Enchantments are the biggest upgrade you can give your gear, and a few of them matter far more than the rest. This guide lists the usual best picks for each kind of item with their top level, then shows where each one comes from and how to combine them.
Checked against Minecraft Java Edition 26.3, October 2026.
The picks for each item
Enchantments that conflict with each other cannot sit on the same item, so those rows say "one of". Roman numerals are the top level.
Protection, Fire Protection, Blast Protection and Projectile Protection also exclude each other, so one kind of protection per piece. Sharpness, Smite and Bane of Arthropods exclude each other on a sword. Maces and spears have enchantments of their own: Density, Breach and Wind Burst on a mace, and Lunge on a spear. Density and Breach also exclude Sharpness, Smite and Bane of Arthropods.
Where they come from
The enchanting table
A table offers three enchantments. Surround it with 15 bookshelves, each with a one-block gap between it and the table, and the top choice is level 30, the highest the table goes. Each choice uses up experience and lapis lazuli. The table never offers treasure enchantments.
Treasure enchantments
Mending, Frost Walker, Soul Speed, Swift Sneak, Wind Burst and the two curses are treasure enchantments. You cannot get them from the table:
- Mending comes from loot chests, fishing, or a librarian villager, which sells it in a book.
- Frost Walker also comes from librarians.
- Soul Speed comes from bartering with piglins and from bastion chests.
- Swift Sneak comes from ancient city chests.
- Wind Burst comes from ominous trial vaults.
Soul Speed, Swift Sneak and Wind Burst cannot be bought from a librarian, so you have to find those in the places above.
Villagers, loot and fishing
Librarians sell enchanted books. Fishing and structure loot also give enchanted books and gear.
Combine them with an anvil
Put an item and an enchanted book in an anvil to move the enchantments across. Each combine costs levels, and the cost climbs as an item is worked again and again. Past 39 levels the anvil refuses the job.
On your server
Operators can apply an enchantment to the item in their hand with enchant <player> <enchantment> <level>. The game refuses levels above the normal maximum and refuses conflicting enchantments, the same as the anvil does. Plugins can add custom enchantments of their own, and Set up EnhancedEnchants on your Minecraft server and Set up Crazy Enchantments on your Minecraft server cover two of them.
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