Enchanting has been a significant mechanic in Minecraft since Version 1.0, allowing players to imbue weapons, tools, and armor with Enchantments that can enhance their base abilities or grant them new properties that completely change how they can be used. Placing the proper Enchantment on a specific tool can mean the difference between success and failure in whatever endeavor you plan on tackling. Still, the sheer number of Enchantments in the game can make figuring out what Enchantments work well with a specific item tricky.

Enhancing an item is one of the most expensive actions you can perform in Minecraft, so knowing which Enchantments are worth getting and which are better off avoiding is essential if you want to avoid wasting your time and resources. We’ve compiled a list of the best Enchantments for every item in Minecraft, so keep reading if you want to turn your inventory into an arsenal capable of conquering any adversity you encounter.

How to Enchant Items in Minecraft

Enchanting items is something that many Minecraft players don’t know how to do, mostly because the game isn’t exactly forthright on how you’re supposed to go about it. There are a few ways to enchant items in Minecraft, but the easiest is through an Enchantment Table. We’ve already made a great guide that covers all the materials you need to build one, so check that out if you want to know more.

From there, you’ll need to amass Experience Points and level up to specific levels to unlock all possible enchantments. You’ll also need to gather Lapis Lazuli, which is needed to imbue an item with an Enchantment. Lapis Lazuli can generally found in deposits deep underground or inside Abandoned Mansion in rooms with Illager Statures.

Another way to Enchant items is to use the anvil to fuse an Enchanted item with a non-Enchanted item or fuse two Enchanted Items together. Anvils are also the primary way to repair Enchanted items, which is done, so you will want to have an anvil even if you don’t plan on using it to create Enchanted items.

While Enchanting items can be a pain, the buffs the give to items are well worth the cost. With the right Enchantments, challenges that once seemed impossible can be accomplished with relative ease. Below is our picks for the best Enchantmets for every Item or unique situation in Minecraft.

The Best Minecraft Enchantments

Best Minecraft Pickaxe Enchantments

• Silk Touch – Allows you to pick up exactly what blocks you mine rather than the typical items they drop.
• Fortune – Has a chance to multiply the number of ores you receive from mining and increases the odds of rare items like flint dropping from other blocks.
• Mending – Allows you to repair the pickaxe using experience orbs.
• Efficiency – Increases mining speed.
• Unbreaking – Has a chance to not use any of the pickaxe’s durability when mining.

Best Minecraft Axe Enchantments

• Mending – Allows you to repair the axe using experience orbs.
• Efficiency – On an axe, Efficiency gives the axe a slim chance to stun enemies with shields.
• Unbreaking – Has a chance to not use any of the axe’s durability when mining.
• Silk Touch – Allows you to pick up exactly what blocks you mine rather than the typical items they drop.
• Sharpness – Increases weapon damage.
• Knockback – Knocks mobs away when you hit them, saving you from Creepers and other contact-focused mobs.

Best Minecraft Sword Enchantments

• Sharpness – Significantly increases a sword’s damage.
• Looting – Increasing the number of items that mobs drop upon death.
• Unbreaking – Has a chance to not use any of the sword’s durability when attacking.
• Fire Aspect – Adds fire damage to normal attacks and lights mobs on fire when they’re struck by the sword.
• Knockback – Knocks mobs away when you hit them, saving you from Creepers and other contact-focused mobs.

Best Minecraft Shovel Enchantments

• Mending – Allows you to repair the shovel using experience orbs.
• Efficiency – Increases mining speed.
• Unbreaking – Has a chance to not use any of the shovel’s durability when mining.
• Silk Touch – Allows you to pick up exactly what blocks you mine rather than the typical items they drop.

Best Minecraft Bow Enchantments

• Power – Increases arrow damage.
• Infinity – Grants you infinite arrows as long as you have at least one arrow in your inventory.
• Flame –  Causes the bow to shoot flaming arrows.
• Punch – Increases arrow knockback.
• Mending – Allows you to repair the bow using experience orbs.
• Piercing – Arrows will pierce through enemies.
• Multishot – One Arrow becomes three, and one can be retrieved so you can keep firing.

