Talk:Enchanting/Archive 1

webb app
I was just thinking, what if there was a web applet that could calculate enchantment probability depending on the variables entered. Just an idea Djc1999 05:28, 13 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Done. http://github.com/zazcallabah/mce/downloads (shameless plug) --Zaz 11:55, 30 January 2012 (UTC)

Max Bookshelves
I don't think 30 is the max. You can easily dig underneath and come up with a ladder and make it 32.


 * As stated in the article "(While it is possible to get two more bookshelves in "range", they do not add, as the boost is capped.)" so yes, you can get in to a full square (a prettier way is a spiral staircase,) but it does not help. Cultist O 00:17, 23 January 2012 (UTC)

There is a maximum of 36. if you put a base of 9 (3 by 3), a roof of 9 (3 by 3) with three spaces in between and then another 3 walls of 3 by 3, go in, and make the final wall, you should be inside a 5 by 5 by 5 cube of book shelves. The edges of the cube don't do anithing because they would be three blocks away and the maximum is either 2 or an L shape. Put a dirt block in the center, then put the enchanting table on top and break the dirt, you will be inside the cube. However once you have enchanted everything you need to enchant, you will have to break one bookshelf minimum to get out so you will need to use 6 wooden plank blocks everytime tou go inside.
 * No. Bookshelves that are not on the same layer as the enchanting table or exactly one layer above it have no effect whatsoever. Corners of a square around the table do count. -- Orthotope 07:28, 29 January 2012 (UTC)

Bow enchantability?
does anyone know if bows are treated like a wood sword, with 15 enchantability, or something else?


 * I've done some testings with the bow enchantments, and the bow does not have an enchatablity of 15, it has less. I don't know the exact number yet, but even if tried enchanting bow with lvl 5 multiple times, but never gotten anything other than power I. Since power I is max mod enchant level 16, the bow is less than 11 enchantability. It may be a bug

13:06, 15 January 2012 (UTC)

!!! Bow enchants on 1.1 !!!
Power (max V), Flame (I), Punch (I) and Infinity (I).

Power increases inflicted damage, Flame sets the target (and the arrow) on fire (the one-hit-kill but no cooked food bug has been fixed too), Punch doubles knockback, Infinity does not consume arrows, but only if you have at least one arrow on your inventory, and is as rare as Silk Touch.

--RichardG867 16:44, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

see there is one more enchantment, its called "Damage I" i got it but idk what else it does... Idk how to upload pics, someone tell me and Ill upload a photo... or someone just span-enchant some bows and finds the Damage one, too. strangely, damage seems to do the same as power...

- i dont have a username

Power and Damage are the same enchants just a different language setting

I enchanted my bow lv 41, i got knockback 1, Flame 3, and Infinity 1, cant remember, but what im wondering is how low can you enchant it and still get Flame? Because its my favorite enchantment for the bow, and the sword. BERSERK 23:44, 19 February 2012 (UTC)
 * I tested using http://github.com/zazcallabah/mce and it seems as if the probability starts to become unreasonable around level 15 --Zaz 10:05, 20 February 2012 (UTC)

Unbreaking levels
Does anyone know what are the chances that an item with the unbreaking enchantment will use up a use or not? Does the highest level make the tool unbreakable?

- I tested a wooden pick and got 60 uses (standard). I then tested an Unbreaking III wooden pick and got 260 uses. (4.33 times as many)

- I tested a golden pick and got 33 uses (standard). I then tested an Unbreaking III golden pick and got 97 uses. (2.9 times as many)


 * The chances that an item with the unbreaking enchantment will use up a use is 100/(enchantment level+1)%, so Unbreaking III should use up a use only 25% of the time, meaning an average item with that enchantment will last 4 times as long. This info is now in the article, and this section should be deleted. Euridicus 07:56, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Fortune Enchantment Numbers
Some quick 5 minute numbers, using diamond pickaxes with fortune level 1-6, I mined 10 diamond blocks with each pickaxe, here are the results

EDIT : I (Zonta) Tested the same thing but with Fortune 1-10, Imined also 10 Diamond Ore with each pickaxe

Screenshot of the chest --Zonta 14:17, 26 October 2011 (UTC)

I'll do some more experimenting tomorrow with different quality pickaxes and different ores and a much bigger sample size but one thing is obvious, there's a random chance you'll get >1 ore and the amount of ores you get is dependant on the level. Niall 02:25, 14 October 2011 (UTC)

Couldn't resist, I ran a quick test on iron and coal ore, fortune didn't have any affect on iron ore(bug? since it gives ore instead of coal/diamonds directly) and the numbers for coal were almost identical to the numbers for diamond, I imagine it will be heavily nerfed in the final release. Niall 02:35, 14 October 2011 (UTC)
 * The problem with using Fortune on a ore that drops blocks (Iron, Gold) is that you could place it back down and mine it again to try to multiply the amount of ores you have.198.30.247.92 19:50, 14 October 2011 (UTC)

The numbers I added to the fortune enchantment level are based upon a sample of 1024 blocks of coal mined each. Everything was within ~0,2% of the values I posted, so I guess they are correct (Azzu 15:14, 14 October 2011 (UTC))

To "fix" the iron/gold problems, there should be a way to determine if a block was player-placed or generated, or make iron/gold drop lumps instead... Quite sad it doesn't work on iron :( Also, I hope it does not get nerfed - it and other new 1.9 content is underpowered enough already. C ali nou - talk × contribs » 20:17, 17 October 2011 (UTC)

What about clay? Does clayballs multiply as well? 116.49.172.139
 * Nope, tested it just now (was hoping for infinite Clay). Well, made 4 runs (all with diamond-Shovel with Effi 4). First was normal shovel, than with Silktouch (who knows), Fortune 2 and Fortune 3. With Silktouch i got 100 blocks (thats what i placed). With Fortune 2 and 3 i got 400 Clayballs -> 100 Blocks. With normal Shovel 400 balls too. Casurin 21:15, 31 October 2011 (UTC)

Effects?
I'm not sure that any of the enchantments actually do anything yet, and I also think that the names just use random words. what do you think? Quarg 20:27, 6 October 2011 (UTC)

I believe the words are not tool specific either. Any spell that would affect a hoe, for example, can be found for swords as well, which may otherwise support the Random Names hypothesis. Alorty 21:53, 6 October 2011 (UTC)

I would like to point out that I attempted to enchant a diamond sword earlier, and whatever I did nerfed the weapon dramatically. Ederek Cole 00:29, 7 October 2011 (UTC)
 * Yeah same for me, I enchanted a diamond sword and then it couldn't one-shot a pig, which given a pig has 5 hearts of health and a diamond sword normal attack deals 5, it should. So some sort of effects are in, they just need to be found. -TheWyo 01:31, 7 October 2011 (UTC)


 * Pigs have more health in 1.9. C ali nou - talk × contribs » 20:18, 17 October 2011 (UTC)


 * Pigs have 10 health in 1.9. Diamond swords do only 3.5 hearts damage. Talk:Weapons --HexZyle 02:25, 20 October 2011 (UTC)
 * what does this have to do with enchanting? 203.104.11.2 00:07, 1 November 2011 (UTC)


 * Ederek said that enchanting a diamond sword nerfed it, which is wrong, he had the original values wrong in the first place. TheWyo said that he couldn't one-shot a pig with an enchanted diamond sword, which is also wrong because pigs have 5 health and diamond swords deal 3.5 damage, not 5. Calinou said that pigs have increased health, which is wrong. Pigs are one of the few mobs that haven't had their health changed in 1.9 pre-release 3. Then I posted a link that contained all the correct values, to prevent further confusion. The first post by Ederek was about enchanting, and the posts afterwards failed to explain the reason correctly. --HexZyle 04:31, 1 November 2011 (UTC)

i have had a problem in 1.2.3 when i got coal ore with looting the only thing i got was 1 coal everytime bug?
 * looting only applies to mobdrops. for coal, wouldnt fortune be a better choice? --Zaz 13:29, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

Data
I had a look at the internal data of enchantments using NBTEdit and it appears that enchantments simply have and ID and a level, anyone experimenting with enchantments ought to use this in my oppinion. Quarg 20:46, 6 October 2011 (UTC)
 * Not only that, but there doesn't seem to be any correlation between the contents of these fields and the enchantment chosen in the enchanting window. Editing these values in an editor doesn't have any apparent in-game changes. I propose that the enchantment system in 1.9pre3 is simply a placeholder and that the various levels of enchantment are simply there for debugging purposes.
 * In addition I was able to generate a ton of random strings and level costs simply by picking up the exact same tool and putting it into the enchantment slot over and over again. Combined with the fact that each enchantment serializes to the same data tells me that generating a list of these various combinations is likely pointless. I'll update the article and mention that. RestfulMonad 03:58, 7 October 2011 (UTC)
 * I think that the kind of enchantments are based on the level requirement, every level requirement has 1 enchantment, but the names may vary every time. IJoshFTW 05:22, 7 October 2011 (UTC)
 * That's definitely not true; I tested many combinations of level 20 enchantments on diamond pickaxes and got a variety of effects. &#123;&#123;Nihiltres&#124;talk&#124;edits&#125;&#125; 21:32, 13 October 2011 (UTC)

Bookshelves
Apparently surrounding the enchanting table with bookshelves decodes them for you?

False. Do not spread "Urban Legends of Zelda" (Google it).

