Shields replaced blocking attacks with a sword in the Minecraft Java Edition 1.9. Since then, they were added to other Minecraft versions, and become an important form of defensive armor. In fact, their functionality and cheap production costs gave newbies and players who couldn’t afford armor equipment a fighting chance. And not only in PvE (Player vs. Environment) but also in PvP (Player vs. Player) mode of play. With their importance pointed out, let’s get into how to make a Shield in Minecraft. Afterward, we’ll show you why always having one equipped is a good idea.
Materials required to make a Shield
The following are materials required to craft a Shield in Minecraft:
- 1x Iron Ingot
- 6x Spruce Plank
- 6x Oak Plank
- 6x Dark Oak Plank
- 6x Crimson Plank
- 6x Jungle Plank
- 6x Birch Plank
- 6x Acacia Plank
- 6x Warped Plank
Note. You don’t need to collect all of the Planks, only 6 of any type. You can mix them up, e.g., use different types of Plank in one recipe.
Make a Shield in Minecraft Survival Mode
Now that you have the necessary items, it’s time to turn them into defensive armor. Follow these steps to make a Shield in Minecraft:
- First, make and use a Crafting Table.
- Once the 3×3 crafting grid appears, lay the materials in this order:
- First row: Place a Wood Plank in the first box, Iron Ingot in the second, and another Wood Plank in the third box.
- Second row: Place a Wood Plank in each of the empty boxes.
- Third row: Leave the first box empty, place a Wood Plank in the second, and leave the third box empty.
- If you did everything right, a Shield icon will appear in the lone, previously empty, box on the right side.
- Drag it to any of the empty slots in your inventory. Alternatively, equip it by dragging it to an empty block with an icon of a transparent shield.
How to use a Shield in Minecraft?
The controls for using a Shield in Minecraft Java Edition are identical to using the Crafting Table. However, the command for Minecraft Bedrock Edition is changed to “crouch/sneaking”, which means you must:
- On Windows 10 Edition and Educational Edition, press and hold Left Shift.
- On PlayStation and Xbox, press the right analog stick down, into the controller.
- For Minecraft Pocket Edition, double-tap the ◇ (diamond) button.
- On Nintendo Switch and Wii U, press the B button.
Other ways to get a Shield in Minecraft
Crafting is the most obvious, but not the only way to acquire a Minecraft Shield. Here are alternative methods to obtain a Shield in Minecraft:
1. Trading
The second way of obtaining Shields without any alterations to the game is trading. We’re referring to villagers, found in villages in Minecraft, which you can also breed for your needs. To be more specific, you have a 33.33% (Bedrock Edition) or 40% (Java Edition) chance to give (your) 5 Emerald for 1 Shield from a Journeyman Armorer as their 6th trade.
2. Creative Mode
If you’re an admin on Minecraft Realms or playing Minecraft in single-player mode, switch from Survival Mode to Creative Mode. Then, open inventory, type “shield” in the search bar in the top right corner of the window, and drag it to your inventory or equip it right away.
2. Minecraft cheats/commands
This method works in Java Edition 1.9 and later, Bedrock Edition, and any other Minecraft version that supports commands. Turn on cheats in Minecraft, open chat, and enter the following /give command for Shield in Minecraft:
/give @p shield 1 0
Note. Because Shield does not stack, you cannot change “1” into any number up to 64. If you need more than 1 shield, simply re-enter the command.
Facts about a Shield in Minecraft
These are some notable things about Shields in Minecraft:
- Shield-wielding players can only block attacks that come from within 90° of the direction they’re facing.
- Your movement speed is reduced when the Shield is raised.
- Only attacks that deal 3 damage (1.5x ♥) deplete the durability of the shield. The durability damage is identical to the rounded-up attack damage. You can repair it like a bow.
- Shield can deflect arrows or a Trident, even back to the attacker.
- A Bow or Crossbow enchanted with Piercing, Dragon’s Breath, and Splash potions will cause damage even if you successfully blocked.
- Shield prevents knockbacks from projectiles and melee attacks. It also drastically reduces knockbacks from explosions and hoglin/ravager attacks.
- Status effects (flaming arrow, shulker bullet, fireballs from blazes/fire charges, etc.) do not affect the player that blocks them, but only in Java Edition.
- Shield cannot block an ax attack from a player or a mob (vindicator, zombie, piglin brute) that sprints at the wielder.
- Sprinting ax-wielding players or mobs disable the Shield for 5 seconds, but only in Java Edition. In both versions, non-sprinting players have a 25% chance of disabling the Shield.
- Players cannot block the damage from self-lit or Redstone-activated TNT damage, but only in Java Edition.
- You cannot smelt a Shield to get Iron Nuggets, even though it uses Iron Ingot in the recipe.
- You can make a Custom Shield by changing its appearance with 45+ different Banners.
- Shield can be enchanted with 3 enchantments: Mending Unbreaking, and Curse of Vanishing.