Minecraft armour customisation being tested on PC
Colour me excited.
Minecraft developer Mojang has introduced a major new armour customisation feature for the game's latest PC test build.
The catchily-named snapshot 23w04a includes the ambitious Armour Trim Smithing feature, which lets you visually customise the game's blocky armour.
To do this, you'll need to find a consumable Smithing Template for the customisation type you want, plus a smattering of resources to determine the colour you desire.
The hunt for these Smithing Templates is designed to encourage further exploration of the game's world and dungeons, and the game's Netherite armour will now also require a Template to craft.
Templates for different armour styles can be found within chests at various procedurally-generated locations, such as pillager outposts, desert pyramids, jungle temples, Nether fortresses and more. Netherite templates will be found in Bastion Remnant chests, with their rarity designed by Mojang as a conscious change to make their acquirement a "more significant achievement in the game's progression".
These armour styles can then be customised with colour styles using various ingredients, such as metals or diamonds.
As with all new Minecraft features, armour customisation currently only lives in the game's latest PC snapshot branch, until it is packaged up and included in a forthcoming update that will eventually roll out to all Bedrock platforms.