It only gives you a higher chance of getting a higher level of enchantment (ex. a wooden sword enchanted without bookshelves surrounding may get 5-10. when surrounded it will go to 5-20~)

Some sort of passworded sentence?
Hey, Ive been enchanting things with the enchanter and it doesnt increase the durability of shovels. Does anyone else suspect you need 3 specific words in a row as the enchantment to get a specific bonus on the item? Just a thought. --68.104.151.228 06:28, 8 October 2011 (UTC)


 * The words have no effect on the enchantment. Euridicus 08:10, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Decoding the Font?
Alright, I know it says to replace the alternate.png with default.png, but how do you do that? Edit the image? Or delete alternate.png?

-Tedious- (or _Ion_, ingame) 23:51, 9 October 2011 (UTC)


 * So are talking about a way to decode everything so its just english and not this other language? My .jar has the alternate and default in there at the same time. --Throex 00:10, 10 October 2011 (UTC)

Yeah, mine does too. Like the page says, we have to replace the alternate with the default, but I'm not sure what it means by that.

76.121.160.174 01:21, 10 October 2011 (UTC)


 * "Replace" is short for "delete original, copy and paste new."--76.24.11.2 05:14, 10 October 2011 (UTC)

Just to clarify, in order to do this: -Delete "alternate.png" -Copy "default.png" and re-paste it into its own folder, it should automatically rename to something like "default (2).png" - Rename "default (2).png" to "alternate.png" so they're now both the same file. Srsguy 06:48, 10 October 2011 (UTC)


 * This would be a lot more helpful if the location that you're referring to was more obvious.  Wikipage says "minecraft.jar", what program are you using to open the jar for editing?  Notepad won't work.


 * You do know that you can use WinRAR to edit a jar file right? Yandols 08:52, 15 October 2011 (UTC)

rename minecraft.jar to minecraft.zip and open it with any zip opening program (like in Win XP an newer the normal explorer will open it just like a folder.)

I thought I'd share this since it's not entirely intuitive and had me hung up for a bit. If you use a texture pack, you should edit the fonts in the texture pack instead of minecraft.jar. --96.29.117.215 06:11, 17 October 2011 (UTC)

Tweet by Jeb
This tweet is releaving effects of enchanting: - Knockback 1 - Smite II http://twitter.com/#!/jeb_/status/123648239873433600 He is referring to this: http://imgur.com/VUVCi Unset 20:05, 11 October 2011 (UTC)

Known Enchantments
A list of known enchantments and effects here:

Smite: Causes more damage to undead mobs (Skeletons and Zombies)

Knockback: unknown effect, posibly throws mobs backwards like a sprint-hit - Yes it does knock back mobs like sprinting, but with different velocity

Efficiency: Faster digging

Sharpness: More damage?

-El_Barto_227, The Half-Creeper! 02:40, 12 October 2011 (UTC)

Have also seen Sharpness I (Sword, 3 xp level enchantment), Efficiency II, Unbreakable II (both from a 3 xp level enchantment on a diamond pick axe), Projectile Protection II (Diamond breastplate, 5 xp level enchantment) -User:Saitir 13 Oct 2011 18:00 BST

Enchantments listed in en_US.lang file:

enchantment.damage.all=Sharpness

enchantment.damage.undead=Smite

enchantment.damage.arthropods=Bane of Arthropods

enchantment.knockback=Knockback

enchantment.fire=Fire Aspect

enchantment.protect.all=Protection

enchantment.protect.fire=Fire Protection

enchantment.protect.fall=Feather Falling

enchantment.protect.explosion=Blast Protection

enchantment.protect.projectile=Projectile Protection

enchantment.oxygen=Respiration

enchantment.waterWorker=Aqua Affinity

enchantment.digging=Efficiency

enchantment.untouching=Silk Touch

enchantment.durability=Unbreaking

enchantment.lootBonus=Looting

enchantment.lootBonusDigger=Fortune

enchantment.level.1=I

enchantment.level.2=II

enchantment.level.3=III

enchantment.level.4=IV

enchantment.level.5=V

enchantment.level.6=VI

enchantment.level.7=VII

enchantment.level.8=VIII

enchantment.level.9=IX

enchantment.level.10=X

This section should be deleted since all enchantment types are now listed in the article. Euridicus 08:13, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

I just got keen 1 on a sword any Idea what it does?Biopuppy 11:39, 16 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Switch to US English; it's probably Sharpness. -- Orthotope 19:43, 16 February 2012 (UTC)

Table with Enchanting effects
When I was browsing 1.9pre4 NBTEdit, I saw that an enchantments existst of two fields: id and lvl Could you help by composing a table? with valid id's, effectnames ingame, description of the effect, and valid LVL options.

->if someone has a such table or is working on please upload with link here. >> am working on one soon :) bevin2007 31/12/2011 AEST

Increasing Spell Efficiency
I can confirm that surrounding an enchantment table with bookshelves radically enhances the levels of the available enchantments. This screenshot shows the highest level of enchantment I managed to reach thus far:

Between the bookshelves and the enchantment table there must be an empty space on all sides. Bookshelves placed directly against the enchantment table do NOT contribute to the enchantment table and leaves the enchantments unaltered.

It's also interesting to note that bookshelves which are LOWER than the animated book on the enchantment table do NOT make magical letters float from the bookshelves to the enchantment table. It is possible that only bookshelves on the same level as the enchantment table and a level above the enchantment table contribute to upgrading the enchantment level, but I have not tested this.

Technical: a 5x5x5 space of bookshelves, within that space a 3x3x3 space of no-blocks/air-blocks and within that space a 1x1x1 block occupied by an enchantment table. Saratje


 * NEW INFO - Tested the bookshelf theory, it is true. Only bookshelves at the same level as the enchantment table and one level above it contribute to raising enchantment levels. Additionally I saw a level 50 enchantment which might be the upper cap for enchantments, it'd be a nice round number for the stages of enchantment: I to X, five per roman numeral. I will screenshot the level 50 enchantment later when I have experience to show a before - during - after. Saratje

Effect IDs
Are effect IDs article relevant information, and if so, where should they be put? Regardless, complete* list:

Armour

0 is protection.

1 is fire protection.

2 is feather fall.

3 is blast protection.

4 is projectile protection.

5 is respiration.

6 is Aqua Affinity (eh?).

Sword

16 is sharpness.

17 is smite.

18 is bane of arthropods.

19 is knockback.

20 is fire aspect.

21 is looting.

Mining equipment

32 is efficiency.

33 is silk touch.

34 is unbreaking.

35 is "fortune".


 * Made table, added this.--Yurisho 20:55, 13 October 2011 (UTC)

Bows

48 is Arrow Damage

49 is Arrow Knockback

50 is Arrow Fire

51 is Arrow Infinite

- AngelMalus from NyMinecraft.com - 16:34, 14 Jan 2012 (UTC)

ID Number
What ID Number are you using? And why are you sorting by ID number when it should be by alpha? --Ecksearoh 21:22, 13 October 2011 (UTC)

The enchantment ID number was used, you can look that up for yourself by opening the file where the player's inventory is saved with a NBT editor. (Azzu 15:16, 14 October 2011 (UTC))

Silk Touch
First, Silk Touch 1 has a 100% chance to drop the original item. It seems to work on most of the items. Confirmed not working on mob spawners or ice as of 1.0.0. KHEEJS 15:07, 20 November 2011 (UTC)

"Looting" Enchantment
I think it may use the same numbers as the "Fortune" enchantment, but obviously I'm not sure. (Azzu 15:20, 14 October 2011 (UTC))
 * Nope.avi 95.96.128.2 04:48, 18 February 2012 (UTC)

Describing How Enchantments Work
I haven't experimented with them too much, and I have found that the page doesn't really tell how they work. I've seen screenshots of items with multiple enchantments, but do these all have to be put on at the same time, or can you enchant the same item multiple times? Similarly, if you spend a large amount of skill points (30, for example) does it apply just one high level enchantment, or do the points spill over into some other enchantment, which you gain levels of? I'm not sure if some of this information is even known, but if it is, it should be added to the article. SuperC1997 01:07, 15 October 2011 (UTC)


 * I just blew 14 experience levels on an enchant picked at random for my Iron Sword - got "Sharpness I".

This indicates one of two things:
 * There is a minimum level of experience levels that must be invested in one enchanting attempt to reach Level II of an enchantment spell in one attempt (from unenchanted),

or


 * There is no point in spending high amounts of experience on single enchants because Levels are only gained by stacking (multiple attempts)

Sorry I couldn't be more help.


 * You cannot enchant an already enchanted item again, there is no stacking. Testing shows that if you spend more points on enchanting, the level of the enchantment will be higher. It is possible the enchantment level has a minimum and maximum value for the tier of bonus added to the item. Your Sharpness I at level 14 may have been tough luck.


 * It also seems higher level enchantments come more often with a double, triple or quadriple bonus. Having more bonuses on one item is a matter of luck, not stacked enchantmens. -Saratje

Spending a few days to reach level 50 and gave it some trys with a diamond pickaxe resulted in the following enchantments:

spendet level / enchantment results
 * 45 / Efficency III


 * 46 / Efficency IV


 * 46 / Efficency IV + Unbreakable III + Fortune III + Silky Touch I


 * 47 / Efficency V


 * 50 / Efficency IV

So a higher level does not give a better enchantment automatically. --Pigeggs 22:32, 20 October 2011 (UTC)
 * How did you get Silk Touch and Fortune on the same item? Try again. Saskyou 20:08, 25 March 2012 (UTC)

I spend a few days of enchanting and i made a php/mysql table of all my result

Zonta Enchant Result --Zonta 14:17, 26 October 2011 (UTC)

silk touch
When you have the silk touch enhanchment on an axe. Red and birch wood drop normal wood, and you can cut leaves with it.

