Java Edition:Zero Durability Equipment
To do: Most of the items has to be removed from the page via resolution of MC-136374 and so page must be renamed to Invalid Zero Durability Equipment or split.
In current versions of the game, an item breaks when it is used at 1 durability. However, before 18w30b, items could be used up to 0 durability. Even after the change of the 1 durability, there have been other ways to work around the cap. Some methods still work in current versions. Every piece of equipment in the game can have 0 durability except most netherite equipment (excluding boots and helmets) and elytras.
Obtaining
Usage
Items could be used to 0 durability from Indev 0.31 20100201-1 to 18w30a (1.13.1 snapshot). In 18w30b (1.13.1 snapshot) the 0 durability bug was fixed.[1] This caused tools to break when the durability was at 0 when previously they would remain. The tools available in 18w30a were:
- Wooden, stone, iron, gold/diamond pickaxes, swords, shovels, axes and hoes
- Leather, chainmail, gold, iron/diamond helmets, chestplates, leggings and boots
- Bows
- Turtle shells
- Shields
- Tridents
- Fishing rods
- Flint and steel
- Shears
- Carrot on a stick
These all worked from the respective item's introduction until the durability change.
Mob Drops
Armor and items that a mob spawn with have a chance to drop 0 durability items.[2] This works from 12w32a (mobs can hold items) to 24w20a (present) (future discontinued feature). This is the only available method to get zero durability crossbows and warped fungus on a stick because they were added after the using method above was fixed. This trick can be used to get this specific equipment even presently:
- Armor - any except netherite & turtle shell from skeleton, zombies, husks, strays, and piglins
- Bow - drop from skeletons starting in 12w32a (1.4 snapshot) or strays starting in 16w20a (1.10 snapshot)
- Crossbow - drop from pillagers starting in 18w43a and piglins starting in 20w07a
- Stone Sword - drop from wither skeletons starting in 12w36a (1.4 snapshot)
- Golden Sword - drop from zombie pigmen starting in 12w32a (1.2 snapshot) or piglins starting in 20w07a (1.16 snapshot)
- Iron Sword - drop from zombies holding them naturally starting in 12w32a (1.4 snapshot), husks holding them naturally starting in 16w20a (1.10 snapshot), or vexes starting in 16w39a (1.11 snapshot)
- Iron Axe - drop from vindicators holding them naturally starting in 16w39a (1.11 snapshot)
- Iron Shovel - drop from zombies holding them naturally starting in 12w32a (1.4 snapshot) and husks holding them naturally starting in 16w20a (1.10 snapshot)
- Fishing Rod - drop from drowned starting in 18w11a (1.13 snapshot)
- Trident - drop from drowned starting in 18w11a (1.13 snapshot)
- Warped Fungus on a Stick - drop from zombified piglins on top of striders starting in 1.16.2 Pre-release 1
- Note: Mobs can be variants of themselves for example zombie can be baby zombie or zombie villager
Shears in Dispenser
From 18w43a to 18w43c, shears used by a dispenser had no check on the durability.[3] This method could be used to create shears with 0 durability, but more interestingly could be used to get Negative Durability.
Soul Speed Boots
In 20w11a, Soul Speed was first added the damage caused by walking on soul sand/soil had no durability check. Using this method the iron boots could be brought to 0 durability but more interestingly Negative Durability. If the player wants the Soul Speed enchantment can later be removed using a grindstone. This is the only method to get 0 durability netherite boots because these were added after the using method, can't spawn on mobs, and upgrading zero diamond durability armor in a smithing table will add some durability.
Helmet Damaged by Sunlight
Mobs that burn in sunlight and can wear helmets occasionally do not check the durability of the damage caused to their helmets. This can be used from 12w36a (1.4 snapshot) to 1.16.2 in order to get zero durability helmets or more interestingly negative durability helmets. This is separate from the Mob Drops method because it does not have to be a piece of armor that spawned with, the player can give a can pick up loot mob the helmet that the sunlight turns into a zero durability helmet. This method works on leather, chainmail, iron, gold, and diamond which all can naturally spawn on the mobs. However, it can also be used on netherite helmets and turtle shells which are not possible using the mob drop method because mobs do not spawn with them.
Combining Negative Durability Items
Combining equipment in a crafting table or grindstone includes a small 5% durability bonus. By combining slightly negative equipment, the player can line it up so that it results in zero durability equipment. The four available items this can be done with are shears, boots, helmets, and golden hoes. All methods to get negative durability items can be used to directly get zero durability as well (described above). In order to get exactly zero, there is an exact amount of collective durability needed on both pieces added together to counteract the bonus. For example, the collective negative durability to get a zero durability golden boots is -4 so crafting a -3 and -1 durability golden boots together would result in a zero durability golden boots because -3 + -1 = -4. Additionally, positive durability can be combined to reach the collective negative durability. For example, a -14 durability golden boots combined with a 10 durability golden boots to still result in a zero durability golden boots because -14 + 10 = -4.
| Equipment | Collective Negative Durability |
|---|---|
| Shears | -11 |
| Golden Hoe | 0[4] |
| Leather Boots | -3 |
| Chainmail Boots | -9 |
| Iron Boots | -9 |
| Golden Boots | -4 |
| Diamond Boots | -21 |
| Netherite Boots | -24 |
| Leather Helmet | -2 |
| Chainmail Helmet | -8 |
| Iron Helmet | -8 |
| Golden Helmet | -3 |
| Diamond Helmet | -18 |
| Netherite Helmet | -20 |
| Turtle Shell | -13 |
Combos
These discontinued items can have zero durability:
- Fortune and Silk Touch Tool
- Incompatible Enchantments Trident
- Infinity and Mending Book/Bow
- Invalid Projectile Crossbow
- Luck of the Sea/Lure Carrot on a Stick
- Silk Touch Shears
- Multiple Types of Protection Armor
- Multishot 2-12
The items with zero durability can also have these characteristics:
See also
- Negative Durability Boots
- Negative Durability Golden Hoe
- Negative Durability Helmet
- Negative Durability Shears