Ultimate Guide: The Best Sword Enchantments in Minecraft

Whether you’re exploring the deep Trial Chambers of version 1.21 or simply defending your base from a zombie invasion, your sword is your best friend. But a diamond or netherite sword without magic is just a sharp piece of metal.

The “God Sword”: The Perfect Combination

If you’re looking for the best possible sword, one that works for almost any situation, you should aim to gather these 7 enchantments (6 if you play on Bedrock). This is the gold standard configuration:

• Sharpness V: Increases raw damage against everything.
• Mending: Uses experience to repair the sword infinitely.
• Unbreaking III: Drastically increases durability.
• Looting III: Increases the items dropped by enemies (vital for survival).
• Fire Aspect II: Sets enemies on fire and cooks food instantly.
• Sweeping Edge III: Java Edition Only. Increases area-of-effect attack damage.
• Knockback II: Pushes enemies away (useful against Creepers, optional for some).

Detailed Analysis of Enchantments

1. Sharpness vs. Smite vs. Bane of Arthropods

These three enchantments are mutually exclusive; you can only have one.

1. Sharpness: The safest choice. For a general-purpose sword, Sharpness V is mandatory.
2. Smite: Does much more extra damage than Sharpness, but only to undead (Zombies, Skeletons, Wither). It’s incredible for killing the Wither Boss in seconds.
3. Bane of Arthropods: Only affects spiders and silverfish. Generally considered the worst, and you should avoid it.

2. The Utility of Looting

If you play in survival mode, Looting III is non-negotiable. It multiplies the chances of obtaining rare items like Wither Skeleton skulls, Ender pearls, or Shulker shells. It’s the key to progressing fast.

3. Is Knockback Worth It?

This is where the community is divided:

• Pros: Fantastic for keeping Creepers at bay.
• Cons: Annoying against skeletons (who shoot you from afar) because you’ll have to run after them to finish them off.

Key Differences: Java vs. Bedrock

Combinations Based on Your Playstyle

For PvE (Adventure and Survival)

• Sharpness V (or Smite V for skeleton farms).
• Looting III.
• Mending and Unbreaking III.
• Fire Aspect II (For cooked food and light when burning mobs).

For PvP (Player vs. Player)

• Sharpness V (Mandatory).
• Fire Aspect II (Fire visually distracts the opponent).
• Knockback II (Excellent for combos and knocking enemies into the void/lava).

Pro Tip: How to Avoid “Too Expensive”

A common mistake is adding books one by one in the anvil. This will cause the experience cost to rise exponentially until the anvil says “Too Expensive.”

The Solution: Combine the books with each other first in a pyramid shape:

1. Book A + Book B = Book C
2. Book D + Book E = Book F
3. Book C + Book F = Final Book
4. Final Book + Sword

This keeps the level cost low and allows you to have all the best enchantments on a single weapon.