207.255.189.182 08:16, 27 December 2011 (UTC) Actually I Believe the Silk Touch Enchantment lets you pick up the block as if you spawned it in. For example your mining and u see red stone instead of breaking it and getting the normal 4-5 red stone dust, you would get the actual block same for other ores and blocks like stone diamond and lapis. 207.255.189.182 08:16, 27 December 2011 (UTC)

Silk Touch Rarity
I did some testing on a creative world where I NBT Edited the character to have 50,000 levels.

I found that Silk Touch was Extremely rare, and it seems that it will only show up on enchants that have a level requirement of 31 or higher. I ran through a double chest full of pickaxes on 20-30 level enchants, and didn't get silk touch until I tried 31+

I Believe I got silk touch on a lvl 31, 35, and 42 enchant. Which ended up being 3 times out of 2 double chests woth of Diamond pickaxes.

Has anybody else done similar testing? What have you found?


 * oooh, NBT edit, didn't know it could do that. I will do some testing :) --HexZyle 00:16, 17 October 2011 (UTC)


 * I also got Silk Touch on a lvl 31 Enchantment. Buzzfly 21:23, 19 October 2011 (UTC)


 * Just received Silk Touch on a lvl 24 Enchantment on a Diamond Pick. Mawty 13:02, 23 October 2011 (UTC)
 * I think I can top that. I just got silk touch on a lvl 15 enchantment. (Along with Unbreaking III and Efficiency II)... I guess I was lucky. --Gitterrost4 21:25, 23 October 2011 (UTC)
 * I got silk touch on a level 28 enchantment (4 tries, 3 where above 31, the only one that gave me silk touch was the fourth level 28 enchantment)
 * A tool is only eligible to receive silk touch if it has a modified enchantment level between 25 and 75. Diamond tools have an enchantability of 10, meaning that their modified enchantment level can range from 11 to 21 before the ±25% calculation, with a modified enchantment level of 16 being most likely. Therefore, the absolute maximum modified enchantment level possible for a diamond tool would be 26--in other words, it's extremely unlikely that a diamond tool would ever even be considered eligible to receive this enchantment. By contrast, iron tools have an enchantability of 14, so their most likely modified enchantment level would be 22, meaning iron tools are eligible to receive silk touch slightly less than half of the time. Gold tools, with an enchantability of 22, would rarely NOT be eligible for the silk touch enchantment. In other words, if you're looking to build something out of, say, redstone ore, you might be better off burning through a few gold pickaxes than trying to get your trusty diamond pick to do the job. Euridicus 08:46, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Diamond Pickaxe x50 | Silk Touch x6 (12%) |  Enchant lvl, a couple are guesses (38?, 35, 44?, 35, 41, 44, 40) Gold Pickaxe x50 | Silk Touch x10 (20%) | (?, ?, 34, 37, 33, 31, 33, 37, 39, 35) Iron Pickaxe x50 | Silk Touch x3 (6%) | (33, 34, 38)
 * I NBTedited my level up and did some testing. I only did enchants between 30-45. Here's what I got:


 * I on the other hand, found silk touch quite commonly. I got silk touch on two of my first three enchantments, but I know that that is unlikey.  However, not a very high level is needed:

1: Level 26 Diamond Pickaxe -Efficiency III -Silk Touch I     2:  Level 33 Diamond Pickaxe -Efficiency III -Silk Touch I          -Durability III

Also, I know that the level required is fairly low, but it is the rarest enchantment at 1/10 the chance of efficiency, 1/5 the chance of durability, and 1/2 the probability of fortune, as based on the minecraft wiki (assuming that enchantment level is within range of both enchantments).


 * Got a Silk touch Iron pickaxe with 18 levels aswell as durability III and efficiency III. The level required to obtain Silk touch is lower than 25.
 * I have got it on level 34 2 out of 3 times.This is apparent one of the best levels to get it.

Enchantments and durability
I was reading this page and noticed it said in the introduction that items last longer when enchanted. Now I know that there is a specific enchantment for increasing tool durability (Unbreaking), but is it true that adding an enchantment generally increases the enchanted item's durability? It is what the wiki text is saying now. --Thatar 19:43, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks for noting that, indeed you need the unbreaking enchantment to increase tool durability, the misleading info will be taken down ASAP.--Yurisho 20:10, 17 October 2011 (UTC)

Cobweb
Does silk touch affect cobweb? I would test it myself but the enchantment is too rare for me to find.--Lirtsi 10:52, 18 October 2011 (UTC)


 * Nope. It also doesn't affect stairs, snow cover, or beds/doors. Father  Toast  13:44, 18 October 2011 (UTC)


 * Ah, should that be added to the page or is it shown by omission?--Lirtsi 14:42, 18 October 2011 (UTC)


 * I think it should be added, but I don't want to make the table really crazy, so I don't know where to put it. Maybe in a notes section. Father  Toast  20:58, 18 October 2011 (UTC)

What about snow blocks, clay or bookshelves?--Lirtsi 18:45, 26 October 2011 (UTC)

Mining snow blocks already gives you snow blocks. Silk touch will mine clay blocks (though really, would it kill you to craft your balls back into blocks?), and I don't know about bookshelves. Euridicus 08:53, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

It does work on bookshelves

Does silk touch work for end portal blocks? Could you collect the blocks and build a portal in your home for instance? --Bobtobismo

O.K, I have been trying to find silk touch and it took me 2 chests of axes but when I finally got it, I was wondering if I could Pick up Ice Blocks so I could use them in the Nether.

Enchanting Table text is arbitrary, even when decoded, right?
While trying to figure out exactly how enchanting works so that I might be able to help make this wiki entry a bit more useful, I replaced my "alternative" png with the default, so that the characters would be viewable in English. I was surprised to see that the Enchanting Table text still seems completely arbitrary (instead of one of the three rows reading "Sharpness," for example, it just reads as a seemingly random phrase). Is this the case? Also, will the enchant names always be different in the Enchanting Table, or can you eventually learn which phrase leads to which enchant? WaxPaper 23:43, 19 October 2011 (UTC)

I think the answer to both of these questions should be included in the wiki, which I'd be happy to write up if anyone knows the answer...


 * The words are completely random. Father  Toast  23:29, 19 October 2011 (UTC)


 * Okay, thanks for the info. I included a note about this in the wiki under the "decoding" section. What about the second question, though? Anyone know the answer? (Will the enchanting "phrases" always be different for the same enchant, or can I tell my friend that "XXX XXXX XXXXX" means "Sharpness I," which will work for him if he sees that phrase, for example? WaxPaper 23:43, 19 October 2011 (UTC)


 * There are 55 words in the dictionary, leading to about 966,000 combinations (give or take a few). The only way it could be deterministic is if each phrase is hashed together and used to seed the spell generator.  What we need are to find a few collisions (spells with the same name) and see if they yield the same effects.  We'll have to wait for the next MCP to be sure, but I'm guessing that the names are just random, and that it's a placeholder for a future, readable format (or possibly a system that lets you pick custom spells). Ghost2 03:56, 28 October 2011 (UTC)


 * I think the order is just random. In the future, Notch said he wanted to have a random loot element; I assume that would be how you sway enchantments to be what you want (like combining armor with an arrow when enchanting to have a higher chance of projectile protection). Father  Toast  04:11, 28 October 2011 (UTC)

Torches, ladders etc.
I just realized that torches, ladders and other non-solid objects block of bookshelves from the Enchantment Table, thus preventing the levels to rise. Anyone else made the same experience? I also think that the description of the potential levels is wrong. 6bookshelves on each side allow enchantments up to level 35 at least, not 14. ~ Felcis 09:07, 20 October 2011 (UTC)
 * I made the same discovery with torches. A torch directly beside the Enchantment table blocks the bookshelf level with the table and the one above that. I think this could be used to regulate enchantments. If you only want a low-level enchantment, simply place a torch between the table and the shelves. --Gitterrost4 17:28, 20 October 2011 (UTC)
 * Also the torches won't block the letters from flowing towards the table. The enchantments will still be low-level. --Gitterrost4 17:30, 20 October 2011 (UTC)
 * Translation: I'm going to need an unorthodox back-door method of reaching my Table if I intend to keep it surrounded by the max number of Bookshelves? Cobalt32 17:34, 20 October 2011 (UTC)
 * You can build it, so that you come up from below with a ladder. --Gitterrost4 17:35, 20 October 2011 (UTC)


 * You only need one ladder to get out, which you can break and replace with your hands if you need level 50. Likewise, you can use sticky pistons to move the bookshelves out of the way and just have to break/replace a button for horizontal access. Father  Toast  18:12, 20 October 2011 (UTC)


 * Perhaps this might provide some inspiration. —KPReid 19:40, 20 October 2011 (UTC)

I go with:

SIDE VIEW

TOP-DOWN VIEW

--Saratje 19:25, 23 October 2011 (UTC)

It actually turns out, Mojang thought the table through, and all this arbitary balancing bookshelves and enchantment table nonsense is not required, because the enchantment table only requires 30 bookshelves to reach level 50 enchantments. This means we can have a nice doorway into our enchantment room. --HexZyle 12:42, 26 October 2011 (UTC)

Enchantment Guide
Has anyone seen this video?

It provides a pretty comprehensive breakdown of the process. There are also links to complete probabilities for obtaining each enchantment, including assessments of ideal level to minimise EXP and/or item wastage.

