Where to Find the Netherite Upgrade Template and How to Duplicate It

In Minecraft, the progression from diamond to netherite is no longer a simple matter of combining a tool with an ingot. Since the 1.20 Trails & Tales update, players must acquire a specific item known as the Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template. Without this template, your netherite ingots are essentially decorative bricks.

To get a Netherite Upgrade Template, you must travel to the Nether and locate a Bastion Remnant. These templates are found exclusively in chests within these massive blackstone structures. While most chests in a Bastion have a roughly 10% chance of containing one, the "Treasure Room" variant of the Bastion features a guaranteed spawn in its central chest.

What Is the Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template?

The Netherite Upgrade Template is a utility item used in the Smithing Table. It serves as a required "blueprint" that allows a netherite ingot to bond with diamond equipment. Unlike armor trims, which are purely aesthetic, the upgrade template is functional and essential for late-game survival.

One critical detail many players overlook is that the template is consumed upon use. If you have a full set of diamond armor and a sword, you will need five separate templates to upgrade them all. Because finding five Bastions can be a suicidal mission even for geared players, the game provides a way to "clone" or duplicate these templates using diamonds.

Where to Find the Netherite Upgrade Template

The only place these templates generate naturally is within Bastion Remnants in the Nether dimension. You cannot find them in Nether Fortresses, ruined portals, or End Cities.

Identifying the Right Bastion

Bastions come in four distinct types, and your odds of finding a template depend heavily on which one you stumble upon:

Treasure Room Bastions: These are the gold mines for templates. They usually feature two large ramparts surrounding a central, lower platform suspended over lava. On this platform, you will find a Magma Cube spawner and one or more chests. The central chest in a Treasure Room Bastion has a 100% spawn rate for the Netherite Upgrade Template.
Hoglin Stables: These look like ruined enclosures filled with Hoglins. The loot here is decent, but the template spawn rate in these chests is approximately 10%.
Bridge Bastions: These look like large, broken walkways extending into the air. Chests here also have a 10% chance to hold a template.
Housing Units: These are tiered structures with many small rooms. Like the others, the chests here offer a 10% chance.

How to Locate Bastion Remnants

Bastions generate in any Nether biome except for Basalt Deltas. If you are struggling to find one, look for large, dark masses of Blackstone against the red or blue fog. In technical terms, they generate in "Nether regions" that don't already contain a Nether Fortress. If you see a Fortress, you likely won't see a Bastion in the immediate vicinity.

Surviving the Bastion Raid

Finding the structure is only half the battle. Bastions are arguably the most dangerous structures in Minecraft due to their inhabitants: Piglins and Piglin Brutes.

The Piglin Brute Factor

Standard Piglins can be pacified by wearing a piece of gold armor (like gold boots). However, Piglin Brutes are different. They carry golden axes, have high health, and will attack you on sight regardless of what you are wearing. They do not get distracted by gold ingots dropped on the floor.

In our testing, the most effective way to deal with Brutes is to use ranged weapons or to "pillar up" three blocks. Since Brutes cannot reach you at that height, you can safely dispatch them with a sword or bow. Do not try to tank their hits; a Brute can kill a player in iron armor in just a few swings.

The "Hopper Trick" for Looting

Opening a chest in a Bastion will turn all nearby Piglins hostile, even the ones you've pacified with gold armor. To avoid a massive brawl, place a Hopper underneath or to the side of the chest. The Hopper will pull the items out of the chest and into its own inventory (or a separate chest you place below it) without "triggering" the Piglin's anger. This is the safest way to extract a template from a guarded room.

How to Duplicate the Netherite Upgrade Template

Because the template is consumed when you upgrade an item, you should never use your last template. Instead, use the duplication recipe to create more.

The Duplication Recipe

To duplicate a template, you need a Crafting Table and the following materials:

1x Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template
7x Diamonds
1x Netherrack

Place the template in the top-middle slot of the 3x3 grid, the Netherrack in the very center slot, and fill the remaining seven slots with diamonds. This will yield two templates. Effectively, you are spending seven diamonds to turn one template into two.

The True Cost of a Full Set

Upgrading a full set of armor (4 pieces) and a basic toolset (Sword, Pickaxe, Axe) requires seven upgrades.

If you find one template and duplicate it, you will need 49 diamonds just for the duplication process.
This makes diamonds a vital "currency" for late-game progression, even after you've moved past diamond gear.

How to Use the Template in a Smithing Table

Once you have your template and a Netherite Ingot, you need a Smithing Table. If you don't have one, you can craft it using two iron ingots over a 2x2 square of wood planks.

