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Best Book Enchantments in Minecraft (2026)
Plan the optimal anvil order for your book - avoid “Too Expensive!” and reach a 42-enchantment endgame loadout without burning a stack of XP bottles.
Anvil Calculator
Optimal order · XP cost · Too-Expensive guardPick the gear you want to enchant. Books you add below will be merged onto it in the cheapest order we can find.
All Book Enchantments
| Enchantment | Max Level | Book Cost | Conflicts | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protection | 4 | 1/lvl | Fire Protection, Blast Protection, Projectile Protection | vanilla |
| Fire Protection | 4 | 2/lvl | Protection, Blast Protection, Projectile Protection | vanilla |
| Blast Protection | 4 | 4/lvl | Protection, Fire Protection, Projectile Protection | vanilla |
| Projectile Protection | 4 | 2/lvl | Protection, Fire Protection, Blast Protection | vanilla |
| Respiration | 3 | 4/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Aqua Affinity | 1 | 4/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Thorns | 3 | 8/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Feather Falling | 4 | 2/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Depth Strider | 3 | 4/lvl | Frost Walker | vanilla |
| Frost Walker [treasure] | 2 | 4/lvl | Depth Strider | vanilla |
| Soul Speed [treasure] | 3 | 8/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Swift Sneak [treasure] | 3 | 8/lvl | - | 1.19 |
| Sharpness | 5 | 1/lvl | Smite, Bane of Arthropods | vanilla |
| Smite | 5 | 2/lvl | Sharpness, Bane of Arthropods | vanilla |
| Bane of Arthropods | 5 | 2/lvl | Sharpness, Smite | vanilla |
| Knockback | 2 | 2/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Fire Aspect | 2 | 4/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Looting | 3 | 4/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Sweeping Edge | 3 | 4/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Efficiency | 5 | 1/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Fortune | 3 | 4/lvl | Silk Touch | vanilla |
| Silk Touch | 1 | 8/lvl | Fortune | vanilla |
| Unbreaking | 3 | 2/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Mending [treasure] | 1 | 4/lvl | Infinity | vanilla |
| Power | 5 | 1/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Punch | 2 | 4/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Flame | 1 | 4/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Infinity | 1 | 8/lvl | Mending | vanilla |
| Multishot | 1 | 4/lvl | Piercing | vanilla |
| Piercing | 4 | 1/lvl | Multishot | vanilla |
| Quick Charge | 3 | 2/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Impaling | 5 | 4/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Loyalty | 3 | 4/lvl | Riptide | vanilla |
| Channeling | 1 | 8/lvl | Riptide | vanilla |
| Riptide | 3 | 4/lvl | Loyalty, Channeling | vanilla |
| Luck of the Sea | 3 | 4/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Lure | 3 | 4/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Density | 5 | 1/lvl | Breach | 1.21 |
| Breach | 4 | 4/lvl | Density | 1.21 |
| Wind Burst [treasure] | 3 | 4/lvl | - | 1.21 |
| Curse of Binding [curse] [treasure] | 1 | 8/lvl | - | vanilla |
| Curse of Vanishing [curse] [treasure] | 1 | 8/lvl | - | vanilla |
Best Book Combos
The right combo depends on what you do with your book. Below are three loadouts we tested in 1.20+ and Legacy worlds; the calculator above will give you the optimal order once you press Calculate.
Step-by-step anvil order
Apply books in the order the calculator above prints. As a heuristic: the cheapest books first (Unbreaking, Mending), the per-level multiplier-1 enchants next (Sharpness, Efficiency, Power), then the high-cost ones (Looting, Fortune, Thorns, Silk Touch).
On 1.20+ the cap is still 40 levels and the prior-work penalty is
still 2^n - 1. The relative savings
of book-pairing versus item-pairing did shift, so toggle the version
switch above to match your world.
How to get the best book enchantments
- Villager trading: Librarian villagers offer single enchanted books for emeralds; trap two villagers and reroll until you have one each of Mending and Unbreaking III.
- Enchanting table: Build 15 bookshelves around a level 30 table for the strongest single enchant. Combine the result onto your book via the anvil.
- Loot & structures: Trial chambers, ancient cities, and bastions reliably drop high-level books.
- Fishing: With a Luck of the Sea III rod you can pull enchanted books on roughly 1% of catches.
Bedrock vs Java differences
Bedrock anvil math closely tracks Java, but two quirks matter: Sweeping Edge does not exist on Bedrock, and Impaling deals bonus damage to all mobs in water rather than just aquatic mobs. The calculator above produces the same cost numbers for both editions because the underlying cost formula is identical; you may simply not be able to apply a Java-only enchantment on Bedrock.
FAQ
- What enchantments can I put on a Book in Minecraft?
- A Book accepts 42 enchantments: Protection, Fire Protection, Blast Protection, Projectile Protection, Respiration, Aqua Affinity, Thorns, Feather Falling, Depth Strider, Frost Walker, Soul Speed, Swift Sneak, Sharpness, Smite, Bane of Arthropods, Knockback, Fire Aspect, Looting, Sweeping Edge, Efficiency, Fortune, Silk Touch, Unbreaking, Mending, Power, Punch, Flame, Infinity, Multishot, Piercing, Quick Charge, Impaling, Loyalty, Channeling, Riptide, Luck of the Sea, Lure, Density, Breach, Wind Burst, Curse of Binding, Curse of Vanishing.
- What is the maximum number of enchantments on a Book?
- You can stack up to 99 enchantments on a single book via anvil combines. Conflicting enchantments such as Sharpness/Smite/Bane of Arthropods or Silk Touch/Fortune cannot share the same item.
- Why does my book say 'Too Expensive!' on the anvil?
- Each anvil use raises the item's prior-work penalty (2^n - 1 XP levels). Combined with the per-level enchantment cost, hitting 40 total levels triggers the Too Expensive cap on survival mode. Use the calculator above to plan an order that stays under 40.
- How do I repair a book?
- Book doesn't have a vanilla repair material. The most reliable option is Mending plus a steady source of XP (fishing or villager trading).
Related
Top enchantments for book
- Protection
- Fire Protection
- Blast Protection
- Projectile Protection
- Respiration
- Aqua Affinity
- Thorns
- Feather Falling
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