How to Get the Best Enchantment in Minecraft

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: December 9, 2024 Tested

To get the best possible enchantments in Minecraft, you need to be at level 30 and have 15 bookshelves crafted. In this wikiHow, we'll walk you through the entire process of enchanting a book and adding it to your preferred item in all versions of Minecraft, including PC, Pocket Edition, and console editions.

Steps

Download Article

1
Know the name, effect, maximum level of the enchantments and items that certain enchantments can be applied to. The maximum level to which you can increase an enchantment varies depending on the enchantment itself:^{[1]
X
Research source}
- Aqua Affinity - Level I - Helmet - Improves mining speed underwater
- Bane of Arthropods - Level V - Sword, axe - Increases attack damage dealt against arthropod monsters, such as Cave spiders, Spiders, Silverfish and Endermites.
- Blast Protection - Level IV - Helmet, chestplate, leggings, boots - Reduces blast and explosion damage
- Channeling - Level I - Trident - During a thunderstorm, the enchanted trident summons a lightning bolt at a targeted mob when it is thrown
- Curse of Binding - Level I - Any armor - Cursed item can not be removed from player unless the player dies. (Treasure Enchantment, cannot be obtained from enchantment tables)
- Curse of Vanishing - Level I - Any item - Cursed item will not drop after player dies. (Treasure Enchantment, cannot be obtained from enchantment tables)
- Depth Strider - Level III - Boots - Speeds up underwater movement.
- Efficiency - Level V - Pickaxe, axe, shovel, hoe - Increases mining speed.
- Feather Falling - Level IV - Boots - Reduces fall and teleportation damage
- Fire Aspect - Level II - Sword - Sets target on fire
- Fire Protection - Level IV - Helmet, chestplate, leggings, boots - Reduces damage caused by fire and lava
- Flame - Level I - Bow - Turns arrows into flaming arrows
- Fortune - Level III - Pickaxe, axe, shovel - Increases item drops from mining
- Frost Walker - Level II - Boots - Freezes water into ice so that you can walk on it. (Treasure Enchantment, cannot be obtained from enchantment tables)
- Impaling - Level V - Trident - Increases attack damage against aquatic mobs (guardians, drowned, etc.)
- Infinity - Level I - Bow - Shoots infinite arrows as long as there’s one arrow in the player’s inventory.
- Knockback - Level II - Sword - Increases knockback dealt (enemies repel backwards)
- Looting - Level III - Sword - Increases amount of loot dropped when mob is killed
- Loyalty - Level III - Trident - Returns your trident to your hand when it is thrown like a spear
- Luck of the Sea - Level III - Fishing rod - Increases chances of catching valuable items
- Lure - Level III - Fishing rod - Decreases the wait time until the fish bites
- Mending - Level I - Any item - Uses xp (experience orbs/points) to mend tools, weapons and armor (Treasure Enchantment, cannot be obtained from enchantment tables)
- Multishot - Level I - Crossbow - Shoots 3 arrows at once but only costs 1 arrow (only one arrow can be picked up)
- Piercing - Level IV - Crossbow - Arrow can pierce through multiple entities
- Power - Level V - Bow - Increases damage dealt by bow
- Projectile Protection - Level IV - Helmet, chestplate, leggings, boots - Reduces damage from projectiles.
- Protection - Level IV - Helmet, chestplate, leggings, boots - General protection against mob attacks, fire, explosions, and more.
- Punch - Level II - Bow - Increases knockback dealt, much like the knockback enchantment for swords.
- Quick Charge Level III - Crossbow - Reduces the amount of time to load a crossbow
