Grindstone

The BASTARD in question.

The grindstone is a block in Minecraft that, when used, can repair or disenchant tools and armor. It also allows Villagers to become weaponsmiths, who sell, you guessed it, weapons to the player.

Here's why it sucks ass

You see this fucker? This little stone on two sticks? This bastard? Yeah. That use to the player I mentioned just now? It was added AFTER the block was introduced in 1.14. Previously, it was just a job block, like the Smithing Table or Fletching Table, but then, they added this feature to it.

Why is that an issue? Well, here's the kicker:

This block is functionally identical to a pre-existing mechanic in the game.

You know what that mechanic's name is?

THE FUCKING 2 BY 2 CRAFTING GRID IN YOUR INVENTORY.

Before even getting fucking WOOD TOOLS, you can repair things.

However, it also shares the drawback of being unable to keep enchantments on items, without the benefit of getting experience from those lost enchantments. So it has ONE upside to your inventory.

So now the question is, "How do I keep my enchantments on my breaking tools and armor?"

Let me introduce you to another block, who was introduced far earlier than this one, and it's called:

The Anvil

This guy was introduced in, wait for it...

1 POINT 4 POINT 2.

The superior repair block.

SEVEN YEARS BEFORE THE GRINDSTONE WAS EVEN THOUGHT OF.

Back when Mojang was still an independent studio and not owned by Microsoft, this guy was kicking around.

So, what can it do that the Grindstone can't? And by extension, why am I hyping it up so much?

Well, it can:

• Repair items using base components (ingots, diamonds, etc.)
• Add enchantments to items via enchanted books
• Repair items using another of the same item (like the bastard of a block we were just talking about)
• Rename items
• AND be used as a weapon to kill mobs due to it being affected by gravity.

As such, it is FAR superior to what the grindstone can even fucking DREAM of.

An expensive superior block, yes, but superior none-the-less.

Disenchantment and it's worth

Before you go "BUT THE GRINDSTONE CAN DISENCHANT THINGS! DID YOU FORGET THAT?" NO I DIDN'T. I've INTENTIONALLY avoided it because it's such a moot point that it's not even WORTH discussing.

There are two reasons why players would want to disenchant an item:

• To regain enchantment points (a hidden feature, much like Saturation, that's really annoying and I have no idea why it's even hidden)
• Or, to remove curses from an item.

Now, which of these 'wants' does the grindstone address?

FUCKING NEITHER. YOU CAN'T REMOVE CURSES, AND YOU CAN'T REGAIN THOSE LOST ENCHANTMENT POINTS.

"But what about the experience you get? Surely that's worth something," I hear you saying. And while yes, experience is good, I have another point to raise:

Why would I want to remove something potentially useful from an item if all it'll do is give me something I can already get from more accessible, and often less costly, sources? I could go outside, find some cows or zombies, kill those, and probably get as much experience as I'd get from removing Aqua Affinity from this gold helmet I found at a ruined portal.

All of this is to say, it baffles me why Mojang would even bother adding a use to this block, if all it'll add is redundancy to the game. I guess they didn't want to add a block whose only job is to disenchant crap, which would only make it MORE worthless, but that's my two cents.

Anyways, this block sucks. I'm out. 'Need some water after all that talking...

Addendum

It has just occurred to me that disenchantment does have some use. A very good one, at that.

If you have some tools or armor that just take up space, like, say, wood or leather, then you can use them at an enchantment table to enchant them and then disenchant them to regain the EXP you lost.

Now, why on earth would you do something, and then immediately undo it?

The answer is mending.

Mending is an enchantment that, when applied to an item, will cause it to repair its durability upon gaining experience. As such, it is highly sought after due to its ability to at worst make weapons last longer and at best make durability, effectively, disappear.

This combination is very effective, and makes mending twice as powerful as it was before.

But that's where my praise for this piece of shit ends, however. Yes, the grindstone-table-mending strategy is very good, don't get me wrong, but why add a block to the game if all you're gonna give to it is an ability that could easily be given to another block, and an ability that another block does better?

Disenchantment could easily be given to another block, like, say, a theoretical disenchantment table. Perhaps this block could be more expensive, requiring like a diamond or something to make, but in return, be able to do the disenchantment the grindstone does, but also selectively remove specific enchantments. Say you enchant your diamond sword, and got Looting II and Bane of Arthropods I. Looting is a pretty good enchantment, but Bane of Arthropods is... much less so. Currently, if you wished to get rid of the Bane of Arthropods enchantment but keep the Looting, you'd have tough luck doing so. However, with this hypothetical disenchantment table, you'd be able to do just that, for a higher cost than standard (current) disenchantment, of course. Standard game design stuff and all that.

Really, this is how I believe the grindstone should have gone. Keep it a decorative* block, like the fletching table, and give the ideas for its function to another block that is specialized for such a purpose. Would be far better than the half-assed attempt at functionality it currently has.



*YES I fucking know that it's a job block, but it is not interactive. Saplings and crafting tables both have functions, but only the crafting table isn't considered a "decorative block" because you can directly use it. Can't alt-click a sapling and get a menu now, can I?