How to make an Anvil in Minecraft: Recipe guide, uses, repairs & enchantments

❘ Published: 2022-11-09T19:37:09

Minecraft

An anvil is a key tool for any Minecraft player’s survival world, as it can upgrade armor, tools, weapons, and even name creatures.

While a furnace and a crafting table will be the only utility blocks you need in Minecraft’s early game, as your resources grow, it’s important you invest in new tools as you advance in the game.

When players acquire better diamond tools, it becomes important to upgrade those tools with enchantments. For that, you’ll need an anvil.

This hefty tool will set you back a lot of iron ore, but that investment will easily be repaid. Here is how to craft an anvil, and all the uses you can get from it;.

What materials are needed to build an anvil in Minecraft?

An anvil isn’t a utility block that you’ll be able to craft in the early game of a Minecraft survival world. As the tool requires so many resources to create, it’s important to make sure you’re fully set up with the basics before you attempt to craft an anvil.

In order to make an anvil, you will need to gather 4 iron ore and 3 iron blocks (or 31 iron ore total to craft the necessary iron blocks) and bring them to your crafting table.

How do you make an anvil in Minecraft?

Minecraft Anvil recipe

Once you have your four iron ingots and three blocks of iron, arrange them in the recipe displayed in the image above.

Situate the four iron ingots in a “t” formation in the bottom two rows, then fill the top row with the three iron blocks. Do that, and you’ll then have your very own anvil!

What is an anvil used for in Minecraft?

Anvils can be used to upgrade and repair your armor, tools, and weapons, as well as to customize nametags.

How do you repair items with an anvil?

To repair an item in an anvil, simply place the item in need of repair in the first slot, then place the necessary component ores in the second slot. For instance, to repair a diamond pickaxe, you will need enough diamonds to repair the pickaxe to the desired health.

However, note that repairing tools, armor, and weapons in an anvil all requires experience, so make sure you’ve hit up your XP farm to get the necessary levels.

How can you combine items and enchantments with an anvil?

Some players are unaware that it is possible to combine enchantments from two identical items if they’re both placed in the anvil. For example, two diamond Unbroken I pickaxes can be put in an anvil together to create one diamond Unbroken II pickaxe.

This is great for preserving valuable enchantments and upgrading your items without the need for an enchanting table.

Can you rename items with the anvil?

How to use a name tag in minecraft

Anvils can be used rename Minecraft items, which can be useful to distinguish between your equipment if you have multiple swords, boots, or pickaxes.

By placing the desired item in the anvil, you can click on the name of the item and change it. Doing so will cost one level of experience.

How and why to use the anvil to change nametags in Minecraft

Finally, players can use the anvil alongside name tags to rename various creatures and items in their Minecraft world. Simply follow these steps:

Ensure you have an anvil, name tag, and sufficient XP
Use the anvil and place the name tag inside the utility block
Type in your desired name
Remove the name tag from the anvil
Equip the name tag and apply it to the mob or item of your choice!

It’s worth noting that name tags cannot be crafted, they have to be looted from dungeons and chests so make sure you’re on the lookout for these rare items while you’re out exploring.

Remember to take your time when choosing a name, the tags are incredibly rare so it’s important you don’t waste them.