Cover Me in Debris: How to Get Full Netherite Armor in Minecraft
Step-by-step guide to the Cover Me in Debris advancement. Efficient Ancient Debris mining, netherite crafting, smithing templates and gear progression.
Cover Me in Debris requires you to wear a full set of netherite armor: helmet, chestplate, leggings and boots. Netherite is the rarest craftable material in Minecraft, so this advancement represents a significant time investment. This guide covers the fastest way to mine Ancient Debris, craft Netherite Ingots and upgrade your diamond armor.
What you need
For a full set of netherite armor you need:
- 4 Netherite Ingots (one per armor piece)
- Each Netherite Ingot requires 4 Netherite Scrap + 4 Gold Ingots
- Each Netherite Scrap comes from smelting 1 Ancient Debris
- Total: 16 Ancient Debris + 16 Gold Ingots
- 4 Netherite Upgrade Smithing Templates (one per piece, consumed on use)
- A full set of Diamond Armor to upgrade
Finding Ancient Debris
Ancient Debris generates in the Nether between y=8 and y=119, with peak concentration at y=15. It never spawns exposed to air and always has netherrack or other blocks surrounding it. Here are the three main mining methods:
Method 1: Bed explosions (most popular)
Beds explode when you try to sleep in the Nether. This is the cheapest explosive method:
- Mine to y=15 in the Nether.
- Dig a 1x1 tunnel forward.
- Every 4-6 blocks, dig a small alcove to the side.
- Place a bed at the end of the alcove, stand back 3 blocks, and right-click the bed.
- The explosion clears a large area, revealing any Ancient Debris nearby.
- Ancient Debris is blast-resistant and will survive the explosion.
Bring fire resistance potions. The explosions set fires and deal significant damage. Full Protection IV diamond armor is recommended.
Method 2: TNT mining (fastest but expensive)
Place TNT in a straight line at y=15 and detonate. TNT clears more blocks than beds but requires gunpowder and sand, which are harder to farm in large quantities. If you have a creeper farm, this is the fastest method by far.
Method 3: Branch mining (safest)
Dig a main tunnel at y=15 with branch tunnels every 2 blocks. This is the slowest method but the safest, with no explosion damage and no fire risk. Use an Efficiency V diamond or netherite pickaxe to speed things up. Netherrack breaks almost instantly with high-efficiency picks.
Finding Netherite Upgrade Smithing Templates
As of 1.20+, you need a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template to upgrade each piece. These are found in Bastion Remnants. Each Bastion typically contains one template. You need four, so either:
- Find four different Bastions (each structure has one template chest).
- Duplicate templates: place a Smithing Template + 7 Diamonds + 1 Netherrack in a crafting table to get 2 templates. You only need to find one naturally, then duplicate it three times.
Crafting process
- Smelt Ancient Debris: Place 16 Ancient Debris in a furnace or blast furnace. Each produces 1 Netherite Scrap. A blast furnace is twice as fast.
- Craft Netherite Ingots: Combine 4 Netherite Scrap + 4 Gold Ingots in a crafting table. Repeat 4 times for 4 ingots.
- Upgrade at Smithing Table: Place the Smithing Template in the left slot, Diamond armor piece in the middle, Netherite Ingot on the right. The armor retains all enchantments, durability and custom names.
Preparation checklist
- Full Diamond Armor set (enchant it before upgrading as enchanting diamond is cheaper)
- Fire Resistance potions (8 minutes extended, at least 6)
- 64+ beds or stacks of TNT for explosion mining
- Diamond or Netherite Pickaxe with Efficiency V and Fortune III (Fortune does not affect Ancient Debris but it helps with gold ore)
- Food and building blocks for bridging
- 16 Gold Ingots (mine Nether Gold Ore with Fortune III for fast gold)
Common mistakes
- Mining at the wrong y-level. y=15 is optimal. Mining at y=50 or higher yields almost no Ancient Debris.
- Forgetting Smithing Templates. In 1.20+ you cannot upgrade at a smithing table without the template. Find one in a Bastion first.
- Not enchanting diamond armor before upgrading. Enchantments carry over. It is cheaper to enchant diamond than to re-enchant netherite.
- Using Fortune on Ancient Debris. Fortune does not increase Ancient Debris drops. Silk Touch is also unnecessary as it always drops itself.
Want to chase advancements on a custom server? Astroworld MC runs economy survival with custom bosses, eternal enchants, crossplay and an active community. IP: play.astroworldmc.com, Java + Bedrock.