Minecraft players, whether they’re new or experienced, are constantly learning about the various features within the game. One feature that’s incredibly useful is the Minecraft anvil. It’s essential for repairing and renaming items, as well as combining enchantments on tools and armor. In this article, we’ll give you an in-depth guide on the Minecraft anvil, explaining what it is, how to use it, and how to make it.
What is an Anvil and How Does it Work?
An anvil is primarily used to repair any equipment you may have in Minecraft, such as armor, tools, and weapons. To repair an item, you’ll need two of the same items. For example, only a bow can repair a bow, and an Iron Sword can only repair an Iron Sword. To repair an item, place the item you want to repair in the slot on the far left and the item you want to use to repair it in the middle. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to grab the repaired item on the far right, but it’ll cost a few levels to do so.
Anvils come in handy when combining enchantments too. To enchant an item, you’ll need an Enchanted book. The enchanted book must go with whatever you’re trying to enchant. You won’t be able to put Feather Falling on a Sword, and Knockback on Armor. But once you have the proper enchantments, you’re going to want to place the item you want enchanted on the far left and the enchanted book in the middle. You’ll then be able to grab the item with its enchantment, but it’ll cost a few levels to get it.
How to Make an Anvil
Making an anvil requires 31 iron ingots. There are different ways of obtaining these ingots such as mining, trading, or finding them in chests. The Minecraft anvil recipe requires three iron blocks and four iron ingots. To craft an anvil, place three iron blocks across the top, and an iron ingot in the center of the first and third columns. That’s it! You’ve successfully crafted an anvil.
How to Use an Anvil in Minecraft
Using an anvil is pretty straightforward in Minecraft. To repair an item, place the item you want to repair in the slot on the far left and the item(s) you want to use to repair it in the middle. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to grab the repaired item on the far right, but it’ll cost a few levels to do so. Also, remember that an anvil has a maximum level required to repair an item with lots of enchantments, and that level is 39.
You can also rename any Tool, Weapon, or Armor you want by putting it in the slot on the far left. All you’ll need to do is go to the top and change the name to whatever you want. But it’ll cost you a few levels. You can also change the name while repairing or enchanting an item too. Keep in mind that the maximum length for renaming items is 35 characters.
Now for a fun fact, you can drop an anvil on mobs or a player if you want. If you plan on doing that, all you need to do is break the surface that the Anvil is on and it’ll fall until it hits the floor. The anvil will first fall for 2 hearts and six blocks it’ll do 4 hearts. The fall damage for an Anvil will cap at 40 Hearts.
Obtaining
You can obtain an anvil in Minecraft in several ways. The first is by crafting it using an iron ingot. You can also find anvils in woodland mansions or villages. They can also be traded from a villager, and sometimes they can be found in a chest in a dungeon or stronghold.
Natural Generation
Anvils naturally generate in three different locations in Minecraft: in village blacksmiths, in the chests of woodland mansions, and in the ruins of some igloos.
Crafting
The Minecraft anvil recipe requires three blocks of iron and four iron ingots to craft an anvil. Simply open up your crafting table and follow the recipe. Once you craft an anvil, you can place it anywhere.
Usage
Anvils are primarily used to repair any equipment you may have in Minecraft, such as armor, tools, and weapons. In addition to repairing items, anvils can also be used to rename them. It’s good to note that each time you use the anvil, there’s a 12% chance that it may become damaged.
Renaming
You can rename any Tool, Weapon, or Armor you want by putting it in the slot on the far left. All you’ll need to do is go to the top and change the name to whatever you want. But it’ll cost you a few levels. You can also change the name while repairing or enchanting an item too. Keep in mind that the maximum length for renaming items is 35 characters.
Falling Anvils
Falling anvils in Minecraft are a fun way to deal with mobs or other Minecraft entities. If you plan on dropping an anvil on anything, all you need to do is break the surface that the Anvil is on, and it will fall until it hits the floor. The anvil will first fall for 2 hearts and six blocks it’ll do 4 hearts. The fall damage for an Anvil will cap at 40 Hearts.
Maps
Anvils can also be used as a way to mark specific locations on the map. Using anvils, players can mark locations of interest with unique names that will appear on the game’s map.
Becoming Damaged
Anvils can become damaged over time, making them less effective. Each time you use an anvil, there’s a 12% chance that it may become damaged. The more you use an Anvil, the more it’ll begin to degrade, like a Tool or a Weapon would. You’ll know it’s degrading based on its look. When an anvil is healthy, it’ll have no cracks in it. But the more you use it, the more cracks will appear. You can usually use an Anvil 25 times before it breaks on you.
Creative Mode
In creative mode, anvils have infinite uses and won’t become damaged.
Sounds
When an anvil is placed, it makes a metallic sound effect. When the anvil is placed on a different material, it will make a different sound.
Data Values
Anvils have many different data values, which can be used in a variety of different ways. These data values can indicate what stage of use an anvil is currently at, as well as other important information.
Block States
Anvils have several block states, which can be used to track the current state of an anvil. These states can be used to determine how damaged an anvil is, as well as other information.
Achievements
In Minecraft, players can earn several achievements related to anvils. For example, players can earn the “Renewable Energy” achievement by repairing a bow with mending.
History
The Minecraft anvil was introduced in the Pretty Scary Update (also known as Minecraft 1.4), which was released in October 2012.
Issues
Over the years, players have reported several issues with anvils in Minecraft. For example, some players have reported that anvils are too expensive to use, while others have reported issues with an anvil’s durability.
Questions you might be asking
Does using an anvil break it?
No, using an anvil does not break it. However, anvils have a durability level that decreases each time they are used, so eventually, they will break and need to be replaced.
Do anvils destroy items in Minecraft?
No, anvils do not destroy items in Minecraft. In fact, they are used to repair and rename items, as well as combine enchantments.
How do anvils work?
To use an anvil, simply place it down and right-click on it to open the interface. Then, place the item you want to repair, rename, or enchant in the first slot, along with any necessary materials (such as additional items or experience levels) in the the other adjacent slots. You can then select the desired repair, rename, or enchantment by clicking on it in the interface. Keep in mind that using an anvil will decrease its durability level, so it’s important to use it wisely.
What does a broken anvil do?
A broken anvil cannot be used for repairs, renaming, or enchanting items until it is repaired itself. To repair a broken anvil, you will need to combine it with a new, undamaged anvil in a crafting grid. The durability of the repaired anvil will be the sum of both the original anvil’s durability and the new anvil’s durability.
