Put Mending and Unbreaking III on everything. Then add Sharpness V to swords, Efficiency V and Fortune III to pickaxes, Protection IV to armor, Power V to bows, Loyalty III or Riptide III to tridents, and Density V plus Wind Burst III to maces.
- Mending + Unbreaking III go on every tool and armor piece.
- Protection IV beats the other protection types for daily use.
- Infinity and Mending conflict on bows; pick one.
- Wind Burst only comes from ominous vaults in trial chambers.
- Sweeping Edge is Java only.
01Which enchantments go on every item?
Two enchantments belong on almost every piece of gear you keep:
- Mending (max I): repairs the item with XP orbs you pick up.
- Unbreaking III: gives a chance to skip durability loss.
Mending is a treasure enchantment. You can't get it from an enchanting table. Get it from librarian villagers, fishing, or loot chests. Our villager trading guide shows how to lock in a Mending librarian.
Watch out for the two curses. Curse of Vanishing deletes the item when you die. Curse of Binding stops you from taking armor off. They can show up on loot, so read the tooltip before you wear or combine anything.
02What are the best enchantments for each item?
| Item | Best setup (plus Mending, Unbreaking III) |
|---|---|
| Sword | Sharpness V, Looting III, Fire Aspect II, Sweeping Edge III (Java only) |
| Pickaxe | Efficiency V, Fortune III or Silk Touch |
| Helmet | Protection IV, Respiration III, Aqua Affinity |
| Chestplate | Protection IV (Thorns III is optional; it wears armor faster) |
| Leggings | Protection IV, Swift Sneak III |
| Boots | Protection IV, Feather Falling IV, Depth Strider III or Frost Walker II, Soul Speed III |
| Bow | Power V, Punch II, Flame, Infinity or Mending |
| Trident | Loyalty III + Channeling + Impaling V, or Riptide III + Impaling V |
| Mace | Density V or Breach IV, Wind Burst III, Fire Aspect II |
Swift Sneak comes from ancient cities. Soul Speed comes from bastions and piglin bartering. Librarians never sell either one.
03Which enchantments can't go together?
Some enchantments are mutually exclusive. An anvil drops the conflicting one from the item you sacrifice.
| Item | Pick only one |
|---|---|
| Sword, axe, spear | Sharpness, Smite, Bane of Arthropods |
| Mace | Density, Breach, Smite, Bane of Arthropods |
| Tools | Fortune, Silk Touch |
| Armor | Protection, Fire Protection, Blast Protection, Projectile Protection |
| Boots | Depth Strider, Frost Walker |
| Bow | Infinity, Mending |
| Crossbow | Multishot, Piercing |
| Trident | Riptide vs Loyalty; Riptide vs Channeling |
Loyalty and Channeling can go together. Only Riptide clashes with them.
Skip Knockback on a sword you use for farming mobs. It pushes them out of reach and slows you down.
04How do you actually get these enchantments?
There are three main ways, and most players mix them.
- Enchanting table: surround it with up to 15 bookshelves (one block of air between) to unlock level 30 enchants, the max. Results are random, so you may need a few tries.
- Villager librarians: the most reliable way to get exact books like Mending. See the trading guide linked above.
- Loot and fishing: chests in structures and fishing can give treasure books like Mending.
Then combine everything in an anvil. A few tips:
- Put the item on the left and the book on the right.
- Every anvil use raises the item's work penalty, so the next combine costs more.
- Combine books with each other first, then apply one big book to the item. Fewer steps means a lower total cost.
- In Survival, the anvil refuses jobs that cost 40 levels or more and shows "Too Expensive!"
Want god-tier gear without wasted XP? Plan the order before you start combining.
05How do you build the best mace?
The mace has three enchantments nothing else gets: Density (max V), Breach (max IV) and Wind Burst (max III).
- Density V adds smash damage the farther you fall. Best for big drops.
- Breach IV cuts the target's armor. Better against armored players.
- Wind Burst launches you back up after a smash, so you can chain hits.
Wind Burst only drops from ominous vaults in trial chambers, at level I. Combine books in an anvil to reach III.
Not into maces? The spear takes Sharpness plus its own Lunge enchantment (max III), which throws you forward when you jab. Pair it with Unbreaking and Mending like any weapon.
06Are enchantments different on Bedrock?
Mostly the same, with a few gaps:
- Sweeping Edge exists only on Java.
- Impaling on Java only boosts damage to aquatic mobs. On Bedrock it hits any mob that is in water or rain.
- Max levels and the main conflicts match across editions, so this guide works on both.
Java 26.3 did not change how enchantments play. Its enchantment changes were data pack format updates only.
07Gear up on a live server
CHEAT SMP runs Java 26.3, so every enchantment above works the same way there. Its economy also adds a /tool upgrade path and a Fortune Draught potion you buy with in-game Cheater Cash. Hop on at play.cheatsmp.dev, or see how money works on the make money guide and the opt-in PvP page.
FAQFrequently asked questions
What is the best sword enchantment in Minecraft?
Sharpness V for general fighting, paired with Unbreaking III and Mending. Add Looting III for better mob drops.
Can you have Mending and Infinity on a bow?
No. They conflict, so you have to choose one.
What is the max level of Protection?
Protection maxes out at IV without commands.
Is Density or Breach better on a mace?
Density is better for big falls and mobs; Breach is better against heavily armored players. You can't have both.
Like this? Play it with powers.
CHEAT SMP runs vanilla Java 26.3 enchanting and adds a /tool upgrade path and Fortune Draught potions bought with in-game Cheater Cash.
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Published Oct 30, 2026. Written for Minecraft Java 26.3; we update posts when the game changes. Not affiliated with Mojang or Microsoft.
