nocware
Quick answer
- Almost everything should get Mending and Unbreaking III.
- Armour: Protection IV on every piece. Boots also get Feather Falling IV.
- Sword: Sharpness V and Looting III. Pickaxe: Efficiency V plus Fortune III or Silk Touch.
Maxed gear is what keeps you alive, especially in Hardcore. Here's the best set of enchantments for every piece, plus the ones you can't put together.
Max Gear ChecklistThe best enchantments for every Minecraft armor piece, tool and weapon, as a checklist you can tick off→
Armour
| Piece | Best enchantments |
|---|---|
| Helmet | Protection IV, Respiration III, Aqua Affinity, Unbreaking III, Mending |
| Chestplate | Protection IV, Unbreaking III, Mending |
| Leggings | Protection IV, Swift Sneak III, Unbreaking III, Mending |
| Boots | Protection IV, Feather Falling IV, Depth Strider III, Soul Speed III, Unbreaking III, Mending |
Thorns?Thorns III damages mobs that hit you, but it also wears your armour out faster. Most players skip it.
Weapons and tools
| Item | Best enchantments |
|---|---|
| Sword | Sharpness V, Looting III, Sweeping Edge III (Java), Fire Aspect II, Unbreaking III, Mending |
| Pickaxe | Efficiency V, Fortune III or Silk Touch, Unbreaking III, Mending |
| Axe | Efficiency V, Sharpness V, Unbreaking III, Mending |
 Bow | Power V, Punch II, Flame, Unbreaking III, Mending or Infinity |
 Fishing rod | Luck of the Sea III, Lure III, Unbreaking III, Mending |
Pick one: enchantments that can't go together
- Protection, Fire, Blast and Projectile Protection: one per piece.
- Sharpness, Smite and Bane of Arthropods: one per weapon.
- Fortune or Silk Touch.
- Mending or Infinity on a bow.
- Depth Strider or Frost Walker on boots.
- Multishot or Piercing on a crossbow.
Where to get them
Most come from an 
enchanting table with 15 bookshelves around it. Some can't, and you need to find them:
| Enchantment | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Mending | Librarian trades, fishing, loot chests |
| Swift Sneak | Ancient city chests only |
| Soul Speed | Bastion loot or piglin bartering |
| Frost Walker | Librarians and loot, not the table |
Combine in the right orderAdding books one at a time can make the anvil say Too Expensive. The enchant order calculator finds the cheapest order.
Enchant Order CalculatorFind the cheapest order to combine enchanted books in an anvil and avoid Too Expensive→
Cheat sheet
- Mending + Unbreaking III on everything
- Protection IV on all armour
- Boots: Feather Falling IV is a lifesaver
- Sword: Sharpness V + Looting III
Max Gear ChecklistThe best enchantments for every Minecraft armor piece, tool and weapon, as a checklist you can tick off→
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