Minecraft's item repair system does not make sense, as players question its purpose

A Minecraft player recently posted an image showing the anvil with a diamond shovel in one slot and four diamonds in the other to repair it. The reason for this post was the player asking why someone would use four diamonds and even four enchantment points to repair it when they could just make a new diamond shovel at a lesser cost.

The replies to the post explain all about the use of the anvil and the right way of using it. This article explores more on that.

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Reddit reacts to Minecraft’s item repair system

Kind of a noob, but why would I spend 4 diamonds to repair this shovel when I could just make a new one? It's not even named or enchanted. byu/superbloper inMinecraft

A Minecraft player with the username superbloper on Reddit posted an image of them using the anvil while seeking the opinion of other Minecraft players on the game's item repair system.

Reddit user i_want_to_be_unique replied, saying that this feature existed way before the mending enchantment, one of the best enchantments in Minecraft, was added to the game.

Furthermore, they mentioned that they have never come across anyone using the anvil to repair a normal tool:

Comment byu/superbloper from discussion inMinecraft

Mending an enchantment automatically repairs the tools and weapons in the game using the player’s XP. This means that the tools and weapons will never require any repairs.

User Plenty-Reference-930 commented that players might need to use the anvil to repair enchanted bows since mending and infinity cannot be put on the same bow:

Comment byu/superbloper from discussion inMinecraft

This comment spawned a series of other comments that criticized the other aspects of the game, such as how enchantment works and the excessive need for higher XP to get the right enchantments.

User lare290 commented about how the repair price should be removed as repairing items can become quite expensive:

Comment byu/superbloper from discussion inMinecraft

Another user, reddit_pug, suggested a great idea to improve the repair system. They suggested that instead of using the anvil, it would be interesting to have a villager take the tool or weapon and repair it for the player:

Comment byu/superbloper from discussion inMinecraft

User Saethori sarcastically commented that using the anvil the way the original poster has shown saves the rare, valuable sticks:

Comment byu/superbloper from discussion inMinecraft

Another user, Deeper-the-Danker, suggested that the reason it costs so high is because the anvil also allows players to keep the enchantment and name:

Comment byu/superbloper from discussion inMinecraft

Thus, the anvil should not be used to repair simple tools and weapons that are not enchanted. Using diamonds to repair the diamond shovel will cost more. Instead, players should combine two worn-out tools or weapons to get a brand-new one.

User 3-brain_cells commented:

Comment byu/superbloper from discussion inMinecraft

Another important point to note is that while the image shows four diamonds in the slot, the actual repair only requires one diamond, which is exactly what getting a new diamond shovel would cost, except for the enchantment points. Players can get more XP by killing mobs and undertaking other activities.