Open the Smithing Table UI. You will see three slots on the left and one output slot on the right.
Place the Template: Put the Netherite Upgrade Template in the leftmost slot.
Place the Gear: Put your diamond tool or armor piece in the middle slot.
Place the Ingot: Put a Netherite Ingot in the third slot.
Retrieve the Result: The output slot will show your new Netherite item.

Does Upgrading Remove Enchantments?

No. One of the best features of the Smithing Table is that it preserves all enchantments, custom names, and durability. If you have a "Mending, Efficiency V" Diamond Pickaxe, it will remain a "Mending, Efficiency V" Pickaxe after the upgrade. It also retains any prior work penalty, so you don't have to worry about the "Too Expensive!" anvil error as much.

Recommended Upgrade Order

Since Netherite Ingots and templates are expensive, you should prioritize your upgrades based on utility and survival.

Priority	Item	Reason
1	Netherite Pickaxe	Increased durability and mining speed help you find more Ancient Debris faster.
2	Netherite Chestplate	Offers the highest armor value and knockback resistance, which is vital in the Nether.
3	Netherite Sword	Significant damage boost and high durability for dealing with Wardens or Withers.
4	Remaining Armor	Leggings, Boots, and Helmet provide additional defense and knockback resistance.
5	Other Tools	Axe, Shovel, and Hoe should be last as their diamond versions are usually sufficient.

How to Find Ancient Debris for Your Ingots

Having a template is useless without Netherite Ingots. To craft one ingot, you need 4 Netherite Scraps and 4 Gold Ingots. Scraps are obtained by smelling Ancient Debris.

The Bed Mining Method

Ancient Debris most commonly generates at Y-level 15. Because Ancient Debris is blast-resistant, many players use explosions to clear out the surrounding Netherrack.

Go to Y=15.
Dig a long tunnel.
Every few blocks, dig a small side hole, place a Bed, and try to sleep in it.
Warning: Beds explode in the Nether. Ensure you stand behind a block or use a shield to avoid the blast. This explosion will vaporize Netherrack but leave Ancient Debris exposed.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using the Only Template: The most common tragedy is a player using their only template on a chestplate and then realizing they have to find another Bastion for their leggings. Always keep one template in a chest at home as a master copy.
Confusing Armor Trims with Upgrades: There are many templates in Minecraft (like the "Snout" or "Ward" trims). These are for decoration only. If the template icon doesn't have a dark grey/purple hue and isn't specifically named "Netherite Upgrade," it won't work for gear progression.
Mining Debris with an Iron Pickaxe: Ancient Debris requires a Diamond or Netherite Pickaxe. If you use iron, the block will break and drop nothing.
Raiding without Fire Resistance: Bastions are surrounded by lava. A single splash potion of Fire Resistance can be the difference between a successful raid and losing all your gear in a lava lake.

Summary of the Upgrade Process

To successfully transition to the strongest gear in the game, follow this checklist:

Locate a Bastion Remnant (preferably a Treasure Room).
Loot the Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template (use hoppers for safety).
Return to your base and use 7 Diamonds and 1 Netherrack to duplicate the template.
Mine Ancient Debris at Y=15 using the bed explosion method.
Smelt the debris and combine 4 scraps with 4 gold to make a Netherite Ingot.
Use the Smithing Table to combine the template, diamond gear, and ingot.

FAQ

Can I craft a Netherite Upgrade Template from scratch?

No. In vanilla Minecraft, the first template must be found in a Bastion Remnant chest. It cannot be crafted using raw materials until you have at least one to act as a base for duplication.

Why did Minecraft change the netherite crafting recipe?

Mojang introduced templates in version 1.20 to make netherite gear feel more like a "trophy" and to slow down the speed at which players reach the end-game state. It also gave diamonds a permanent use in the late-game economy.

Are there any other types of upgrade templates?

In the base game (Vanilla), the Netherite Upgrade is currently the only upgrade template. All other smithing templates are "Armor Trims" used for visual customization. However, some mods like "Forged Path" add templates for lower tiers like Iron or Gold.

What is the fastest way to find a Bastion?

If you have cheats enabled or are on a private server with admin rights, you can use the command /locate structure bastion_remnant. For legitimate survival players, the best way is to travel along one axis (e.g., North) in the Nether and use a high render distance.

Do Villagers sell Netherite Upgrade Templates?

No. Unlike enchanted books or diamond tools, Smithing Templates are not part of any Villager trade table. They are strictly exploration-based loot.