieces of paper and one compass. In its default state, a mapstarts blank and fills in as the player explores new areas. A locator map, which is made by combining a map with a compass, also tracks the player’s position in real-time.

Maps can be enlarged using a cartography table, allowing for a broader view of the terrain. Additionally, maps placed in item frames display their contents, making them useful for creating detailed wall maps of large regions. While maps do not work in the Nether by default, they can still be used for marking custom locations by placing item frames with maps at key points.

Bowl

A bowl is a simple but useful item for food preparation, allowing players to craft stews that provide various effects and replenish hunger. It is crafted using three wood planks, yielding four bowls. Bowls can be used to craft mushroom stew, rabbit stew, beetroot soup, and suspicious stew, with suspicious stew offering temporary status effects depending on the flower used in crafting.

Unlike most consumable containers, bowls are reusable, as they remain in the inventory after being used. Bowls can also be obtained by milking mooshrooms with an empty bowl, providing an easy and renewable food source.

In Minecraft Bedrock Edition, most tools have durability, meaning they can only be used a certain number of times before breaking. The durability varies depending on the material used to craft the tool. Worn-down tools can be repaired in two ways: by combining two identical tools on a crafting table, which adds their durabilities together plus a small bonus but removes enchantments, or by using an anvil with either another identical tool or the primary crafting material of the tool, which costs experience points but preserves enchantments and can even combine them.

For general mining , the netherite pickaxe is the best overall. It offers the highest durability and mining speed. However, obtaining netherite requires a diamond pickaxe and netherite ingots. As a more readily accessible option, the diamond pickaxe is highly recommended due to its excellent durability and fast mining speed. For efficient mining , applying enchantments like Efficiency V for maximum speed, Unbreaking III for increased durability, and Mending for self-repair is highly advisable. It’s also a good idea to have one pickaxe with Fortune III for maximizing ore drops and another with Silk Touch for collecting ore blocks and other delicate items intact.

For digging softer materials, the netherite shovel is the top choice for the same reasons as the pickaxe. Again, the diamond shovel is a strong and more common alternative. Enchanting your shovel with Efficiency V allows for instant digging of many shovelable blocks. Silk Touch is particularly useful on a shovel for collecting grass blocks. While Fortune can yield more flint from gravel, Silk Touch is generally more practical for obtaining the blocks themselves.

When it comes to woodcutting, the netherite axe provides the best speed and durability. The diamond axe is a very effective and more easily obtained alternative. Enchanting your axe with Efficiency V will significantly speed up the process. Since axes can also be used as weapons, consider adding Sharpness V if you plan to use it for early-game defense. Silk Touch can be useful for mining giant mushroom blocks.

For farming, while the material of the hoe doesn’t affect tilling speed, a higher-tier hoe like iron or diamond offers better durability than wood or stone. However, it’s generally not recommended to use diamonds on a hoe due to their value for other tools and armor. An Efficiency-enchanted hoe can be very useful for quickly clearing leaves and sponges. A Fortune-enchanted hoe is excellent for maximizing sapling drops from leaves.

For collecting wool and leaves, shears crafted from iron are the only type available. Enchanting them with Efficiency V can speed up the process of collecting leaves and wool. Unbreaking III and Mending are also beneficial for shears.

The flint and steel, crafted from flint and an iron ingot, is essential for starting fires and activating Nether Portals. Enchanting it with Unbreaking III or Mending will make it last longer.