Many fans of Minecraft will know that there are almost infinite ways to create amazing builds. The ability to further customize a base using decorative items is another way players get the most out of their builds.
Banners are tall blocks that can be customized in a variety of ways to make any base stand out. Banners can also be used to customize shields, using a crafting table to combine a completed banner with a shield. While some banners can be found in chests and villages throughout a Minecraft world, the easiest way to obtain a banner is by crafting it.
Updated by Jake Fillery on August 11, 2023: Banners have become a staple of expression in Minecraft. Not only can players embark on journeys across different dimensions and biomes with the modern Minecraft updates, but the idea of Banners means that players can keep their mark on their world, even in a biome long since abandoned. Yet, many players might be asking how to make Banners in Minecraft, or even, what are the rarest Banner patterns? The answers that are sought can be found here, in addition to a guide on the rare Banners that cannot be crafted, but are instead found in the Minecraft world, instead of a crafting table or Loom.
Gather Wool
To craft a banner, players will need to gather wool (six blocks of the same color). Wool blocks can be harvested from sheep and can be dyed any color.
If a player is just starting out, finding wool can be tricky depending on how frequent sheep spawn near their base. Sheep are a common passive mob in Minecraft, and can most commonly be found in grassland biomes.
Once a player finds a sheep, they may want to build a fence around it so that it won’t wander off and can be used to farm wool. When the sheep is secure, players can use sheers to harvest a single wool block.
Having multiple sheep makes this process quicker; using one sheep will require the player to wait for the sheep to eat grass to regrow their wool after each sheering.
Gather Sticks
Sticks are one of the most common materials to find in Minecraft, especially early on. Players can gather sticks by destroying leaf blocks on trees.
One of the quickest ways to gather a lot of sticks quickly is harvesting the blocks that make up the tree trunk. Once the tree trunk is gone, any blocks left floating will be destroyed over time, dropping sticks, saplings, and apples.
This is also a great way to avoid risking fall damage in survival mode, as well as being a great way for players to cut down multiple trees within minutes without having to break every individual block that made up the leaves.
Combine Materials
Once players have one stick and six blocks of wool, they can use a crafting table to make a banner. If players do not have a crafting table already, they can gather three blocks of wood and craft wooden planks. The wooden planks can then be used to craft a crafting table.
Banners can be crafted by placing the wool in the six top blocks on the crafting table and the stick on the center bottom block (shown above). Depending on the gameplay settings the player is using, the recipe may immediately appear in the player's known recipe list once they gather the first block of wool.
Customizing Banners
Banners can be customized during the crafting process by dyeing the wool blocks in any one color. This will make the resulting banner appear in that color.
There are plenty of patterns available, making it possible for players to create a variety of custom designs. A single banner can have up to six different patterns placed on it. This can be increased to sixteen using console commands.
In the Java Edition of Minecraft, patterns can be made on a loom, while Bedrock edition patterns can be created on both the loom and crafting table. Looms can be crafted using two strings and two wooden planks.
The loom has three slots for the banner, dye, and an optional banner pattern item. Optional pattern items can be created by combining a piece of paper with one of the following items:
- 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)
The optional pattern items can be combined with the available patterns to create various effects.
Illager Banners
Another way to obtain Banners in Minecraft is through the use of the evil variant of Villagers known as Illagers. Illagers don’t take kindly to players or Villagers, so if one spots an Illager, it’s best to bring a sword and some armor, as they are usually not alone, and fairly violent. However, the player may spot an Illager with a Banner on its back, this bannerman is actually an Illager Captain, and players can obtain its Ominous Banner upon its death.
The Illager Banner is unique to Minecraft, and its design cannot be replicated with a Loom. Players can find Illager Banners from Illager Captains, or in Pillager Outpost Watchtowers. They don’t deter Illagers if a player displays one, but they could be a great trophy to show a display of power against these pesky foes.
Woodland Mansion Banners
Woodland Mansions in Minecraft is an extremely rare sight, and they hold all manners of dangers that players might want to armor up for before they embark on this sword-slashing adventure through an Illager stronghold. However, for those brave enough, there are a few goodies of the Banner variety.
Players can find the following Banners if they explore through a Woodland Mansion. Although some of these can be crafted at a Loom, it’s worth knowing what can be discovered out there in the wild:
Gray Banner, Light Gray Banner, Ominous Banner, and Black Banner.
Magenta Banner
There exists another Banner outside of Minecraft’s normal biomes. If players have managed to reach The End, then they will be able to discover the vastness of End Cities and the treasures within. In such cities, lies a Magenta Banner, which involves a unique color scheme that depicts a civilization yet unknown to Minecraft players.
Minecraft is available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.