Best Sword Enchantments in Minecraft
Quick answer
- Sharpness V
- Looting III
- Sweeping Edge III
- Fire Aspect II
- Knockback II
- Unbreaking III
- Mending I
Cheapest anvil order: 49 levels in 7 steps (Java)
Why each enchantment earns its slot
- VSharpness
Extra melee damage against every mob (Java: +0.5 × level + 0.5).
- IIILooting
More and rarer mob drops.
- IIISweeping Edge
Java only. Boosts sweep-attack damage to nearby mobs.
- IIFire Aspect
Sets the target on fire (4 seconds per level); cooked drops from animals.
- IIKnockback
Pushes targets further away on hit.
- IIIUnbreaking
Chance to skip durability loss; roughly quadruples tool life at level III.
- IMending Treasure
Collected XP repairs the item (2 durability per XP point). Librarian trade or loot only. Get it from librarian villager trades, fishing, or loot chests.
Cheapest order to combine the books
Left item goes in the anvil’s first slot. Costs are Java Edition levels for a fresh sword and books straight from the table or a librarian.
- Sword + Fire Aspect book4
- Sweeping Edge book + Mending book2
- Sword (Fire Aspect) + Book (Sweeping Edge + Mending)10
- Looting book + Unbreaking book3
- Sword (Fire Aspect + Sweeping Edge + Mending) + Book (Looting + Unbreaking)13
- Sharpness book + Knockback book2
- Sword (Fire Aspect + Sweeping Edge + Mending + Looting + Unbreaking) + Book (Sharpness + Knockback)15
Trade-offs to know
Sharpness beats Smite and Bane for general use. Skip Knockback if you fight in tight spaces: it pushes mobs out of reach of your next swing, and many players drop it for that reason.
Other enchantments a sword can take: Smite, Bane of Arthropods.Smite can’t sit with Sharpness.Bane of Arthropods can’t sit with Sharpness.
With cheats on (Java 1.21.5+), this command gives the finished sword: /give @p netherite_sword[enchantments={sharpness:5,looting:3,sweeping_edge:3,fire_aspect:2,knockback:2,unbreaking:3,mending:1}]
Every sword enchantment
| Enchantment | Max | What it does | Conflicts with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpness | V | Extra melee damage against every mob (Java: +0.5 × level + 0.5). | Smite, Bane of Arthropods |
| Smite | V | +2.5 damage per level against undead: zombies, skeletons, withers, phantoms. | Sharpness, Bane of Arthropods, Density, Breach |
| Bane of Arthropods | V | +2.5 damage per level against spiders, silverfish, bees and endermites, plus Slowness. | Sharpness, Smite, Density, Breach |
| Knockback | II | Pushes targets further away on hit. | — |
| Fire Aspect | II | Sets the target on fire (4 seconds per level); cooked drops from animals. | — |
| Looting | III | More and rarer mob drops. | — |
| Sweeping Edge | III | Java only. Boosts sweep-attack damage to nearby mobs. | — |
| Unbreaking | III | Chance to skip durability loss; roughly quadruples tool life at level III. | — |
| Mending Treasure | I | Collected XP repairs the item (2 durability per XP point). Librarian trade or loot only. | Infinity |
| Curse of Vanishing Curse | I | The item is destroyed instead of dropping when you die. | — |
Questions players ask
What are the best sword enchantments in Minecraft?
The strongest all-round set is Sharpness V, Looting III, Sweeping Edge III, Fire Aspect II, Knockback II, Unbreaking III, Mending I. Sharpness beats Smite and Bane for general use. Skip Knockback if you fight in tight spaces: it pushes mobs out of reach of your next swing, and many players drop it for that reason.
How many levels does a max-enchanted sword cost?
Combining the books in the cheapest order costs 49 levels in total over 7 anvil uses in Java Edition, and no single step reaches the 40-level “Too Expensive!” cap. Applying the books one at a time costs more because the sword’s prior-work penalty doubles with every use.
Which sword enchantments can’t be combined?
Smite and Sharpness; Bane of Arthropods and Sharpness are mutually exclusive, so pick one of each pair.
Where do I get Mending?
Mending never appears on an enchanting table; get it from librarian villager trades, fishing, or loot chests.
Is there a command to give a fully enchanted sword?
Yes, with cheats on in Java Edition 1.21.5 or later: /give @p netherite_sword[enchantments={sharpness:5,looting:3,sweeping_edge:3,fire_aspect:2,knockback:2,unbreaking:3,mending:1}]. Older versions use a different syntax.