Minecraft Tools Guide - Tools For Long-Term Settlements

Note: This guide focuses on the Bedrock version of Minecraft, available on Windows 10, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and mobile.

Once you've established even a small base, you'll want to start farming plants and animals alike to make a sustainable living space for yourself. These tools are often more delicate; a pair of shears can disintegrate in a few minutes depending on how you use it, and fishing rods degrade every time you cast your bobber out into the water. Below, we've compiled details on every farming tool in Minecraft.

Hoe

There are a bunch of different plants you can farm in Minecraft, including wheat, beats, sugar, and more--most of them require tilled ground, and that requires a hoe. Unlike with most of the other core tools, though, there's little value in going past iron with a hoe. If you're absolutely swimming in diamonds, then it'll probably be the last hoe you'll ever need, but you need to be truly Minecraft Wealthy to make that worthwhile. With that said, a hoe is indispensable for building a great base.

Shears

Wool has a variety of uses in Minecraft, including making beds, wool blocks, carpeting--great for limiting mob spawns--and if you manage to corral a couple of sheep, it's easy to generate.

Lead

And the best way to get sheep back to your base is to grab the first two out in the wild and bring them back with a lead. A huge variety of mobs can be leashed for populating traditional animal farms as well as more complex Minecraft item farms

Fishing Rod

The fishing rod's utility isn't immediately apparent, but it's secretly one of the most useful items in the game. While you can put a variety of enchantments on items by taking them to an enchantment table, you won't be able to put Mending on your tools--an enchantment that will save you countless headaches as you get deeper into Minecraft. Pair a fishing rod with a good fishing spot (deep water, open space, and open sky), and you can start reeling in enchanted books, bows, and fishing rods. With the help of an anvil, you can enchant a fishing rod with Luck of the Sea III (better drops), Lure II (faster fishing), Unbreakable III and Mending I (slow degradation and self repair) that will pull in tons of useful enchantment books, not to mention an unlimited food supply.