Defense · Combat · 1.21

How to Make a Shield

The single best piece of early defense. Six planks, one iron, and suddenly arrows bounce off you and skeletons stop being a problem. Here is how it blocks, and how it can be beaten.

The recipe

Six planks in a heater outline, one iron ingot top-centre.

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Any plank type works. Grab the exact grid on Astroworld crafting or look up the iron ingot.

What it stops, and what beats it

It blocks

✓Melee swings from the front, the hit is fully negated

✓Arrows and most projectiles, including tridents and fireballs

✓Explosion damage from the front is sharply reduced

✓Knockback, so you hold your ground while blocking

It does not

✗An axe hit disables the shield for about 5 seconds

✗You move slower while blocking, and in Java cannot attack

✗Hits from the side or behind ignore it entirely

✗It will not block while it is on cooldown from an axe

Give it a crest

Combine a shield with a banner on the crafting grid and its pattern is painted straight onto the face.

Per bend

Roundel

Base

How long it lasts

A shield soaks up about 336 points of damage before it breaks. Top it up with more planks or an iron ingot on an anvil or grindstone, or fit Mending and Unbreaking and it effectively never wears out.

Quick answers

What is the recipe?

Six planks and one iron ingot. Planks fill a heater outline and the iron sits top-centre. Any wood type works.

How do I actually block?

Hold use (right-click by default) to raise it. Keep holding to keep blocking. You can block while walking, just slower.

Why did my shield stop working?

Something hit you with an axe. That disables the shield for about five seconds, which is the main way enemies and players counter it.

Can I put a design on it?

Yes. Combine a shield with a banner on the crafting grid and the banner pattern is painted onto the shield.

Does it block from every direction?

No. Only attacks from the front are stopped. Hits from the side or behind get through, so keep facing the threat.

How long does it last?

About 336 uses of damage. Repair it with more planks or an iron ingot on an anvil or grindstone, or keep it alive with Mending.

Pair it with good armor enchantslook up the shield, banner and iron ingot in the items database, or open the crafting recipes for the exact grid.

Blocking, banners and the axe problem

Blocking is a stance with a delay

A shield takes a moment to come up after you press use, and damage that lands during that moment is not blocked at all. Against a skeleton this barely matters, but against a creeper it decides whether you take the hit or not, so raise the shield before you close the distance rather than at the moment of impact.

An axe disables it

Any axe hit, from a player or from a vindicator, knocks the shield out of use for several seconds and the cooldown shows on the icon. This is the reason a shield alone is not an answer to a woodland mansion: the mobs that hurt most there are exactly the ones that carry axes, and a second weapon in the off hand is not an option while blocking.

A banner on a shield keeps the pattern

Combine a shield with a banner and the shield takes the banner's design permanently. The banner is consumed, so make it twice if you want both, and note that only the first six pattern layers survive the transfer, which is worth planning before you spend dyes on a seventh.