124.148.128.46 08:56, 24 October 2011 (UTC) Random without a wiki account


 * So basically Gold-items are best for getting good enchantments? Neat, that's what I kinda hoped for. Very interesting guide, thanks. ~ Felcis 14:18, 24 October 2011 (UTC)

Missing Information
Someone deleted "smite" and other important information from the "tool enchantments" grid. Could someone please fill them in?

Efficiency
Article states that it's will increase mining speed by 10% per level. Does it really increase mining speed or decrease time to mine a block? Let me explain:

50% increase in mining speed means that block will be mined for 10/15 of usual time. Obsidian block (takes normally to mine 15 seconds) will be mined for 10 seconds.

50% decrease time to mine a block means that block will be mined for 5/10 of usual time. Obsidian block (takes normally to mine 15 seconds) will be mined for 7.5 seconds.

Sadly, there is a bug with obsidian and efficiency enchant. I might run some tests on redstone ore later, but before that I want to know if somebody already knows, how it's really behaves. — MiiNiPaaT 17:02, 2 November 2011 (UTC)
 * Sadly, Efficiency won't work on redstone either. On smooth stone it mines so fast that I think it isn't really 10% per level. Looks more like 15 per level. If I find time, I'll check source code for this. — MiiNiPaaT 17:54, 2 November 2011 (UTC)
 * I think it's "You break blocks 10% faster per level," if that makes any difference. --Saphireking65 18:02, 2 November 2011 (UTC)
 * @Saphire, that's hardly descriptive. He means - is the mining speed increased to 110%, or the time taken to mine the block reduced to 90%? Because there is a difference. --HexZyle 03:30, 3 November 2011 (UTC)
 * Is there even a "Mining Speed"? Each block breaks after X amount of time, so I assume it means the time it takes to break them will drop by 10% each level.  --Saphireking65 03:38, 3 November 2011 (UTC)
 * That's just what the article states. However it doesn't really specify how the 10% works. Could be:

Reducing the mine time by 10% (the logical method): Block mine time = 1 - 0.1x Or Increasing the mining speed by 10% (what the article states): Block mine time = 1 / (1 + 0.1x) secs With x being the level of enchantment. --HexZyle 08:35, 3 November 2011 (UTC)

i can say it seems to reduce it by 10% per level. I have a efficienct 4 diamond pick, and it takes about 5 seconds to mine obsidian, instead of the usual 15. 24.246.152.183 18:08, 3 February 2012 (UTC)

Blast Protection
Something I just realized... Creepers currently deal just enough (9.8) damage to one-shot you through full iron armor... Unless you have Blast Protection (or possibly normal Protection, too?) on at least one piece. Same for charged creepers and diamond armor (9.7). Maybe this could be utilized to test by how much Protection and Blast Protection reduce damage per level by testing it on both normal and charged creepers at point-blank range? 84.156.0.23 12:29, 3 November 2011 (UTC)


 * Protection protects against explosions, too. Each level increases the damage reduced by a good lot, considering it makes you nearly invincible with protection X on any piece of armor (or even on a pumpkin). Father  Toast  12:48, 3 November 2011 (UTC)


 * I don't think you can enchant pumpkins - the pumpkin would never be used up and then it would be an OP enchantment --HexZyle 20:53, 3 November 2011 (UTC)


 * You need to hack to get the tenth tier of an enchantment, and you can hack any enchantment onto anything in your inventory. Father  Toast  22:43, 3 November 2011 (UTC)
 * Sweeeeeet. Do the items stay enchanted in SMP? --HexZyle 00:14, 4 November 2011 (UTC)


 * I'm not sure. If inventories are stored the same way in MP as they are in SP, then they should (unless Bukkit or something has measures against it). Father  Toast  00:38, 4 November 2011 (UTC)


 * I've put a battlesign to my server, and it remained enchanted. I've put the map file into singleplayer, enchanted the sign with singleplayer commands, then put the sign in a chest, just to make sure it remains, then put the level back to the server, and viola, I got a Zistonian battlesign. (Actually it was a harvester sign, it had efficiency 3 on it, for pumpkin harvesting :D) Saskyou 20:03, 25 March 2012 (UTC)

Table
I just got an unbreaking lvl 1 on an iron pickaxe by enchanting it with experience lvl 1. The scheme says you need at least lvl 5 to get unbreaking 1, but this isn't true.
 * Fixed, but not in the way you might think. Please read the page again, obviously you have just skipped to the table rather than reading the whole section.
 * Now, based on the modified level, Minecraft makes a list of all enchantment types that can be applied to the target item along with the power that each enchantment will have.
 * --HexZyle 04:09, 12 November 2011 (UTC)
 * I did read the whole article, but as i'm not english, not everything made sense to me. But thanks for the feedback.
 * -- 12:00, 13 November 2011 (UTC)

Multiple Enchantments
I'm seeing all these images of swords with multiple enchantments, but I can't get more than one enchantment on one object.

The times I've done it, I've spent 8 levels on a Sharpness 1 for my first diamond sword, 30 levels on Sharpness 3 for my 2nd diamond sword, and 33 levels for the same thing on my newest one.

Do you have to get the maximum enchantment level of one thing, then enchant it again? If not, what else can you do? I'm trying to get a crazy-powerful sword on an SSP world to slay creepers and blazes.

-I was just messing around with an enchanting table and I figured out that you have to use higher level enchants for a chance to get multiple enchants.
 * You can get multiple enchantments on lvl1. Keep trying ;) (You can test this by enchanting lvl 1 wooden or stone tools, but it works for sure.)
 * EDIT! I just got an Efficiency II + Unbreaking II Iron Shovel from a lvl1 enchant, it's so awesome :D Saskyou 15:54, 30 March 2012 (UTC)

Silk Touch
with silk touch can you mine a monster spawner?
 * --15:45, 19 November 2011

You can no longer legitimately acquire mob spawners, even with Silk Touch. You could in one of the pre-releases, but it would become a pig spawner when placed. Sadly, this was deemed too unbalanced for an official release. --Weregoose 13:55, 20 November 2011 (UTC)

Worth of High Level Enchantments

 * "High-level enchantments yield too little perks to be considered worthwhile. A level 30 enchantment (killing 685 hostile mobs) on a iron sword can translate to Sharpness II (with a very low chance of getting higher levels/enchantments), while a level 1 enchantment (killing 2 hostile mobs) can also translate to Sharpness II."

Removed this. It may subjectively be poor design, but it's not a bug. In any case, the text at present does not distinguish between the probability of the two results at all: 1 level on an iron sword can produce Sharpness II or better with probability of 0.6%, while 30 levels on an iron sword can produce Sharpness II or better with probability of 40.0%. The are very different, obviously. While the former is certainly cheaper in xp collected, higher level enchantments can be much cheaper in items.

Consequently, it's certainly not a bug, and it's not even obvious that it's poor design.

134.173.200.190 20:52, 19 November 2011 (UTC)

It is... You spend 100 TIMES MORE TIME to level, to get only a bit better perks. C ali nou - talk × contribs » 00:58, 21 November 2011 (UTC)

"a iron sword can translate to Sharpness II " : how ? iron gives +14. The modified level is 1+14+1 = 16 and Sharpness II begins to 17.
 * "Minecraft picks a value between 0.75 and 1.25. The modified enchantment level is multiplied by this value (so it could increase or decrease by up to 25%)" 16*1.25=20. — MiiNiPaaT 15:47, 22 November 2011 (UTC)

overlapping ranges in "enchantment power" table
There's something I don't understand in this table. It is said that : "If the level is within two overlapping ranges for the same enchantment type, the higher power value is used. " So why are there overlapping ranges ? For example, if my modified level is 20, for a protection enchantment, it can be a power I or II. But, if the higher power value is used, it will always be II. The effective range for power I in protection should be 1-16 in this case. What did I miss ?
 * Maybe unfinished feature... Source code isn't meant to looked at by normal people. — MiiNiPaaT 15:49, 22 November 2011 (UTC)

something else : what does "on level up" exactly mean in the "enchantment table" ?
 * Difference between level N and level N+1 of enchantment. — MiiNiPaaT 15:49, 22 November 2011 (UTC)

Silk Touch Page?
I think it would be useful to give silk touch a page of it's own, where we could list all of the resources which are only attainable in vanilla survival using the enchantment. I would do it, but I don't know enough. There are a number of questions in this talk page about "Can you get ... with silk touch?" and there are way too many things both that it does or doesn't work on to list either. Also does it let you harvest things with the wrong tool? How does it affect technical blocks or creative only blocks?

Another option would be to create a page that lists things by attainability (Normal, ST only, creative only, both, and mod only), but what would you name it? Cultist O 00:34, 23 November 2011 (UTC)

there is, that's a feature of the block ID page now. look for blue text, creative only is red.72.51.164.75 00:53, 31 December 2011 (UTC)

Fortune and Glowstone.
Can someone confirm that fortune affect the number of glowstone dusts you get from a glowstone block ? It is written as so in the Enchanting wiki page but the testing I did makes me doubt about it.

Theorically a glowstone block drops 2, 3 or 4 glowstone dusts. I tested with a Fortune II pickaxe on a dozen of blocks. It should add 75 % of drops. I don't know how the rounding is done. Still I was expecting to get from 3 to 7 dusts per block.

