You want to know how to get Minecraft capes and how to equip them on your skin. You’ve heard rumours, whispers of a mythical piece of cloth that adorns the shoulders of the most elite Minecraft players. The legends speak of myriad Minecraft capes handed out to the lucky few over the years. Word on the block (sigh) is that capes also modify the appearance of Minecraft Elytra, the magical wings found in end ships, as they occupy the same space on a player’s back. Needless to say, Minecraft capes are highly coveted, but they haven’t been easy to get.

Those who ventured to any Minecon event before Minecon Earth 2017 each received Minecraft capes; each year, a different colour and design. Even rarer still are the personal capes gifted to lucky individuals in recognition of their achievements, such as Reddit user u/billyk_, who got a personal turtle cape for suggesting Mojang should add turtles to Minecraft.

Unless you can come up with a suggestion as good as turtles (unlikely) or can time travel back to Minecons past, it looks like you’re out of luck to obtain any of these Minecraft capes in the Java version. They’re a bit more common in the Bedrock version, as some skin packs in the Marketplace have them. If you want them for free, you can try on a cape with the help of Minecraft mods, though it’ll only be visible to you. There is one currently available Minecraft cape for the Java edition, though, so read on to find out how to get it.

RELATED LINKS: Minecraft console commands, Minecraft skins, Minecraft mods