Fans of Minecraft are well aware that the game offers countless possibilities for creating impressive builds. Customizing bases with decorative items is a popular method players use to enhance their creations.
Banners, which are tall blocks, serve as a versatile option for making any base unique. These banners can be personalized in various ways to add character to a structure. Additionally, players can customize their shields by combining a completed banner with a shield using a crafting table. While some banners can be discovered in chests and villages within the Minecraft world, the simplest way to obtain one is by crafting it.
Gather Wool
To create a banner, players must gather six blocks of wool of the same color. Wool blocks can be obtained from sheep and can be dyed to any desired color.
For beginners, obtaining wool might be challenging depending on the availability of sheep near their base. Sheep are common passive animals in Minecraft and are typically found in grassland biomes.
When a player locates a sheep, it's advisable to construct a fence around it to prevent it from wandering away and to establish a wool farming system. Once the sheep is enclosed, players can use shears to collect a single wool block.
Having multiple sheep speeds up the process; relying on a single sheep requires waiting for it to eat grass and regrow its wool after each shearing.
Gather Sticks
Sticks are readily available in Minecraft, especially in the early stages of the game. Players can obtain sticks by breaking blocks on trees.
A fast method to collect a substantial amount of sticks is to harvest the blocks forming the tree trunk. After removing the tree trunk, any remaining floating blocks gradually disintegrate, releasing sticks, saplings, and apples.
This approach not only prevents the risk of fall damage in survival mode but also allows players to efficiently chop down numerous trees within minutes, eliminating the need to break each individual leaf block.
Combine Materials
After acquiring one stick and six wool blocks, players can create a banner using a crafting table. If a crafting table isn't available, players can gather three wood blocks and craft them into wooden planks, which can then be used to make a crafting table.
To craft a banner, place the six wool blocks in the top slots and the stick in the center bottom slot on the crafting table, as illustrated above. Depending on the gameplay settings, the recipe might automatically appear in the player's known recipes once they obtain the initial wool block.
Customizing Banners
During the crafting process, banners can be personalized by dyeing the wool blocks in a chosen color, resulting in a banner of that specific hue.
Numerous patterns are at players' disposal, enabling the creation of diverse custom designs. A single banner allows for the incorporation of up to six distinct patterns, a number that can be expanded to sixteen through the use of console commands.
In the Java Edition of Minecraft, patterns can be crafted on a loom, while in the Bedrock edition, patterns can be made on both the loom and crafting table. To craft a loom, two strings and two wooden planks are required.
The loom features three slots for the banner, dye, and an optional banner pattern item. Optional pattern items can be crafted by combining a piece of paper with specific items, such as:
- Enchanted Golden Apple - Former Mojang Studios logo
- Wither Skeleton Skull - Skeleton skull and crossbones
- Creeper Head - Creeper face
- Oxeye Daisy - Daisy
- Bricks - Brick pattern (Bedrock Edition)
- Vines -Vine pattern (Bedrock Edition)
Combining these optional pattern items with the available patterns results in a variety of visual effects for the banners.
An alternative method to acquire banners in Minecraft is by encountering Illagers, a hostile variation of Villagers. Illagers are unfriendly toward both players and regular Villagers, so it's advisable to be well-armed with a sword and armor when dealing with them, as they are usually found in groups and can be quite aggressive. However, players might come across a specific type of Illager called an Illager Captain, recognizable by the banner on its back. Upon defeating the Illager Captain, players can obtain its unique Ominous Banner.
The Illager Banner is distinct to Minecraft, and its design cannot be replicated using a Loom. These banners can be found either from Illager Captains or within Pillager Outpost Watchtowers. While displaying an Illager Banner does not deter Illagers, it serves as a meaningful trophy showcasing a player's strength against these troublesome adversaries.
Woodland Mansion Banners
Woodland Mansions in Minecraft are a highly uncommon sight, and they are fraught with various hazards that players should prepare for before venturing into this battle-packed journey through an Illager stronghold. However, for the courageous souls, there are several types of Banners waiting to be found.
Exploring a Woodland Mansion can yield the following Banners. While some of these can be crafted using a Loom, it's valuable to be aware of what can be uncovered in the wilderness:
Banners such as Gray Banner, Light Gray Banner, Ominous Banner, and Black Banner can be discovered.
Magenta Banner
In areas beyond Minecraft's typical biomes, there is another Banner waiting to be found. For players who have successfully reached The End, the vastness of End Cities and their hidden treasures become accessible. Within these cities, a Magenta Banner can be discovered, featuring a distinctive color scheme that portrays a civilization previously unknown to Minecraft players.
How to make dye
To have access to colored banners, crafters need to have dyes. Here is the full list of dyes in the game and what items make each dye type:
| Color of Dye | How to Obtain |
| White Dye | Bone Meal or Lily of the Valley |
| Light Gray Dye | Azure Bluet, Oxeye Daisy, White Tulip, or combining White Dye with Gray Dye |
| Gray Dye | Combining Black Dye/Ink Sac with Bone Meal/White Dye |
| Black Dye | Ink Sacs or Wither Rose |
| Brown Dye | Cocoa Beans |
| Red Dye | Poppy, Rose Bush, Red Tulip, or Beetroots |
| Orange Dye | Orange Tulip or combining Red Dye and Yellow Dye |
| Yellow Dye | Dandelions or Sunflowers |
| Lime Dye | Combining Green Dye and White Dye or smelting Sea Pickles |
| Green Dye | Smelting Cactus |
| Cyan Dye | Combining Green Dye and Lapis Lazuli/Blue Dye |
| Light Blue Dye | Combining Lapis Lazuli/Blue Dye with Bone Meal/White Dye |
| Blue Dye | Lapis Lazuli |
| Purple Dye | Combining Red Dye with Lapis Lazuli/Blue Dye |
| Magenta Dye | Lilac, Allium, or combining Purple Dye and Pink Dye |
| Pink Dye | Peony, Pink Tulip, or combining Red Dye and White Dye |
>>> Read more:8 Best Biomes For Survival In Minecraft 2023