And I got 2 to 4 dusts per block. Only once 2, few times 3 and often 4... But still, I never got more than 4 when it seems I should have had more than 4 most of times. (And never 2... I may have missed a third drop well hidden ? But I looked attentively though) Gregowar 16:17, 23 November 2011 (UTC)

It might not work on Glowstone because then you can craft it into blocks and mine it for more Glowstone. Cobalt32 01:48, 26 November 2011 (UTC)

Had the same questions and the same results. I figure it's for the same that clay blocks are unaffected. It would however be nice if the Fortune enchantment at least made the glowstone dust drop ALWAYS 4. J1RG 22:28, 7 January 2012 (UTC)

enchantments on other items
hey I was on youtube and a new video just popped up in my subscription box. its a new super hostile map that this person is testing. the interesting thing is, that in the video is an ENCHANTED SIGN with knockback 2(obviously done with some editor of some sort). (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLYCKH_s88A 02:46) does anyone know a more.... Professional example to add to the page?

-- It's Vechs map, and he has a tutorial on his YouTube page on a couple different ways to enchant signs/fish/any items.

Enchantment level formula is wrong
The following formula is wrong:

 enchantment level available = ( random Int(1, 5) + random Int(1, number of bookshelves/2) + random Int(1, number of bookshelves) ) * slot factor

This formula tells me that with 30 bookcases properly arranged, I should ALWAYS get a level in the range [3, 50] in the bottom slot. However, while I have spotted level 49 on occasion telling me that my bookcases are correctly arranged, I have also spotted levels 1 and 2. For level 1 to be shown, that means one and only one of these random integers must be 1 and the others 0. This is not possible with this formula and my current setup. I propose to edit the formula to the following, also making the exception of zero bookcases redundant:

 enchantment level available = ( random Int(1, 5) + random Int(0, number of bookshelves/2) + random Int(0 , number of bookshelves) ) * slot factor

As an inexperienced Wiki user, I don't know how to upload images, but I made screenshots of one of each of my 1 and 2 occurrences as proof.

I'd appreciate it if someone could edit the formula after confirmation. --Klunnel 15:03, 26 November 2011 (UTC)

I re-checked the code, and you're right, I misread the code when I posted that formula. Good eye.

I'll go ahead and change it now. --FifthWhammy 03:06, 29 November 2011 (UTC)

Im not sure the best section to point this out, but you can put more than 30 book shelves, it wont go past lv 50, but it makes higher level enchants show up more regularly. --User:Zoaea

Provide the Formula for the Examples Page
on the examples section, it shows enchantment probabilities. Can the formula used be provided so people can make there own examples, like me? - wcb98
 * I'm trying to post the spreadsheets that I used to derive the percentages in the Examples section but there's a flaw with this Wiki that disallows zip files. I'm currently discussing the matter with an admin so hopefully it will be fixed soon.  Don't get too excited about it though because there is a LOT of manual work necessary to get to those percentages.  The 4 examples that I've added so far took me about 8 hours worth of effort. Orion191 20:29, 4 December 2011 (UTC)
 * I added the pseudocode for Step 1 to the page, that should help some. I also wonder about the algorithm you used to get the numbers, because they are in some cases a bit different than the ones I get using my simulator (located at http://github.com/zazcallabah/mce if you are curious) --Zaz 09:59, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

First Modifier
For the first modifier, the page states that "Minecraft picks a number between 0 and the enchantability, then adds that number plus one to the enchantment level." "Between 0 and the enchantability" literally means (1) to (enchantability - 1). Is this correct? For example, a diamond sword would be 1 to 9. Or, does the modifier actually include 0 and the highest possible enchantability level (ie, 0 to 10 for a diamond sword)?

The normal way that a random number generator works in most coding languages that I know of is to include 0, but not the final number. So (for a diamond sword) "Random (0,10)" would mean 0-9. The +1 at the end of this makes sense as this would make the actual range "1-10". I suspect this is what is actually happening, but I don't know what the code says. However, if this is correct then the wiki needs to be updated to reflect it. Currently the wiki is claiming "(*between* 0 and max enchantability level) + 1", which (for a diamond sword again) would be a range of 2-10...which doesn't make sense. --Globster8 15:19, 29 November 2011 (UTC)

When people use the phrase "Pick a number between 1 and 100" they are including both 1 and 100. I guess you could technically say it should exclude those two numbers, but that's not how it's used. My guess is the intention is to include both 0 and the max enchantability level. Lunakki 23:21, 3 December 2011 (UTC)


 * I added pseudocode for step one (derived from the minecraft 1.1 source) to the page, that should help clairfy exactly what it the step does. --Zaz 10:01, 24 January 2012 (UTC)


 * The description of step 1 and the pseudocode don't come close to matching up. If the description is right then the pseudocode should be as follows.
 * /* Returns a triangularly distributed random number between (n1,n2) */
 * function randomInt(n1,n2);


 * /* returns a triangularly distributed random number between (n1,n2) */
 * function randomFloat(n1,n2);


 * /* self explanitory */
 * function roundToNearestInt


 * int enchantability = pick from enchantability table based on item type and material;
 * int chosen_enchantment_level = number on enchanting button clicked;
 * int final_level = roundToNearestInt((1 + randomInt(0,enchantability) + chosen_enchantment_level)*randomFloat(.75,1.25));


 * If the pseudocode already there is correct, then someone needs to change the description. --GooBootheWarrior 3:22, 28 March 2012 (UTC)


 * Adding two random variables with the same uniform distribution together results in a random variable with triangular distribution. --79.102.87.28

Incorrect Possible Enchantment for Tools
According to the table it should not be possible for someone to get Efficiency III and Fortune I because the minimum modified enchantment level for E3 is 33 and the minimum for F2 is 32. If it is true that for overlapping ranges the best enchantment for any given modified enchantment level is chosen then this should not happen:

IPTN 22:44, 29 November 2011 (UTC)
 * You have missed one thing: after selecting one enchantment enchantement_level is divided by two. For example: ELevel is 70 picked Fortune, selected level 2, divided, got 35, picked Efficiency, selected level 3. — MiiNiPaaT 21:57, 4 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Not according to the wiki, and my own experience: "Divide the modified level in half, rounded down. (This does not affect the possible enchantments themselves, because they were all pre-calculated in Step Two.)" I have a pickaxe (from before Silk Touch and Fortune were made incompatible) with all four enchanments: U3, E3, F2, S1. This would be mathematically impossible if what you claim is true. So one of the following must be true: the numbers in the wiki are incorrect, or the algorithm described in the wiki is otherwise incorrect, or the screenshot is faked (which strains credulity since it would be possibly the lamest prank ever), or the algorithm and screenshot correspond to two different versions with different enchanting algorithms. --173.137.232.195 15:54, 12 December 2011 (UTC)

The reason why this seems fake is because there really isn't that many bookshelves around you.. I can't even get Efficiency III from a level 50 enchantment more than 50% of the time.

Stacking Same Enchantment on Different Armors - Is there a benefit?
If you wear different pieces of armor (Helmet, Breastplate, etc.) with the same enchantment (All Fire protection for example) Do those protections stack? (Making you very resistant to fire) or does the best one override the rest (As in a fire resistance 4 would override your Fire resistance 2 and 1). In other words: is there a benefit to wearing the same kind of protection on multiple armors? Or should you just have each suit of armor be a different kind of protection so you have protection from all of them?

Hey, I think I just answered this on Reddit...I'll repost the comment here. If someone wants to add this info to the wiki, go ahead--I'd do it now if I had the time.

Quick and dirty summary: Yes, enchantments do stack, to a point. Together, enchantments can reduce damage by up to 80%, although enchantment protection varies randomly from hit to hit. (This multiplier is applied to the already reduced amount from armor.) Every armor piece with an applicable protection assists in damage reduction, as follows:

* Protection: all damage! * Fire protection: fire, lava, and Blaze shots * Blast protection: explosions * Projectile protection: arrows and Blaze shots * Feather Fall: fall damage

If you're brave, here are the specifics from the deep, dark depths of the enchantment and damage code:

The base "enchantment protection factor" of eligible enchantments is

(6 + level * level) / 2

So level I = 3 EPF, level II = 5 EPF, level III = 7 EPF, and level IV = 11 EPF. Special exception: if the enchantment is Feather Fall, EPF is doubled. Add the EPF from all four armor slots to determine total EPF; however, total EPF is capped at 25.

Damage reduction from enchantments is partially randomized, so it varies from hit to hit. The "final EPF" is somewhere between 50% and 100% of the total EPF. However, final EPF is capped at 20.

For every point of final EPF, 4% of incoming damage is nullified, up to 80% at the max of 20 final EPF. (With maximum enchantment protection--an EPF total of 25--you're guaranteed to reduce damage by at least 52%.) This damage reduction is applied after the standard armor reduction (4% per half icon, up to 80%), so at maximum protection--a full set of Protection III diamond armor, for instance--you'll block anywhere from 90% to 96% of a blow! (Any fractional damage is saved and carried over to the next hit.) That would allow you to survive a fall from ceiling all the way down to bedrock! FifthWhammy 04:06, 6 December 2011 (UTC)

Actually, that's a mistake--I forgot that fall damage ignores physical armor. You'll still survive a 40-block fall with max enchantments, though.

Overlapping enchantment ranges
The wiki says: "If the modified enchantment level is within the range, then the enchantment will be assigned that power. If the level is within two overlapping ranges for the same enchantment type, the higher power value is used."

