TL;DR
- Iron hoes provide the best value for crop farming while diamond upgrades offer minimal practical benefits
- Shears enable efficient wool harvesting and serve as essential tools for mob management and spawn prevention
- Leads allow transportation of over 15 mob types for creating complex automated farming systems
- Properly enchanted fishing rods generate unlimited food and rare enchantment books through optimized fishing
- Strategic tool durability management significantly extends tool lifespan and resource efficiency
You’ve constructed your initial Minecraft shelter. The next critical step involves transforming that basic structure into a fully functional, self-sufficient homestead that can sustain your long-term survival needs.
Note: This guide focuses on the Bedrock version of Minecraft, available on Windows 10, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and mobile.
After establishing even a modest operational base, you’ll need to develop comprehensive farming systems for both vegetation and livestock to create a truly sustainable living environment. Farming implements typically exhibit significantly reduced durability compared to combat tools; shears can deteriorate within minutes based on usage intensity, while fishing rods experience wear with every cast into aquatic environments. Below, we provide exhaustive details about every essential agricultural tool in Minecraft, including advanced strategies most players overlook.

Minecraft supports extensive agricultural possibilities including wheat, beets, sugarcane, carrots, potatoes, and more—nearly all requiring properly tilled soil prepared exclusively with a hoe. Unlike primary tools like pickaxes and swords, advancing beyond iron tier with hoes delivers diminishing returns that rarely justify the resource investment. If you possess extraordinary diamond surpluses, a diamond hoe might become your permanent farming companion, but this requires achieving what veteran players call “Minecraft affluence”—accumulating resources far beyond typical gameplay requirements. Nevertheless, no tool proves more essential for establishing a productive agricultural foundation.
Advanced Hoe Strategy: Experienced players utilize hohes for creating patterned farmland designs that optimize crop growth cycles. Strategic placement of water sources within four blocks enables hydrated farmland that accelerates growth rates by 300%. Additionally, alternating crop types in checkerboard patterns prevents disease spread while maximizing harvest yields. For maximum efficiency, craft multiple iron hoes and dedicate them to specific crop zones rather than upgrading to diamond.

Wool serves numerous critical functions throughout Minecraft, including bed construction, decorative wool blocks, carpet creation—exceptionally effective for restricting hostile mob spawning—and becomes readily renewable once you establish controlled sheep breeding operations.
Shears Durability Management: A fundamental pair of shears withstands approximately 238 uses before breaking. To extend their lifespan, avoid using shears for destroying leaves when gathering saplings—instead use axes which are more efficient for forestry work. For wool farming, maintain at least two dye-colored sheep to produce specific colored wool without consuming dye resources repeatedly. Shears also enable mushroom gathering from mooshrooms and collecting fern leaves, expanding their utility beyond basic wool production.

The most efficient method for relocating sheep to your compound involves capturing the initial pair discovered in wilderness areas and transporting them using leads. An extensive range of mobs can be leashed—including horses, cows, pigs, foxes, and even hostile mobs like zombies under specific conditions—enabling population of conventional livestock operations as well as sophisticated automated Minecraft resource farms.
Lead Application Techniques: Leads connect to fence posts creating temporary tethers for animal organization. When transporting animals long distances, bring multiple leads as they occasionally break during movement. For maximum efficiency, create “animal highways” using fence posts at regular intervals to secure your transport chain. Leads work on over 15 different mob types, making them indispensable for complex farm designs that require specific creature types in controlled environments.

Fishing rod capabilities remain significantly underestimated by novice players, yet they represent arguably the most versatile implements available. While numerous enchantments become accessible through enchantment tables, the critically important Mending enchantment—which eliminates tool repair necessities—cannot be directly applied via enchanting tables. Combining a fishing rod with optimal fishing locations (minimum 5×5 water volume, unobstructed aerial access above water), enables consistent acquisition of enchanted literature, bows, and additional fishing rods. Utilizing an anvil, you can enhance fishing rods with Luck of the Sea III (improved loot quality), Lure III (reduced wait times), Unbreaking III and Mending I (durability enhancement and autonomous repair) that will yield substantial quantities of valuable enchantment texts, alongside perpetual sustenance provisions.
Advanced Fishing Methodology: For maximum efficiency, construct fishing platforms 24 blocks above ocean surfaces to eliminate hostile aquatic mob interference. The ideal fishing rod configuration combines Luck of the Sea III, Lure III, Unbreaking III, and Mending—creating a self-sustaining tool that generates food, experience, and rare enchantments indefinitely. Under optimal conditions, players can expect an enchanted book or valuable item approximately every 5-7 minutes, making fishing one of the most rewarding activities for mid-game progression.
Action Checklist
- Craft 2-3 iron hoes for dedicated crop zone tilling
- Establish sheep breeding pair with shears for renewable wool
- Create animal transport system using leads and fence posts
- Build optimized fishing platform 24 blocks above ocean level
- Enchant fishing rod with Luck of the Sea III, Lure III, Unbreaking III, and Mending
No reproduction without permission:SeeYouSoon Game Club » Minecraft Tools Guide – Tools For Long-Term Settlements Essential farming tools guide for Minecraft Bedrock with advanced strategies and optimization tips
