A shield is the cheapest answer to a skeleton. The recipe is the same idea on Java and Bedrock: planks around an iron ingot, with the bottom-middle slot left empty.
Recipe
| Top | Middle | Bottom |
|---|---|---|
| Any plank | Any plank | Any plank |
| Any plank | Iron ingot | Any plank |
| Any plank | Empty | Any plank |
That is six planks and one iron ingot. Any wood works. Put the shield in your off-hand on Java, or in the off-hand slot Bedrock shows beside the hotbar.
Using it
- Hold the use key or the shield button to raise it.
- Arrows that hit the face of the shield do not hurt you.
- An axe can disable a shield for a moment. Do not stand in front of a vindicator and assume you are a wall.
- Creepers still explode. A shield is not a license to hug them.
A banner on the front
Craft a banner, then combine it with the shield. On Java that combination happens in the crafting grid. The pattern is cosmetic and it makes your group easier to tell apart.