If that's true, when would the lower level tier ever be used in the overlapping range? If it always uses the higher level tier then why even have them overlap at all? I feel like I'm not getting something. Lunakki 23:27, 3 December 2011 (UTC)
 * I don't know why they overlap, but you can look at the source code and clearly see that they do. For example, the code for a weapon's damage enchantments looks like this:

private static final int baseEnchantability[] = {

1, 5, 5

};

private static final int levelEnchantability[] = {

16, 8, 8

};

private static final int threesholdEnchantability[] = {

20, 20, 20

};
 * The first value is for Sharpness, second for Smite, and third for Bane of Arthropods. If you look at sharpness, you'll see that the minimum value for T1 is 1, and the maximum value is 1+20=21. The beginning of T2 is 1+16=17, and the end is 1+16+20=37. (Speaking of which, the current chart acts like the third row says 20, 12, 12, but it doesn't. Whenever I fix it, someone changes it back.) The wiki is meant to explain the rules of the game, so fudging the numbers to look good is not what we want to do here. So, I suppose that the reason they overlap is because Notch made it that way. 69.73.110.152 17:37, 22 December 2011 (UTC)

Where is the FUN?!?
Dude, I totally agree. I know there are mods, but the current system sucks. We shouldn't have to rely on mods. I dislike the enchantment system very much. It needs to be simpler. It needs an overhaul so we can choose enchantments. Djc1999 05:34, 13 January 2012 (UTC)

Am I the only one that thinks the Enchantment system is lacking the important component called "fun"? I was sitting at my computer this afternoon after 2 hours spent trying to get a '50' to come up on my enchantment table. After I had finished swearing at my computer I realized that I couldn't go do anything else in game for fear of dying and losing my level 50. I certainly wasn't going to risk that considering that I had spent 6 tedious hours or so in a carefully constructed room built around a spider spawner to get that level 50. I did all of this for a 38% or so chance to get Respiration. The only reason why I knew that percentage is because I spent the better part of an entire Saturday coming up with a process to work out the statistics associated with the equations used in the Enchanting system. The only reason why I knew even where to start with those equations was because someone else went through the trouble of digging through the code to find it because the game doesn't even give a freaking hint. The only reason I knew what to do with it was because I am a professional computer programmer with some statistics experience from college courses. This all makes me wonder what was going through their heads at Mojang. Do they really think the average player is going to enjoy this? This whole game appeals to people who like to build things. There doesn't seem to be any 'building' taking place in this Enchanting system whatsoever. It's like the random object generation from Diablo II only you have to spent lots and lots and lots of time in order to make an attempt at even one item. At least in Diablo II it threw so many random items at you it didn't matter if 80% of them were worthless. And in Diablo II you got to keep the item for forever. What will happen to my precious new level 50 item if a creeper spawns on top of me when I walk outside with it? Fffssss... BANG, gone.

My whole point is this - I don't enjoy the new Enchanting system. I know I can just ignore it and I plan to. I just feel let down because I was really excited about what it could have been. I'm curious how many other people are as disappointed as I am. Orion191 20:56, 4 December 2011 (UTC)


 * I sort of agree, the reward isn't worth the time and effort put into it. You can't even choose what the reward is, and the item breaks relatively quickly. The only way this adds to the game is if you see it as a bonus reward to killing stuff, and not something worth purposely striving for. Personally I think the levels should be easier to gain if they are so easy to lose. The cost/benefit ratio just doesn't make sense at the moment.


 * If it makes you feel better, mobs can't spawn on top of you, or even within a couple dozen squares. That doesn't mean one won't be waiting for you, but at least it won't spawn on you out of nowhere. Lunakki 17:05, 11 December 2011 (UTC)


 * I agree most completely, how many people have built an enchantment table and like 30 bookshelves (a ton of wood and sugar cane for a lot of people) and spent forever trying to get the tons of experience required attempting to get silk touch (for example) been really exited to enchant their diamond pickaxe, AND... oh, unbreaking... well then.. time to go mine for more diamond and grind more mobs... or give up.


 * I think that just adding the ability to choose the enchantment would make things so much better. Besides that, I feel that the massive amount of experience and minor effects of most enchantments make it not as relevant a feature they were probably going for.  I like that it gives gold another minor usefulness boost though. Cultist O 00:24, 12 December 2011 (UTC)


 * i use an experience farm demonstrated on youtube, but when i put the link in the comments, my comments got blocked, so i can't show the reference...


 * anyway, i use that spawner based monster farm as an xp farm. i go afk for around 8 hours, then come back, toss in a splash minor healing (zombie spawner) kill a few hundred zombies in one shot, pick up the xp, enchant something at level 45-50, then repeat.  i'm not really playing as much as i am waiting for my experience crop to mature.


 * i can't actually leave the farm room, or all the monsters despawn, or at least, stop building up. it isn't really a fun way to play a game.


 * though, i can tell you, chasing down the monsters and killing them one by one would be so far on the other side of fun it would create a new dimension of boredom.


 * whoever said this above is totally right. people are looking way too far into and that's why it bothers them. they specifically spend lots of time to get xp, and then don't get what they want. it's not something to purposefully spend time on. it's just a reward for killing a creeper or spider or whatever if you see one. eventually you'll get up to ur level 50 or whatever, and not have wasted any time. 71.82.155.20 00:09, 3 January 2012 (UTC)Eric B (don't think i have an account)
 * --124.171.88.226 15:35, 15 December 2011 (UTC)


 * I kinda think that's the problem; I think Enchantments should be less random. Maybe you could see what you would get before buying them and strength/number of effects would be consistent with level, but the three enchantments available for purchase would be generated randomly when you put the tool in the slot.Cobalt32 00:23, 3 January 2012 (UTC)


 * I think that the villagers in the NPC villages should get some new tasks, I mean they walk around aimlessly, waiting for you to open their door to their house so they can get a real gymslips at the outside world, only to later de-spawn. Anyways what I was getting to was the fact that they should be able to enchant items for you in their temple, or perhaps a new building to be created in a later update all together. Of course, it should cost quite a bit extra of xp, or something that they would want to trade. This is only my thought. Thanks for reading :D

I agree. I dislike the enchanting system. You spend hours trying to get enough xp to get a worth while enchant and you don't. I enchanted a diamond pick axe with lvl 36 and got silk touch! Thats it! Don't get me wrong, I like silk touch. The problem is that I had just enchanted another pick lvl 23 and got the same enchant. I would be more okay with the amount of randomness if it were easier to level. I think all the levels should be worth the same xp as well. That way if you want to enchant a bow lvl 3 and you are lvl 50 it is not such a waste of your time. They really need to fix this system. It is so depressing.

Maximum Enchantment Level
Based on the forumlas posted the maximum modified enchantment level is between 93 and 95 (depending on how you interpret some of the formulas). Why does the range for Efficiency V go up to 111 if it's not possible to achieve that high of a level? --Globster8 20:16, 5 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Good question, noticed it myself, but you should really ask notch, not us.--Yurisho 11:05, 6 December 2011 (UTC)

Protection Enchantment
The wiki & the talk page conflict. One implies that Protection decreases damage dealt from all sources, while the other states that Protection only converts environmental damage to armor damage. Which is correct? 130.207.52.143 17:01, 16 December 2011 (UTC)

New Enchantment
I have an idea for a new enchantment called Bane of Abomination, which does double damage to creepers and endermen. Whatcha think? would it be useful? 69.18.252.69 00:24, 20 December 2011 (UTC)
 * While this really isn't an ideas page, that's a nice idea; maybe not double though, to be consistent with Bane of Arthropods and Smite. Maybe it could work on Ghasts, too? Alas; my weakness for speaking of ideas has been presented enough. Shellface 00:49, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

Enchanting pumpkins
You should be able to enchant a pumpkin and have it turn into a pumpkin carriage. You could have it level up for speed, endurance, etc.

24.78.239.190 22:52, 24 December 2011 (UTC)

It should only last until midnight of the day you make it though..


 * what would you replace the mouse-horses with? Cultist O 18:37, 1 January 2012 (UTC)

The mice would likely end up being spiders (because they are already used as a steed by skeletons).


 * Please, please, PLEASE tell me y'all are joking.69.73.110.152 12:48, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Burning Furnace with Silk Touch
Is it possible to gather a burning furnace with a silk-touch-pickaxe or will you simply get a normal furnace? --☺ Sven Kein Schwein ruft mich an! 12:25, 27 December 2011 (UTC)
 * You'd just get a furnace. That's like saying I could use silk touch to get an "open door", "activated piston", or a painting of specific size. Doesn't work that way. 72.189.39.24 01:31, 2 January 2012 (UTC)
 * It's worth a try since burning furnaces have a different block ID than non-active furnaces. DreadLindwyrm 01:40, 2 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Well, it's possible with glowing redstone ore so I thought it may be possible with a burning furnace. --☺ Sven Kein Schwein ruft mich an! 11:43, 2 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Truly it is not all that odd of a question, because, like he said, it uses a different block ID, unlike your "open door" or your "Specific sized painting" which both use the same ID. Please don't act like he's dumb for asking a question that could easily be a yes...
 * Not true. Furnaces are actaully two blocks: one running, one inactive. See, Minecraft can't handle one block having more than one possible light value, so there needs to be two blocks for the furnace to glow only when lit. Doors and pistons determine their activity with an internal variable, so there's no difference there. For your third example, paintings aren't even blocks. They're entities. To "answer" the original question, there's only one real way to find out ;).69.73.110.152 12:47, 17 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Unfortunately I'm not playing Minecraft and I never have, so I can not try it :-( --☺ Sven Kein Schwein ruft mich an! 11:23, 18 February 2012 (UTC)
 * I've tried in 1.1 just now, on a Bukkit server. I can neither obtain a running furnace, nor glowing glowstone. For that matter, off-state redstone torches and on-state repeaters also only drop the item they're meant to drop. I also tried spawning normal redstone from the creative inventory, and it stacked with the redstone blocks I mined that were glowing (I couldn't mine a non-glowing redstone as my pick had Efficiency III and was diamond, making it impossible for the block to return to dark state before being mined). Since they stacked, I think that confirms (at least for 1.1 Bukkit servers) that glowing redstone cannot be obtained anymore. Can anyone care to check in vanilla singleplayer? WolfieMario 05:40, 19 February 2012 (UTC)

Elemental Cure?
I Decoded this for a sword, but what is it? PMSF 17:15, 30 December 2011 (UTC)

12w01a
what exactly has the 12w01a snapshot changed (in terms of enchanting)?

