Overview
A Netherite Sword is the strongest melee weapon in the game outside of a mace smash: 8 damage a swing, 2,031 uses, and — the part that actually saves worlds — it floats in lava instead of burning. Anyone who has watched a full diamond kit disappear into a Nether lava lake understands why that property matters more than the extra point of damage. Netherite gear also carries slight knockback resistance, so hits shove you around less in a crowd. Getting one means an upgrade rather than a craft: you take an enchanted diamond sword, a netherite ingot and a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template to a smithing table, and every enchantment survives the process. That order is important, because enchanting first and upgrading second costs no extra levels, while upgrading first means enchanting a more expensive item. The ingot behind it is four ancient debris and four gold, which is roughly one dedicated Nether mining trip around Y -16. Against most mobs the difference from diamond is one fewer hit; against a wither or in PvP, that one hit decides the fight.
End-game melee: the wither fight, raids at level V, PvP, and any trip where dropping your weapon into lava would otherwise end the run. Nothing else survives a lava death.
Netherite Sword is one of the 6 variants of this shape in the game. What changes between them is the material, and with it the hardness, the drops, the durability and the recipe — so every figure on this page is this variant's own. Stone Sword is the same shape in a different material.
In Minecraft, Netherite Sword is a weapon item. Expect 2,031 uses before it breaks. Repair it on an anvil with Netherite Ingot, or combine two damaged copies.
It accepts enchantments at an enchanting table or anvil. Every copy occupies a full inventory slot. It is made at a smithing table: upgrade Diamond Sword with Netherite Ingot.
Nothing on the crafting grid is made from it.
About the netherite tool set
How to get it
Upgrade a Diamond Sword at a Smithing Table with 1 Netherite Ingot and a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template. The ingot needs 4 ancient debris, best mined around Y -16 in the Nether.
Tips
- Enchant the diamond sword fully first — upgrading preserves everything and costs no additional levels.
- Netherite items never burn, so a death in lava leaves the sword floating on the surface to be recovered.
- See ancient debris and netherite for the bed-mining and TNT routes to debris.
- The knockback resistance on netherite gear is small per piece but noticeable when a full set is worn.
Damage and attack speed
Netherite Sword deals 8 damage per hit and swings 1.6 times a second, which works out at 12.8 damage per second when every swing is fully charged.
A swing that lands before the cooldown bar refills deals a fraction of that, so waiting for the bar is worth more than clicking faster.
That is 3 hits to kill a zombie or a creeper, the same for a skeleton, and 2 hits for a spider.
Properties
Netherite Sword lasts 2,031 uses before it breaks, and Netherite Ingot repairs it on an anvil. Two worn copies can also be merged, on an anvil or a grindstone. Unbreaking III roughly quadruples the lifespan, and Mending replaces the repair cost with experience. Its enchantability of 15 decides how good the enchanting table's offers are: the higher the number, the more often a level-30 table offers the top-tier enchantment rather than a weak one. Netherite Sword does not stack — each one occupies an inventory slot of its own.
- Damage per second
- 12.8
- Enchantability
- 15
- Repaired with
- Netherite Ingot
- Category
- Weapons
How it compares to the rest of the set
Every tier of sword in the game, side by side, so the trade-off is visible in one place: Netherite Sword sits 6 of 6.
Gold is the outlier: it enchants better than anything else (enchantability 22) and breaks almost immediately, which is why gold gear is enchanted and then upgraded rather than used.
| Item | Durability | Attack damage | Attack speed | Enchantability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wooden Sword | 59 | 4 | 1.6 | 15 |
| Stone Sword | 131 | 5 | 1.6 | 5 |
| Iron Sword | 250 | 6 | 1.6 | 14 |
| Golden Sword | 32 | 4 | 1.6 | 22 |
| Diamond Sword | 1,561 | 7 | 1.6 | 10 |
| Netherite Sword | 2,031 | 8 | 1.6 | 15 |
How to get it
Smithing Table
Netherite Sword
Enchantments it can take
9 enchantments can be applied to Netherite Sword: Bane of Arthropods, Fire Aspect, Knockback, Looting, Mending, Sharpness, Smite, Sweeping Edge, and Unbreaking.
Mending is a treasure enchantment and never appears at an enchanting table — they come from loot chests, fishing or villager trades only.
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you make Netherite Sword in Minecraft?
Netherite Sword is not crafted at a bench. Put Netherite Upgrade in the left slot of a smithing table, Diamond Sword in the middle and Netherite Ingot on the right.
What is the stack size of Netherite Sword?
Netherite Sword does not stack at all. Every one you carry takes an inventory slot of its own, which is the practical limit on how many you take on a trip.
How much damage does Netherite Sword do?
8 damage per fully charged hit, at 1.6 attacks per second — 12.8 damage per second. Sharpness V adds 3 damage on top of that, and Strength II adds 6 more.
How much durability does Netherite Sword have?
Netherite Sword has 2031 durability, and can be repaired on an anvil with Netherite Ingot.
Can Netherite Sword be enchanted?
Yes — 9 enchantments apply to it, at an enchanting table with fifteen bookshelves, or from an enchanted book on an anvil. Mending is usually the one worth hunting for, because it removes the repair cost entirely.
The rest of the set
Netherite Sword is one of 6 variants of the same shape. The others are made from different materials, so their numbers differ:
