Introducing cutemayro's Better Smithing Table
Minecraft’s smithing table has long been a one-trick pony — upgrade diamond gear to netherite and nothing more. cutemayro's Better Smithing Table flips that limitation on its head, transforming the humble workstation into a full-fledged, survival-friendly upgrade system for weapons, tools, and armor. Created by the modder cutemayro, this datapack breathes new life into early and mid-game progression, encouraging you to hang onto your favorite tools and methodically improve them rather than constantly crafting new ones from scratch.
How the Upgrade System Works
The mod sticks close to vanilla logic, keeping things intuitive. You still interact with the smithing table as usual, but now the slots accept a wider range of materials. To upgrade any piece of equipment, you place the tool or armor piece in the middle slot, then fill the template and material slots with two ingots or items of the next progression tier. For example, if you want to take an iron sword to the gold tier, you’ll need two gold ingots flanking that iron blade. The original item’s enchantments and durability percentage carry over, so you won’t lose your hard-earned Mending or Unbreaking just because you’re climbing the ladder.
Complete Progression Paths
The datapack introduces clear, linear upgrade chains for every gear category. These paths mirror the natural resource progression you’d encounter in a standard survival world, making the system feel like a missing piece of the game’s design.
Swords
- Wooden Sword → Stone Sword → Iron Sword → Gold Sword → Diamond Sword
Tools (Axe, Shovel, Pickaxe, Hoe)
- Wooden Tool → Stone Tool → Iron Tool → Gold Tool → Diamond Tool
Armor
- Leather Armor → Chainmail Armor → Iron Armor → Gold Armor → Diamond Armor
Notice that chainmail finally gets a purpose beyond being a rare mob drop. You can now upgrade leather armor directly into chainmail using two iron ingots, then continue up to diamond. This subtle change makes chainmail feel like a proper stepping stone rather than a novelty.
Advancements That Guide Your Journey
Worried you might forget the upgrade sequence? The datapack includes a full set of custom advancements, one for every tier transition. Open your advancements tab, and you’ll see a clear roadmap. Each time you successfully upgrade a piece, the corresponding advancement pops up, giving you that satisfying little dopamine hit and confirming you’re on the right track. It’s a thoughtful touch that keeps the system accessible without cluttering your screen with recipe book entries.
Why This Mod Feels So Survival-Friendly
Many upgrade mods go overboard, introducing overpowered tiers or convoluted crafting trees. cutemayro’s Better Smithing Table stays grounded. You’re never forced to grind for exotic materials; everything you need is already part of the vanilla mining and smelting loop. The mod simply connects the dots between the wooden, stone, iron, gold, and diamond tiers that already exist but were previously disconnected. It also respects the netherite upgrade path — once you hit diamond, you can still use a netherite ingot on a smithing table in the traditional way, so the mod layers neatly on top of the base game.
Installation is refreshingly simple, especially if you’re already using a modern launcher. For those who prefer a streamlined setup, this mod can be easily installed via the foxygame.net launcher — a convenient, flexible, and modern Minecraft launcher where you can download mods right from the menu. It automatically handles the datapack placement, so you spend less time fiddling with folders and more time enjoying that smooth upgrade loop. Of course, you can always drop the datapack into your world’s datapacks folder manually if you prefer the classic approach.
Small Details That Make a Big Difference
Beyond the core upgrade mechanic, the mod pays attention to quality-of-life details. Upgraded items retain custom names, lore, and even damage values proportionally. This means your trusty pickaxe named “Ol’ Reliable” won’t suddenly become a generic gold pickaxe — it’ll keep its identity as it evolves. The smithing table interface also provides clear visual feedback, with the output slot showing exactly what you’ll get before you commit the materials.
Is It Right for Your World?
If you enjoy the early-game scramble for resources and the gradual power climb, this datapack is a perfect fit. It’s particularly rewarding on multiplayer servers where trading and specialization happen naturally — one player might focus on upgrading armor while another pushes their tools to diamond. Because it’s purely a datapack, it works on both singleplayer worlds and servers without requiring any client-side mods. You can find the original Modrinth page for the latest version and updates directly from cutemayro, where the creator has shared it with the community out of pure passion for the game.
cutemayro's Better Smithing Table doesn’t try to reinvent Minecraft. Instead, it polishes a forgotten corner of the game into something meaningful, giving you a reason to visit the smithing table long before you ever see a netherite ingot. It’s a small change with a big impact, and once you’ve experienced the seamless upgrade flow, you’ll wonder why it wasn’t always this way.