This needs an easier to read concise description
Can somebody put a concise description of how enchanting effects are determined? It could be a paragraph long, and doesn't need all the numbers that are in the thorough formula description. Also, the in-depth description could do with some re-writing as well; it's not easy to read. Chris3145 17:42, 11 January 2012 (UTC)

Answer: No. The description is fine and really not that hard to read for a mechanism that simply isn't all that simple.

1.1 Enchanting updates
Someone please check that enchanting works the same with 1.1. I just finished testing 128 helms (gold and diamond stacks) to see what I got get. All 128 attempts at 45-50 enchantment levels did not ever gain anything other than protection and respiration on the hat. Do the other possibilities no longer apply to helms? -Chance 1/17/2012

I can't update to 1.1 yet, but can somebody update the wiki with the changes (enchanting of bows, the new ranges for the levels of enchantments, etc.) Tredontho 17:24, 12 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Just enchanted a diamond shovel at 48 - Efficiency V, Unbreaking III, Fortune III. Also diamond swords at 46, I was getting Sharpness IV, instead of the minimum of 49 listed. 72.189.39.24 23:31, 19 January 2012 (UTC)

Lame enchant
I got Looting I (as the only enchantment) on a diamond sword with a cost of 20. I feel cheated. Is the enchanting really that random, or was this a fluke? -Andred

It is very random. However, you can get better enchantments by either enchanting golden or iron tools, or try and spend only from lvls 10-20. Hope this helps. Djc1999 05:37, 13 January 2012 (UTC)

Flame enchantment for arrows?
Why is this is this in the description box? "Arrows shot through lava now set mobs on fire, allowing dispensers to 'have' this enchantment by being placed behind lava". The enchantment sets things on fire without lava, so why are there two bloody sentences on lava that have nothing to do with this enchantment? --Lava? 23:59, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

Infinity Enchantment
it should be noted that the "Infinity" enchantment is not technically infinite, as the bow degrades. it can give a maximum of 350 free shots, kind of like the crystal bow in runescape. also, the power enchantment is called "damage" on my client for some reason. El_Barto_277

Runescape reference :) But well said, hopefully the ability to repair items which are enchated such as silk touch etc can be implemented.  Much like Mcmmo has with its repair skill.

1. its not the same as haveing 350 arrows.. its infinite and if u dont like it thats ur problem not everyone elses 2. its called "power" on the real client. the "some" reason is cos u didnt get the legit one

Yikes the guy above has a stick up his butt. It's not "infinite" if it's finite. It is finite, thus it is not infinite.

By the way, it's called "Power" when you're playing in US English. In Canadian English, for instance, it also says "Damage" instead of "Power".

Sauce?
Where's the source/confirmation of the trivia that Notch might add special names or new looks to enchanted items in the next update? Cobalt32 02:45, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

fire aspect
whats the diff between fire aspect 1 and 2

Fortune + Silk Touch?
Would they let you harvest multiple ore blocks from one original block? Thus, could you duplicate ores, such as diamond? NightChime 07:34, 27 January 2012 (UTC)


 * I've read somewhere that you can't get Fortune and Silk Touch on the same tool. --☺ Sven Kein Schwein ruft mich an! 13:45, 27 January 2012 (UTC)


 * Aww. Well if anyone does get the two together, hopefully they'll report their findings NightChime 18:51, 27 January 2012 (UTC)


 * You can hack any enchantments onto anything. However, fortune only works on item drops, while silk touch guarantees that only blocks will drop. Father  Toast  22:52, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

Fire protection for armour
Does fire protestion also help prevent being burned in lava?

Fire protection for armour
Does fire protestion also help prevent being burned in lava? YES~4light

Making Sense of the Article (or) Quick Tips
I don't claim to know everything about enchanting (shown in how few tips there are), so if I'm wrong about anything, please explain.


 * Paying more levels and a higher Enchantability each give you a better chance at higher power enchantments, and together your chances improve even more. The choice of material should be the result of balancing quality of enchantment possible (and maybe conservation of rare materials) with item durability (and base effectiveness) and amount of EXP willing to invest.


 * If you pay few levels, you can still get a decent enchantment. This can make it more worthwhile to spend like 3 levels on an enchantment, instead of like 10 or 15, as you can make a bunch of items, and thus be more likely to get power II enchantments and/or multiple enchantments.  So unless you have like 20 or more levels to spend on an item, you might be better off doing mass enchanting (I was level 17, split it among 4 items, got 3 crappy enchants, but I also got an iron pick with Unbreaking II and Efficiency II).


 * Don't be afraid to put up more bookshelves than you "need". If you have too many active to get the lower, desired level, you can just place torches or something on the ground around the Table to temporarily disable bookshelves.

- NightChime 18:49, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

The Graph is wrong.
I have a full 30-bookshelf enchantment table, yet the graph says I can't get enchants below Lv. 16. I'm getting enchants from Lv. 10+. You might want to update the graph. ;o - NeonJ 00:35, 29 January 2012 (UTC)


 * The graph applies only to the bottom slot. The lowest level that can possibly be offered in the bottom slot is 16. The lowest level in the middle slot is 11 and the lowest level in the top slot is 9. AlphanumericSheepPig 08:15, 31 January 2012 (UTC)

Snow and bookshelves
Snow on the ground cancels out the effect of all the bookshelves in the vicinity. I'd suggest putting this in the article because it's important and it probably screwed people over (including me). Yea, I'm a dumbass.--Valadar917 18:26, 29 January 2012 (UTC)


 * Never thought of enchanting outdoors, but sure, I added it. Snow cover is just another thing-that-isn't-air, so it's not a separate rule. —kpreid 19:19, 29 January 2012 (UTC)

Minimum enchanting level
The table of "Bookshelves" and "Max Level" should probably also include a "Min Level", now that that mechanic is present. –Preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.59.88.77 (Talk) 03:36, 30 January 2012. Please sign your posts with


 * Agreed and added. AlphanumericSheepPig 08:24, 31 January 2012 (UTC)


 * It already has. Check enchanting page.

Disabling bookshelves
I was building a variable power enchanting station using pistons and when I was testing my creation, I discovered that what the wiki says about bookshelf disabling is not entirely correct.

Corner air block affecting only corner bookshelf and middle air block affecting all three bookshelves between corners is correct for the rune particle effect, but not for the actual enchanting power. For the actual enchanting effect the corner air block affects three bookshelves around the corner and middle air block affects the middle bookshelf only.

Easy way to observe this is to fill all lower air blocks except the one against the entrance. If I do this, I still see particle effect from the four bookshelves framing the entrance, but no matter how many times I try, I never get any enchantment level above 5, so all bookshelves really are canceled.

I made this observation on 12w04a.

Ville Saari 14:36, 5 February 2012 (UTC)

I wrote the section on the required air paths, and you're right that I used the particles as my guide. (If the particle effects don't match the actual results, I would think that's a bug.) I'd really like to see some corroboration or more thorough data before this is added to the article, though — manual observation of random effects is quite likely to be misleading. —kpreid 15:22, 5 February 2012 (UTC)

Impact of the randomness can be eliminated by observing a mismatch to the other direction. this setup should have all the bookshelves disabled and the total lack of particle effect agrees, so maximum possible level should be 5. Try it and see what levels you get. Highest one I got in about a dozen tries was 27. Ville Saari 17:33, 5 February 2012 (UTC)

Getting an enchanting table
It says you need diamonds for an enchanting table, however you cannot get diamonds unless you have the ENCHANTMENT Silk Touch on a pickaxe.

So... it is a paradox as you need diamonds for an enchanting table but cannot get diamonds without an enchanting table.

Could someone help me with this?

You can get diamonds from diamond ore with an iron pickaxe. You only need Silk Touch to obtain a diamond ore block, which is not especially useful. —kpreid 01:59, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Oh.. ok, thank you. 205.206.88.180 23:37, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Efficiency/Diamond Shovel/Dirt
For some reason, efficiency II on a diamond shovel seems to dig dirt blocks at exactly the same speed as a regular, unenchanted diamond shovel. Noticed this on SMP, tested and confirmed on SSP...

Can anyone try duplicating this and see if you get the same result? SvenBoogie 04:01, 16 February 2012 (UTC)


 * The enchanted diamond sword digs faster. Goregue 15:32, 22 February 2012 (UTC)

How much faster?


 * Shovels dig dirt almost instantly anyway. I really can't think why Efficiency or Fortune would be of any use on a shovel. Fortune only if you really need flint. PhilHibbs 11:01, 11 March 2012 (UTC)

Changes in enchantment behavior between 1.1 and 1.2
There are none. --Zaz 16:44, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Looting on knocked back Ghast fireballs
Might be something for the trivia section, I don't want to edit stuff randomly and annoy lots of people.

Just found out that a sword with looting somehow gives the effect to a ghast fireball when knocked back, got 4 tears and 5 gunpowder from a ghast killed by a fireball knocked back with a (looting 3) sword. Maybe other enchantments are also transferred by that?

