Is a golden pickaxe better than a Netherite pickaxe in Minecraft?

Pickaxes are the core Minecraft tool when it comes to obtaining things like ore and sturdy building blocks underground, but not all pickaxes are created equal.

While diamond pickaxes were long considered the gold standard for pickaxe quality, Minecraft's 1.16 Nether update introduced Netherite, a material even more impressive than diamond in many respects, including in crafting materials of exceptional quality.

However, some Minecraft players have opted to use gold pickaxes for its increased mining speed. Be that as it may, when compared to a Netherite pickaxe, gold picks simply don't hold up.

Minecraft: Netherite and gold pickaxe comparison

Gold pickaxes' largest drawback is their lack of durability, something that has persisted in Minecraft for years (Image via Mojang)

Although gold pickaxes in Minecraft do mine and harvest certain materials at an increased speed compared to most other pickaxe types, their largest downside is their durability.

With a durability of 32, gold pickaxes have the lowest durability in the group, even less than a standard wooden pick. Compared to a Netherite pickaxe's durability of 2,031, the Netherite tool is by far a better option when it comes to long-lasting use.

When mining certain blocks (such as a block of coal, for example), golden pickaxes do have a slightly improved speed of harvesting compared to a Netherite pick.

However, the speed boost is not all that significant compared to its Netherite counterpart, and golden pickaxes are also unable to mine many materials that Netherite can handle such as obsidian, diamond and emerald ore, or Ancient Debris found within the Nether.

This makes golden pickaxes more useful as a situational harvesting tool for certain materials than an outright mainstay choice. Netherite pickaxes, on the other hand, can handle a wider array of mining uses and can crack blocks that golden picks simply don't have the power to.

Lastly, pickaxes can be used as a weapon in a pinch. Although they aren't really geared for combat the way that swords and axes are, pickaxes can still deal some decent damage in a situation where a more appropriate weapon isn't available.

Sadly for golden pickaxes, they only deal two hearts of damage, on par with the tool's wooden version. Meanwhile, Netherite pickaxes deal three times as much damage for a total of six hearts per hit. Once again, the edge is given to the Netherite pickaxe.

While golden pickaxes aren't completely useless, their benefits are outweighed in nearly every regard by the Netherite pickaxe when the two are compared.

Note: The article reflects the views of the writer.