Ranking all types of tools in Minecraft

Assorted iron tools that can be made in-game (Image via Mojang)
Assorted iron tools that can be made in-game (Image via Mojang)

When setting out to do their work in Minecraft, players have access to a wide arrangement of tools which they can craft and utilize for different purposes.

Depending on the job, Minecraft players will typically have a tool to address it. Certain tools collect materials and blocks, others allow unique interactions with certain blocks or entities, while some merely provide information.

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Although there are a significant number of tools in-game, some are way more handy than others. However, that doesn't mean certain tools are useless; they simply don't provide the utility that others do.

In this article, we rank the game's best tools and break them down to get a clear picture of which ones provide the best usability.


Minecraft: Best ranked tools by usability

10) Clock

Clocks keep track of the time, as one might expect (Image via StreamUP)
Clocks keep track of the time, as one might expect (Image via StreamUP)

Formed with gold ingots and redstone dust, clocks keep track of the sun/moon's position in the sky. This allows clocks to keep track of in-game time, though it doesn't work as intended in the Nether or the End. While this is helpful to some degree, most players can simply check the time by looking at the position of the sun or moon. Clocks can be useful for forecasting the arrival of nightfall or daybreak, but otherwise, they don't have a ton of utility.


9) Compass

Compasses can be a big help for players who might get lost while exploring (Image via Mojang)
Compasses can be a big help for players who might get lost while exploring (Image via Mojang)

Minecraft worlds are vast to say the very least, and it can be easy to lose your way in them. Fortunately, with a few iron ingots and some redstone dust, players can craft compasses.

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These nifty devices will point to the world's spawn point by default, but they can also be attached to lodestone blocks. When bound to a lodestone, the compass will point to the lodestone's position instead of the spawn point. However, players should be aware that if the lodestone is broken, the compass will operate erratically.


8) Lead

Leads are capable of leashing mobs among other things (Image via Mojang)
Leads are capable of leashing mobs among other things (Image via Mojang)

If a player's mobs keep roaming away or they want to corral a mob to a certain location, a lead can be a big help. Formed out of strings and slimeballs, leads can be attached to mobs before being placed on certain blocks to tie mobs off and restrict them to a certain area.

Furthemore, the player can place a lead on a mob and pull it along, much like a leash. Sometimes players don't even need to use a mob, as it is possible to create rope bridged by placing leads between fence posts at a certain angle.


7) Shears

The in-game model for shears (Image via Friday Night Lag/Youtube)
The in-game model for shears (Image via Friday Night Lag/Youtube)

Primarily used for shearing wool from sheep, shears have a few other uses as well; they can be used to break certain blocks, such as cobwebs, leaves, vines, and more.

Furthermore, shears can also be used to crop certain plants and keep them from growing to a certain height, including kelp, cave vines, twisting vines, and weeping vines. Unfortunately, this cropping feature can only be utilized in Minecraft: Java Edition at the moment, but hopefully it makes itself available on Minecraft: Bedrock Edition platforms in the future as well.

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6) Fishing Rod

Fishing rods aren't just for fishing (Image via Rajcraft/Youtube)
Fishing rods aren't just for fishing (Image via Rajcraft/Youtube)

Sometimes, Minecraft players simply want to relax and cast their line out into the water. Doing so can often yield tasty fish for the players and their pets, but also various treasures that change depending on the biome that players are fishing in. The utility of fishing rods doesn't stop there; they're capable of hooking on to mobs, allowing players to reel in and strike enemies (this is a notorious method for dealing with ghasts).


5) Flint and Steel

Flint and steel is a great fire starter (Image via Rajcraft/Youtube)
Flint and steel is a great fire starter (Image via Rajcraft/Youtube)

Made with an iron ingot and a piece of flint in Minecraft, flint and steel is the go-to tool for starting a fire. Furthermore, this helpful item can be utilized to detonate TNT or redstone wire attached to it as a fuse. It can even light Nether portals and force creepers to explode. Lastly, for a cozy feeling, flint and steel can be utilized to light unlit campfires, candles, and birthday cake candles.

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If a Minecraft player decides to place a flint and steel inside of a dispenser, the block can even ignite adjacent objects when activated.


4) Hoe

Wooden hoes aren't ideal farming tools, but they serve their purpose (Image via TapL/Youtube)
Wooden hoes aren't ideal farming tools, but they serve their purpose (Image via TapL/Youtube)

Used for the vital activity of farming in Minecraft, hoes can till grass and dirt blocks into farmland, which can then have crops planted in them.

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In addition to creating important farmland for crops, hoes are also capable of harvesting certain crops faster than breaking them by hand, making these tools invaluable when creating renewable food sources.


3) Shovels

Assorted shovels of different materials (Image via Turbosquid)
Assorted shovels of different materials (Image via Turbosquid)

No tool clears out excess blocks quite like shovels in Minecraft. Capable of breaking dirt, sand, and other soil blocks quickly and with ease, shovels are great for clearing land for a building site. In addition to clearing out blocks, shovels can also form dirt paths on dirt blocks, as well as podzol and mycelium. Shovels can even extinguish campfires.

As a last resort, Minecraft players can even use their shovel as a weapon, though it doesn't really do a great deal of damage and harms the tool's durability more than anything else.


2) Axe

Axes on the ground made of different materials (Image via Mojang)
Axes on the ground made of different materials (Image via Mojang)

One part collection tool, and one part weapon, axes are useful tools in Minecraft no matter what players intend to use them for. They can quickly collect wood blocks from trees, convert wooden blocks into stripped wood, and even chip off layers of wax from copper blocks.

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When used in combat, axes deal slightly less damage than swords, but they inflict the most damage to armor and shields. This makes them especially helpful in PvP, when Minecraft players need to shatter their opponent's defenses.


1) Pickaxe

The pickaxe is a Minecraft cornerstone (Image via Mojang)
The pickaxe is a Minecraft cornerstone (Image via Mojang)

A tool that Minecraft players simply can't live without, the pickaxe is essential for mining blocks, especially those that can be found underground. Many ore blocks can only be harvested by utilizing pickaxes, and won't drop their goods if broken by any other tool.

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Pickaxes also do a decent job of breaking non-stone blocks, albeit at a pace slower than axes or shovels, depending on the block in question. Pickaxes can even be used as weapons, though they pale in comparison to the likes of axes and swords. Regardless, no Minecraft player is complete without a trusty pickaxe by their side.

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