178.9.252.22 05:32, 5 March 2012 (UTC)

why have a giant table with the modified enchantment levels?
Does the giant table with the modified enchantment level values for the different enchantments actually help anyone?

You can't really use the table to get information usable for gameplay without external tools anyway, since you first have to take into account the modification of the chosen levels. Why not just scrap the whole thing?

If, for some reason, someone needs this information, perhaps a different type of presentation is better? - One that focuses on the way the values are actually used in-game. As it is now, many people seem to think that the numbers shown in the table are actually the levels you have to reach to be able to get those enchantments.

I made an example version of the table that I think would be better at User:Zaz/TableTesting, --Zaz 10:30, 7 March 2012 (UTC)

Ruby Calculator
Hi, i wrote a enchanting-simulator in ruby, it enchants every of the 26 item/material combination a number of times with each level.

I did 10.000 runs * 50 level * 26 items = 130.000.000 and then looked for the best level to gain specific enchantments. I chose the optimal level by
 * 1) dividing the percentage through the XP needed for the level
 * 2) dividing the result through the numbers of enchants needed with this percentage to gain a 100% chance. (5 for 22% for example)


 * Script: https://gist.github.com/2017105
 * Results: https://gist.github.com/2017105#file_results.txt
 * the serialized ruby data containing just the raw data to do other calculations with them: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/168982/stats_enchantment.marshal

Explanation: The raw-data contains the individual results of all 130.000.000 enchantments, meaning
 * the item
 * the material
 * the level
 * the exact combination of enchantments received (+ the levels of them). Notice: The levels are added together in the statistic output, but you are free to change that.

If you have question on the script email me at fabian (AT) xover.htu.tuwien.ac.at

Author: Cel1ne, If you want to flattr me = give me a tiny donation: https://flattr.com/profile/cel1ne


 * Hi 62.178.219.88, I've enthusiastically looked through the gist and while I'm not particularily fluent in ruby, I noticed a few things.. well three things.--Zaz 09:33, 13 March 2012 (UTC)
 * First, on line 282 shouldnt enchantability be divided by two?
 * Cel1ne : Why do you think that?
 * because the minecraft source says:

j = 1 + random.nextInt((j >> 1) + 1) + random.nextInt((j >> 1) + 1); --Zaz 22:51, 19 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Cel1ne: I don't know what the first 1+ means. i'm doing the two randoms on line 250. The +1 inside the call on line 282 is just the offset needed for the random function.
 * yes, but 'j' is bit shifted one step first. --Zaz 14:02, 20 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Equivalent code that's more readable:

j1 = j/2 + 1 j = 1 + random.nextInt(j1) + random.nextInt(j1)
 * -- Orthotope 20:04, 20 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Second, my enchantment calculator has a rounding error, thanks for making me notice. :D
 * Third, when listing the results you group together all levels of the enchantmens? (I only see Fortune, not Fortune I, Fortune II etc.) Also you seem to have grouped together axe, pickaxe, and shovel despite them not having the same enchantment selection weight, wont that change the distribution of selected enchantments?--Zaz 09:33, 13 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Cel1ne : I grouped together all levels of a specific enchantments, since i thought that gives more useful numbers. If i'm correct you can't just add up the probabilities of Fortune I, II and III, since they contradict each other. Anyway, the script return the e-levels in the data (which you can also download marshalled), it's just added together in the statistic.
 * I guess what I find confusing is that if I look at the entry for, lets say a diamond helmet protection enchantment in your gist, it will only say "52.3% / L 1", indicating that protection as a whole is best received at enchantment level 1. However, for diamond helmet protection 2 the range for highest probability according to http://github.com/zazcallabah/mce seems to be somewhere between levels 15 and 21. --Zaz 22:51, 19 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Cel1ne: That makes sense. I think my results are correct, weighted with the experience needed best for Protection is Level 1. No-Brainer. But i agree that my output isn't really useful, except for the rarer enchantments. Please grab the data above and use it to create a better one, it's a chance to learn ruby :).
 * Cel1ne: i have grouped together the tools, since the weights (according to the wikpage) only apply to the enchantments chosen, they don't change if it's an axe, a pickaxe or a shovel. am i wrong?
 * It is entirely possible that you are correct. There doesn't seem to be any difference as long as they are of the same type. --Zaz 22:51, 19 March 2012 (UTC)

Bane of Arthropods
Does Bane of Arthropods work on Creepers? I was watching someone play Minecraft and they were able to 2-hit kill a creeper with the enchantment. As far as I know, it wasn't a critical hit. The sword was made of diamond. Arceus79 17:59, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

Bane of Arthropods only affects spiders and cave spiders. The creeper probably took damage due to the environment, or the sword had a sharpness enchantment too. C <font color="Orange">ali <font color="Purple">nou - talk × contribs » 18:30, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

Environmental damage makes sense, but for some reason the sword wasn't able to be enchanted... This brings up another question: Can tools be enchanted more than once in earlier versions? Arceus79 23:03, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

Once an item is enchanted, its enchantment cannot (is not supposed to) be removed, there are a few bugs that permit enchantment removal:
 * 1.9 pre-release 3/4: putting enchanted items in a ches/furnace/dispensert, breaking the container.
 * 1.9 pre-release 3/4/5, dying with enchanted items in inventory.
 * All versions, putting enchanted items in a minecart with chest, breaking the minecart. (will be fixed in upcoming release 1.3). <font color="Blue">C <font color="Orange">ali <font color="Purple">nou - talk × contribs » 23:21, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

Sorry if I wasn't clear about that. The sword was already enchanted, but an image (see below) shows that a sword can be enchanted more than once. Arceus79 02:05, 15 March 2012 (UTC)

The aforementioned sword


 * Tools and weapons can receive multiple enchantments, as shown, but the enchanting process can only happen once. You can't put that sword back in an enchanting table to try to get Looting as well, for example. -- Orthotope 02:33, 15 March 2012 (UTC)

Are the examples needed?
Are the examples needed? They just make the page even longer. It's already long enough. Instead, there should be a link to the enchantment simulator (see the first topic, "web app"). <font color="Blue">C <font color="Orange">ali <font color="Purple">nou - talk × contribs » 20:20, 15 March 2012 (UTC)
 * I am positively inclined towards this linkage, obviously, However I have some relevant interjections.
 * Firstly, the link should go to the download page, not the specific version. This is because the compiled version of the page will dissappear when the app is updated.


 * Secondly, I would argue caution in linking and reccomending tools for displaying the different probabilities surronding enchantments. This is mainly because out of all the different tools I've checked out (which I think is most of them) no two of them agree on what those probabilities are. I have yet to receive any kind of code-review on the app and thus it is solely the creation of a single mind. The reason I haven't replaced the values that were on this page is that I'm not completely sure if they are correct and I'm wrong. I have no indication that that is the case, but I'm still finding the occasional bug in my code, so my values are probably not perfectly correct either.

-- Zaz 15:10, 16 March 2012 (UTC)

I find it better to make a direct link, in my opinion. The link could be changed when the web app is updated. <font color="Blue">C <font color="Orange">ali <font color="Purple">nou - talk × contribs » 22:28, 25 March 2012 (UTC)

A bug in the end
I have been trying to defeat the ender-dragon with the flame enchantment but the ender-dragon doesnt set on fire and doesnt even breath fire. why is that can someone explain?


 * Doesn't catch fire because it's a boss, doesn't breathe fire because it was never supposed to.Cobalt32 16:42, 19 March 2012 (UTC)

Fortune from 18 levels enchantment
So I enchanted a diamond pickaxe using 18 levels out of the 18 I had, and I got Efficiency II, Unbreakable II, and Fortune I. It says that I can't get fortune under level 20, though. Is there something that I'm not aware of? I've never heard of fortune at that low a level and I didn't use mods. Bmwsu 00:25, 27 March 2012 (UTC)
 * http://github.com/zazcallabah/mce says 16% probability for fortune 1, 63% for efficiency 2, 25% for unbreaking 2 at level 18. Multiply them together you get 2.5% chance to get your specific combination. The probability to get three enchantments at level 18 is around 3%, and that probably has to weigh in somewhere. In the end, that may not sound probable, but considering that any combination you can get at 18% lands at around those probabilities - combined with the fact you actually _have_ to receive one combination, it is entirely possible. Nothing strange going on here.
 * Regarding that confusing table with minimum and maximum levels, I suggest reading http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Enchanting#Step_One_-_Applying_modifiers_to_the_enchantment_level more carefully to understand how it fits together with the levels you put into the encanting process. -- Zaz 08:02, 27 March 2012 (UTC)

On Fortune
Are there any specific rules as to when Fortune works on something? I think it's when a block doesn't drop itself, with some exceptions (grass does not spew multiple dirt, sugar cane block does not spew multiple sugar cane items), and it seems to explain why iron ore does not explode into multiple iron ore (it drops itself). I noticed that hitting grass with a Fortune CXXVII tool will have it spew around 12 seeds every time, which makes me think that Fortune just runs the drop code multiple times (int(127/10) == 12). As to why this wouldn't allow shwacking a wheat block with a Diamond Hoe of Fortune CXXVII to drop buttloads of wheat, I'm guessing it's because on the runs of the drop code that aren't the first, the wheat block has had its growth level set to 0 or some other 'nonexistent' value, meaning it only drops seeds (and about one stack, as would be expected). I haven't tested Fortune CXXVII on a melon block, but from what I've just said, I'd assume it spew out, on average, 256 melon slices (never going hungry again!).