Anvils. Quite the odd blocks, aren’t they? Although they weren’t in Minecraft forever, they’re quite old. Added in 1.4, back when Notch was allowed at Minecon, these are very useful blocks that are required to do a lot of cool and interesting functions. Notch alluded to the addition of Anvils back in 2010, only to have them added in 2012, two years later! In this brief guide, we will go over how they work, what they can do, and the best way to obtain them.
How To Make An Anvil In Minecraft
You can obtain Anvils in two different ways. You can either craft one, or find one in a Woodland Mansion.
To craft it, you’ll need these materials:
-3 Iron Blocks (27 Ingots)
-4 Iron Ingots
Anvil Unique Functions
Anvils unlock some unique functions that are otherwise unobtainable. You can use them to name items, and also mobs. To name an item, just place it in the Anvil and change the name. This will cost some experience points. To name a mob, you must find a name tag, then place it in the Anvil and name it whatever you intend on naming the mob. Then, with the newly named tag (see what I did there?) you will right-click on the mob. Anvils can repair Elytra, Turtle Shells, and Chainmail armor.
Anvils are the only way to add enchanted books onto tools or armor. You can also use the Anvil to combine enchanted books of the same variety to increase the level by 1. For example, Sharpness I and Sharpness I combine to create Sharpness II.
Anvils (somewhat) obey the laws of physics! Like sand, if there is nothing below an anvil, it will fall to the ground. The resulting fall will also deal a hefty amount of damage depending on how far the drop. The maximum amount of damage it can deal is 20 hearts.
Grindstone vs. Anvil
The Grindstone and Anvil both have different benefits and downsides to using them. A Grindstone can be used to combine tools/armor at no cost, with an added 5% durability as well. An Anvil can repair just like the grindstone, but not only can you keep the enchantments, you can also partially repair an item by using the ore that created that item. This is better, however, Anvils have around ~12% to be damaged upon use. If an Anvil is damaged three times, it breaks fully. This means Anvils average around 25 uses before breaking. Another downside is that repairing items with an Anvil costs experience while using the Grindstone is free. Anvils also require lots of iron, over three blocks. One isn’t meant to be better than the other, rather they’re useful in different ways. It’s best to have both.
Conclusion
That’s everything there is to know about Anvils. Ever since Mojang added this block, it has been integral in upgrading armor and keeping mobs loaded in. It’s also just a generally good looking block for builders! They probably won’t add any new functions to the block, as they haven’t in over half a decade. This is the complete culmination of its uses. Until next time!
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The Grindstone and Anvil both have different benefits and downsides to using them. A Grindstone can be used to combine tools/armor at no cost, with an added 5% durability as well. An Anvil can repair just like the grindstone, but not only can you keep the enchantments, you can also partially repair an item by using the ore that created that item. This is better, however, Anvils have around ~12% to be damaged upon use. If an Anvil is damaged three times, it breaks fully. This means Anvils average around 25 uses before breaking. Another downside is that repairing items with an Anvil costs experience while using the Grindstone is free. Anvils also require lots of iron, over three blocks. One isn’t meant to be better than the other, rather they’re useful in different ways. It’s best to have both.