- Respiration - Level III - Extends underwater breathing time (oxygen bubbles pop less quickly)
- Riptide - Level III - Trident - Propels the player forward when enchanted trident is thrown while in water or rain.
- Sharpness - Level V - Sword, axe - Increases attack damage dealt to mobs
- Silk Touch - Level I - Pickaxe, axe, shovel, hoe - When mined by the enchanted tool, most blocks would drop themselves. For example, stone mined by a silk touch pickaxe would drop stone instead of cobblestone.
- Smite - Level V - Sword, Axe - Increases attack damage against undead mobs (zombies, skeletons, withers, etc.)
- Soul Speed - Level III - Increases player speed while on soul sand. (Treasure Enchantment, only obtainable from bastion loot chests or piglin bartering)
- Sweeping Edge - Level III - Sword - Increases sweep attack range. (Java Edition exclusive)
- Thorns - Level III - Helmet, chestplate, leggings, boots - Deals damage to attackers when you are attacked.
- Unbreaking - Level III - Any item - Increases durability of item
2
Gather the required resources. You will need to gather resources for the following items:
- Books - 3 pieces of paper and 1 piece of leather yields one book, but you'll need at least 45 books to create the enchanting table and bookshelves.
- Enchanting table - 4 obsidian blocks, 2 diamonds, and 1 book.
- Bookshelves - 6 wood planks and 3 books per bookshelf. You will need at least 15 bookshelves.
- Anvil - 3 iron blocks (made by combining 9 iron ingots each) and 4 iron ingots. (31 iron ingots in total)
- Lapis Lazuli - Break the dark-blue-freckled blocks underground or trade with cleric villagers to get this crafting material that you'll need for enchanting things.
Advertisement
3
Build the enchanting table. Open a crafting table, then add one obsidian block to each of the bottom row's squares, add one obsidian block to the middle square, add a diamond on either side of the middle square's obsidian, and place a book in the top-middle square. Once you see the enchanting table icon appear, you can press ⇧ Shift while clicking the icon to move the table into your inventory.
- In Minecraft PE, you'll just tap the enchantment table icon after creating it to move it into your inventory.
- On console editions, select the crafting table icon in the "Structures" tab, then scroll down to the Enchantment Table icon and press A (Xbox) or X (PlayStation).
4
Place bookshelves around your enchanting table. Each bookshelf must be placed exactly two blocks away from the enchanting table, and there can't be anything blocking the bookshelves' access to the table (including flowers, snow, etc.).
- Bookshelves are created by placing one wood plank in each of the crafting table's top-row and bottom-row squares and then filling the middle row with books.
- There should be one block of space between the ring of bookshelves and the enchanting table.
5
Build your anvil. Place the three iron blocks in the top row of the crafting table, place one iron bar in the center square of the crafting table, and place the remaining three iron bars in the bottom row of the crafting table.
- On console editions, select the crafting table icon in the "Structures" tab, then scroll down to the Anvil icon and press A or X.
6
Make sure that your experience level is at 30. In order to unlock the best enchantments, your character must be level 30 or higher. You can level up by killing mobs and performing other in-game actions (e.g., mining ores).^{[2]
X
Research source}
- Don't worry about getting your character past level 30—you'll spend experience points to enchant items, and it's easier to level up from 27 to 30 than it is to level up from 30 to 33.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Enchanting Books

