Minecraft contains a wide range materials to work with, all serving a variety of different purposes. Materials like iron and leather can be used to forge armor, while copper and amethyst serve more nuanced and unique roles. The most curious of all is diamond, being able to create tools, armor, and other unique goods. With every new resource to be added to Minecraft throughout the years, there have been resources that have been left out, including steel.
Some may remember rubies, which were intended to be added before being replaced with emeralds. Fewer may remember how in Minecraft's earliest days, steel was intended to be added to the game, but never was. The exclusion of this has had long-lasting effects on the game, both good and bad.
The Argument for Steel
The argument for steel has plenty of merits, such as how it ultimately deepens the complexity of the game. Minecraft originally meant to focus on survival mechanics and even RPG elements more than it does today. As the years went on, this direction was traded in for one that encourages creativity over survival content. Steel's addition to the game would add depth and polish to some of the games less fleshed out systems. One of these systems is armor, which is a useful but simplistic system overall. Addding steel options would make gear progression feel a bit more fleshed out, and add a sense of accomplishment when there's more to the ladder to climb.
Steel could also bring a mechanic to the game that has yet to be seen. Alloying is the process of combining two or more materials to create a new, better material. The most relevant example is the alloying of carbon and iron to create steel. Coal and iron are already available in Minecraft, meaning that an alloying system just needs to be added. This system could also be extended to other Minecraft metals, such as copper, which is alloyed with tin to create bronze. Steel's addition can bring depth to other, less used metals to the game.
The Argument Against Steel
Despite previous high praises, the addition of steel would not come without its flaws. If it were to be implemented, there would be no guarantee it would see use among the community. For experienced players, finding diamonds in Minecraft is not a difficult task. Many would likely save time through cave diving rather than going through what may be a tedious process for a possibly weaker material. If bronze were to come along with it, then all armors may need to be reconfigured in order for all of them to see use. Such rebalancing may ultimately cause more harm than good.
Another factor to consider is Minecraft's entire theme. Steel may have been intended at one point, but that was when the game's vision was much less clear. Minecraft is much more focused on simplicity than complexity, which has been a formula that gave it the title of number one most purchased game in the world. Complexity may add depth, but that may not be exactly what the game needs. Minecraft is a game with virtually no end goal, other than arguably defeating the Ender Dragon, but that's an optional challenge. Fleshing out a new tier system for materials may simply be antithetical to the game's core message.
Steel comes with drawbacks and boons, making it somewhat of a contentious topics. If Mojang did consider adding it in the Minecraft 1.20 update or beyond, perhaps it could find a way to give steel some relevance, as it did for copper. Not every material needs to be as crucial as diamonds or iron.
Minecraft is available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.