Want to learn how to create and customise your Minecraft shields? Shields are a state of the art defensive tool to aid in pixelated combat, used instead of blocking with swords. Minecraft shields are not upgradable, so it’s one size fits all, but they can be customised using a Minecraft banner.
Minecraft shields will completely negate all front-facing attacks of up to four damage, with the shield taking damage equal to the strength of the attack if the incoming attack exceeds that value. Minecraft shields can be used to deflect some incoming attacks, including arrows that will ricochet and deal damage back at the enemy who fired it, and melee combat which will knock an enemy backwards.
All non-damage effects through a ranged attack, such as being set on fire or poisoned by an arrow, are prevented when blocking with the shield. Knockback from melee attacks or projectiles is negated, except explosions, which are reduced to one block or less. Find out how to create, customise, and enchant your shield in Minecraft with these handy tips on creating a Minecraft banner.
Minecraft shield recipe
If you want to create a shield from scratch, you’ll need the following seven ingredients for your Minecraft shield recipe:
- 6x wood planks
- 1x iron ingot
Arrange your six wood planks into a Y shape in your crafting grid and then place the iron ingot into the top slot. If you have a damaged shield, it can be repaired using either an anvil, or by combining two damaged shields in your crafting grid.
How to use Minecraft shields
Your newly crafted Minecraft shield is used for defending against enemies and other players. The best home for your shield is in the off-hand slot, and once equipped can be quickly accessed using the right-click function in the Java Edition or crouch in the Bedrock Edition to block incoming attacks, however your movement speed will be significantly reduced as you crouch.
The shield’s weakness is an axe attack – the blow will cause the shield to deactivate for five seconds, leaving you exposed to incoming attacks. You can block the following attacks using your shield in Minecraft:
- Melee attacks
- Arrows (without the piercing enchantment)
- Fireballs
- Tridents
- Snowballs
- Thorns
- Explosions
- TNT (not ignited by yourself or by a redstone mechanism)
- Non-magical projectiles
- Guardian/elder guardian lasers
Using your newly crafted Minecraft shield, you’re able to fend off melee attacks from hostile Minecraft mobs, prevent ranged damage, and recover quickly by using enchantments or repairing your shield. But did you know you can also decorate it?
How to use minecraft banners
You can use banners in Minecraft to create customised shields. Minecraft banners are crafted from wool, and the colour of the wool will influence the design of your banner. The banner can be placed onto the shield in the crafting grid, side by side in the 3×3 grid, with the shield directly in the middle and the banner to the left.
In the Minecraft combat rework snapshot 8c, attaching a banner to your shield will also upgrade it by adding ten absorption instead of five, and increased knockback resistance.
How to craft Minecraft banners
Crafting a banner in Minecraft is easy, although there are countless designs to choose from, which makes it a little bit tricky. First, you’ll want plenty of wool and one stick. Go into your crafting table screen and arrange the pieces with the stick in the bottom middle slot, and the top six slots all occupied by wool.
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To choose a design you need to craft a loom, interact with it, place the banner in the top left slot, and any dye materials in the top right slot, which should bring up a menu of possible designs. Alternatively you can use the crafting table and arrange dyes around your banner until you find the pattern that’s right for you.
Minecraft banner patterns
There are a huge number of Minecraft banner patterns out there, from simple brickwork backgrounds to skull and crossbones designs, and you can even match the two. Most patterns and designs are easy to figure out by simply arranging your dyes around the banner in various quantities and positions, but here are some more complex banner patterns:
- Brickwork pattern: combine brick block and banner
- Colourful brickwork pattern: combine brick block, dye, and banner
- Fancy border: combine dye, vine, and banner
- Creeper face: combine Creeper head and banner (dye optional)
- Skull and crossbones: combine Wither head and banner
- Flower: combine oxeye daisy and banner
- Mojang logo: combine an enchanted golden apple and banner
Remember, you can mix and match any of these designs by simply layering over the top of your banner with a new design, meaning you can mix borders, colours, and logos.
Minecraft banner letters
If you get really creative then you can even create letters for your Minecraft banners. While the limited space means it’s hard to create every letter convincingly, but most are possible, so if you want your initial on your shield it’s definitely doable. Although bear in mind you’ll need a lot of resources for these designs. Check out the video above for a quick and effective walkthrough of how to make each letter.
How to enchant minecraft shields
It is possible to enchant shields in Minecraft using a Minecraft anvil or enchantment table. The following Minecraft enchantments can be applied to your shield.
| Enchantment | Outcome |
| Curse of Vanishing | Cursed shield will disappear when you die |
| Mending | Repairs the shield using your XP |
| Unbreaking | Increases the durability of your shield |
If you’re looking for other ways to use the crafting grid other than creating Minecraft banners for your shield, our guide to Minecraft brewing and using a brewing stand will give you all the potions you need to prepare for combat.
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