Related: How to Use Armor Trims in Minecraft

Best Minecraft Crossbow Enchantments

• Quick Charge – Reduces the time needed to reload the crossbow.
• Multishot – Allows you to shoot a fan of three arrows at the cost of just one arrow.
• Unbreaking – Has a chance not to use the crossbow’s durability when firing an arrow.
• Mending – Allows you to repair the crossbow using experience orbs.

Best Minecraft Trident Enchantments

• Loyalty – Causes the trident to return to you after being thrown.
• Riptide – Propels you forward when you throw the trident while in water or while it’s raining.
• Channeling – Summons a lightning strike when you hit a mob with the trident during a thunderstorm.
• Unbreaking – Has a chance to not use the trident’s durability when attacking.
• Mending – Allows you to repair the trident using experience orbs.

Best Minecraft Shield Enchantments

• Unbreaking – Has a chance to not use the shield’s durability when taking damage.
• Mending – Allows you to repair the shield using experience orbs.

Best Minecraft Helmet Enchantments

• Protection – Increases the helmet’s damage reduction.
• Respiration – Allows you to breathe underwater for extended periods of time.
• Aqua Affinity – Allows you to mine underwater much faster.
• Thorns – Damages any mobs that attack you.
• Unbreaking – Has a chance to not use the helmet’s durability when taking damage.
• Mending – Allows you to repair the helmet using experience orbs.
• Projectile Protection – Reduces damage from projectile attacks.

Best Minecraft Chestplate Enchantments

• Protection – Increases the chestplate’s damage reduction.
• Fire Protection – Reduces damage taken from fire and lava.
• Thorns – Damages any mobs that attack you.
• Unbreaking – Has a chance to not use the chestplate’s durability when taking damage.
• Mending – Allows you to repair the chestplate using experience orbs.
• Projectile Protection – Reduces damage from projectile attacks.

Related: Best Minecraft Pocket Edition Addons on Touch Tap Play 

Best Minecraft Leggings Enchantments

• Protection – Increases the leggings’ damage reduction.
• Thorns – Damages any mobs that attack you.
• Unbreaking – Has a chance to not use the leggings’ durability when taking damage.
• Mending – Allows you to repair the leggings using experience orbs.
• Projectile Protection – Reduces damage from projectile attacks.

Best Minecraft Boots Enchantments

• Protection – Increases the boots’ damage reduction.
• Thorns – Damages any mobs that attack you.
• Unbreaking – Has a chance to not use the boots’ durability when taking damage.
• Mending – Allows you to repair the boots using experience orbs.
• Feather Falling – Reduces fall damage.
• Frost Walker – Creates ice blocks when walking over water.
• Depth Strider – Increases movement speed underwater.

Related: 10 Best Minecraft Texture Packs for Bedrock

Best Minecraft Elytra Enchantments

• Unbreaking – Has a chance to not use the elytra’s durability when used.
• Mending – Allows you to repair the elytra using experience orbs.

Best Minecraft Fishing Rod Enchantments

• Luck of the Sea – Increases the chance of catching treasure and lowers the chance of catching junk items.
• Lure – Decreases the wait time for catching fish.
• Unbreaking – Has a chance not to use the fishing rod’s durability when used.
• Mending – Allows you to repair the fishing rod using experience orbs.

Best Minecraft Enchantments for Exploring the Nether

• Fire Protection – The most vital Enchantment when visiting The Nether, as it protects the user from any type of fire damage, including fire and lava.
• Feather Falling – There are drops around every corner in the Nether. Having your boots enchanted with Feather Falling will save you from that heart-wrenching moment
• Soul Speed – Soul Speed allows you to run on soul sand, which is abundant in the Nether.
• Blast Protection – If Ghasts are the bane of your blocky existence, blast protection reduces explosion damage and knockback.
• Frost Walker – Changes the water blocks beneath your feet to ice and prevents the damage you’d take from standing on magma blocks.