How to Enchant Items in Minecraft

Understanding the Enchanting System

Enchanting is the primary way to upgrade your tools, weapons and armor in Minecraft. The system revolves around three core components: the enchanting table, experience levels and lapis lazuli. Knowing how these interact lets you target specific enchantments instead of gambling blindly.

There are three ways to apply enchantments: using an enchanting table directly, combining enchanted books on an anvil, or merging two enchanted items together on an anvil. Each method has different costs and advantages.

Crafting an Enchanting Table

You need the following materials to craft an enchanting table:

• 1 Book, crafted from 3 paper and 1 leather.
• 2 Diamonds, mined at Y-level -59 to 16.
• 4 Obsidian, mined with a diamond or netherite pickaxe.

Place the book in the top-center slot, the two diamonds in the left-center and right-center slots, and fill the bottom row plus the center with obsidian. The resulting enchanting table can be placed anywhere, but it needs bookshelves nearby to unlock higher-tier enchantments.

Setting Up Bookshelves

Bookshelves boost the maximum enchantment level available at your table. The rules are straightforward:

• Place bookshelves one block away from the enchanting table with one air block between them.
• Bookshelves must be on the same level as the table or one block above it.
• You need exactly 15 bookshelves to unlock level 30 enchantments. More than 15 has no additional effect.
• Do not place torches, carpet or other blocks between the table and the shelves. Any block in that gap breaks the connection.

A standard setup is a U-shape of bookshelves with the enchanting table in the center. Leave the front open so you can walk in.

How Enchanting Table Offers Work

When you place an item in the enchanting table, three enchantment options appear. Each one requires a minimum number of experience levels and costs 1, 2 or 3 lapis lazuli respectively. The top slot costs 1 level, the middle costs 2 and the bottom costs 3.

Important details:

• The enchantments offered are semi-random. They depend on your XP seed, the item type and the number of active bookshelves.
• You can reroll the offers by enchanting a cheap item like a wooden shovel. This changes your enchantment seed.
• The bottom slot (level 30) gives the best enchantments. Always aim for this unless you are rerolling.
• Hovering over an option shows one enchantment, but the item may receive additional bonus enchantments you cannot preview.

Using Anvils and Enchanted Books

Anvils let you apply enchanted books to items or combine two enchanted items. This is the only way to get specific enchantments with certainty.

• Place the target item in the left slot and the enchanted book or sacrifice item in the right slot.
• The XP cost depends on the enchantments being applied and any prior work penalties on the item.
• Each time an item passes through an anvil, its prior work penalty doubles. After roughly 6 anvil uses, the cost exceeds 39 levels and the anvil refuses the operation.
• To minimize penalties, plan your combining order. Merge books together first in pairs, then apply the final combined book to the item.

Finding Enchanted Books

Enchanted books appear in many loot sources:

• Fishing, use a Luck of the Sea III rod for the best odds.
• Villager trading, librarian villagers sell specific enchanted books. Break and replace their lectern to reroll their trades until you find what you need.
• Dungeon and structure loot, strongholds, mineshafts, ancient cities and woodland mansions contain enchanted book chests.
• Raid drops, pillager raids can reward enchanted books on higher waves.

Librarian villagers are the most reliable source because you can target exact enchantments. Setting up a trading hall with multiple librarians is one of the best mid-game investments.

Best Enchantments by Item Type

• Sword, Sharpness V, Looting III, Unbreaking III, Mending, Fire Aspect II, Sweeping Edge III (Java only).
• Pickaxe, Efficiency V, Unbreaking III, Mending, Fortune III (or Silk Touch for a second pick).
• Armor, Protection IV, Unbreaking III, Mending. Add Feather Falling IV to boots, Aqua Affinity and Respiration III to the helmet.
• Bow, Power V, Infinity (or Mending if you prefer), Flame, Punch II.
• Trident, Loyalty III for melee/thrown use, Riptide III for travel (cannot have Loyalty at the same time), Channeling for thunderstorms.

Note that Mending and Infinity are mutually exclusive on bows. Most players prefer Infinity so they do not need to carry stacks of arrows, but Mending saves you from recrafting the bow.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Do not enchant diamond gear if you plan to upgrade to netherite. Enchantments transfer when you upgrade on a smithing table, so enchant the diamond version first and then upgrade.
• Do not combine items on an anvil more times than necessary. Plan ahead to avoid hitting the 39-level cap.
• Do not waste level 30 enchantments on iron tools unless you have XP to spare. Save the high-tier enchants for diamond or netherite.

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