Download Article

Select the enchanting table to do so.
Select an ordinary book, then select the book-shaped box in the crafting table.
Select your lapis lazuli, then select the box to the right of the book's box. You'll need at least three lapis lazuli per enchantment.
On the right side of the crafting table's interface, you'll see several enchantments listed. Select the one you want; if you don't see the one you want, select the lowest-level one.
The book should now be purple and pink, signifying that it has been enchanted.
6
Repeat as necessary. You most likely won't find the enchantment that you want the first time around, so keep enchanting books until you find the enchantment that you want.
- It's best to create low-level enchantments when the enchantment table gives you three unwanted enchantment options.
- After creating an enchanted book, you'll need to re-level your character to level 30.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Creating High-Level Enchantments

Download Article

1
Understand how combining enchantments works. If you have two enchantment books with the exact same enchantment and level, you can combine them in an anvil to create a higher-level enchantment.
- Combining two level I enchantments yields a level II enchantment (if applicable).
- Combining two level II enchantments yields a level III enchantment (if applicable).
- Combining two level III enchantments yields a level IV enchantment (if applicable).
- Combining two level IV enchantments yields a level V enchantment (if applicable).
2
Make sure that you have two of one type of enchantment. For example, if you have two "Power III" enchantments, you can combine them to create one "Power IV" enchantment.
- You cannot combine enchantments of different levels (e.g., "Power I" and "Power II").
Select the anvil to open it.
Select one book and select a box on the left side of the anvil, then select the second book and select the other box on the left side of the anvil. You'll see a new book appear on the right side of the anvil's window.
5
Move the combined book into your inventory. Select the book, then select your inventory.
- On Minecraft PE, tapping the book will move it to your inventory.
- On consoles, select the book and press Y or triangle.
6
Create another enchantment book. If your combined book isn't the highest attainable level for the selected attachment, you'll need to create another version of the book in the enchanting table and then combine it with the current combined book.
- You'll repeat this process until you get your enchanted book to the highest possible level.
7
You can also combine 2 different enchants on one book if they're compatible.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Placing Enchantments on Items

Download Article

Now that you have the enchantment that you want to use, you can add it to an offensive or defensive item (e.g., a sword or an armor piece).
It should go in the box on the far-left side.
Select the book, then select the middle box in the anvil's window.
You should see your now-enchanted item appear on the far-right side of the anvil; select it and move it to your inventory to complete the process.

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

Where can I find Lapiz ore?

Community Answer

Lapis lazuli can be found at the same levels as diamond, from y=1 through y=15. Lapis appears as a dark blue ore. Once broken, it drops multiple lapices much like redstone ore.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 23 Helpful 107
Question

What do the Bane of Arthropods and Smite enchantments do?

Community Answer

Bane of Arthropods increases damage done by a sword by 2.5 points (each level adds 2.5 points of damage), and also applies slowness IV to the target for 1-3.5 seconds (depending on the level). Bane of Arthropods affects the following mobs: spiders, cave spiders, silverfish, and endermites. The max level for Bane of Arthropods is V. Smite increases damage done by a sword by 2.5 points (each level adds 2.5 points of damage). Smite affects the following mobs: skeletons, zombies, the Wither, wither skeletons, and zombie pigmen. The max level for Smite is V.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 27 Helpful 107
Question

How do I split enchantment books apart like "Sharpness V and Flame II"?

Community Answer

You can't separate the enchantments in a book, but the game will "drop" the enchantment if it's not compatible with the item being enchanted. In the case of your Sharpness V / Flame II book, a sword will only get the Sharpness and a Bow will only get the Flame. The other enchantment will be lost.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 23 Helpful 103

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Video

Reader Videos

Submit a Video Tip!

Share a quick video tip and help bring articles to life with your friendly advice. Your insights could make a real difference and help millions of people!

Submit a Video

Tips

You can also buy enchantments from villagers, though enchantments typically cost large sums of emeralds.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Setting up a villager breeder can help you get a steady supply of enchantments and gear, as well as the emeralds needed to purchase them through farmers. (Trading wheat, potatoes, carrots, ect.)

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Having a zombie XP farm next to a villager breeder will let you get the amount of emeralds needed to purchase enchanted books.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Show More Tips

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

If you want to get loads of XP, try making an iron golem and killing it.
Although it's a small chance, you can get enchanted items by fishing.

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Warnings

An item cannot have two copies of the same enchantment.

Thanks
Helpful 7 Not Helpful 1
You cannot have both silk touch and fortune on the same pickaxe at a time.

Thanks
Helpful 7 Not Helpful 1
If the items combined cost too much, a red "X" will appear, and the text will say "Too Expensive!"

Thanks
Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
You cannot get both Smite and Bane of Arthropods.

Thanks
Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1