Talk:Enchanting

Benefit of enchanting with an XP level greater than 50?
Looking at this graph:

http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/File:Enchanting_levels.png

It seems to show you may get better enchantments if your xp level is more than 50. (Although I know enchantments stop at 50.) Am I misreading the chart, or is that what is it saying? 159.182.1.4 20:55, 24 May 2012 (UTC)


 * No you read right and you understood correctly. You should get better enchantments if you have a xp level more then 50. If you are going to enchant a diamond pick for unbreaking III, efficiency V and Fortune III, you should get a modified enchanting level between 64-76. modified enchantment level= experience level + Random(0,enchantability) + 1 so you should have 62-64 experience level to get the best chance to get all. ( Diamond pick has an enchantability of 10 so the total will always be between 64-76)Correct me if I'm wrong. 78.176.144.219 21:49, 24 May 2012 (UTC)


 * I believe the above poster is incorrect. The modified enchantment level (MOL) is the level of the enchantment you've chosen plus the quality of the item you're enchanting.  So if you've chosen a lvl 50 enchantment with a gold pickaxe, you can get a MOL from 51 to 73 (48 + (random number between 0 and enchantibility (22 for gold)) + 1).  So while enchantments do go above level 50, it is a background mechanic and is not dependent on the xp level of the player.--67.184.46.187 06:37, 10 June 2012 (UTC)

Feather Falling Formula
I'm new to wikis, so I'm not sure how to format this, but the formula for the feather falling enchantment is completely off. I recently did some research into the code and found it to follow the following logic:

base = (6 + lvl * lvl)

modifier = (base + 1 >> 1) + random(0 to ((base >> 1) + 1))

so a Boots of Feather Falling IV would be range in damage reduction from 11 to 22:

base = 6 + (4 * 4) = 22

modifier = (22 + 1 >> 1) + random(0 to (22 >> 1)) = 11 + random (0 to 11) = 11 to 22

Can someone smarter than me figure out how best to update the page accordingly? –Preceding unsigned comment was added by 199.120.131.64 (Talk) 15:25, 25 May 2012. Please sign your posts with

Major Rehaul
I performed a major rehaul to this article as it was an abomination nearly beyond repair. I reworked and simplified some of the early parts and made a completely new article for mechanics, as those are unnecessary for an article on the basic core mechanics.

edit: some notable changes include moving the majority of sections dealing with specific mechanics to a new article, deleting the Textures section due to being unnecessary and using a custom texturepack, and restructuring the order of several sections to be overall less shitty

--Ancientpower 08:13, 25 May 2012 (UTC)


 * Why did you feel the need to take out so much stuff? "It's an abomination" is too vague to be a justification. Also, you said you made a new article for enchanting mechanics. First, where is it? And second, isn't that what this article is supposed to be? —Dentarthurdent 19:11, 26 May 2012 (UTC)


 * I'll start off with your last question. This article is supposed to be about the enchanting system.  It's not supposed to go in-depth, it's just supposed to inform the reader about the enchantment system.  Also, the new article can easily be found as it's in the "See Also" section of the page, meaning anyone who wants to find it can quite easily find it.


 * What I mean by it being an abomination is that it was far longer than it needed to be and was extremely hard to read due to being so disorganized and cluttered with information unnecessary to someone simply wanting to read about how to use the system and what they can use it for. Advanced mechanics weren't necessary for the average person just reading the wiki to learn how to play the game, but they're still readily available for anyone who wants to read up on them.


 * My apologies if you don't agree with my edits, I was just doing what I believed to be the best. --Ancientpower 19:42, 26 May 2012 (UTC)


 * It's fine. A lot of stuff you removed was unnecessary and you did take on this hulking colossus that none of us have really touched in a while. You did however go a little but over board. Luckily it's easy to fix. Tomorrows a Holiday so I'll help clean up. --Moxxy 20:00, 27 May 2012 (UTC)

a note to add, recoloring leather armor from the recent snapshot DOES NOT get rid of the enchantments. good for sorting, like my blast protection stuff is orange, projectile protection black, etc.50.200.55.158 13:09, 19 September 2012 (UTC) sorry, the above post was mine, i forgot to log in TheHoodedTeddy13 13:13, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

Smelting experience?
What? Smelting doesn't grant experience! What is this referring to? PhilHibbs 19:24, 16 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Killing 100 mobs will allow you to reach level 30, as will smelting 13 stacks.


 * This only happens in the most recent snapshots (12w23a and later). I edited the page to make this clearer. -- Orthotope 20:22, 16 June 2012 (UTC)


 * As of 1.3.1 patch for PC you can now get experience from mining Ore and smelting. –Preceding unsigned comment was added by 98.228.87.184 (Talk) 19:54, 4 September 2012‎ (UTC). Please sign your posts with

Orthotope, you actually CAN get experience from smelting by smelting things such as Iron Ore, Gold Ore, and the others if you get their blocks instead of simply breaking them (you can only GET the block with silk touch)199.189.81.28 19:16, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

Silk Touch and Fortune
I read that a Silk Touch enchantment will make Diamond Ore drop from an Iron or Diamond Pickaxe. Assuming that pickaxe also has Fortune, will it still affect how many Diamond Ores I get?

72.95.133.152 00:44, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

Fortune only affects item drops — that is, where you get something other than the block itself (otherwise it would be infinite duplication). Also, you can't get Silk Touch and Fortune on the same tool. —kpreid 11:55, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

I added, but have not tested: "Since Emeralds drop as an item, they Should be able to be increased some mining Emerald Ore using a Fortune-enchanted Iron Pick (or Diamond Pick)." Yilante 108.228.150.192 17:46, 2 July 2012 (UTC)

Could Silk Touch mine TNT? - you can just use your hands. [User Sweezi]

I have tested that Emerald ore does drop more emeralds. With a fortune 3 it drops similar to diamond, anywhere between 1 and 4 emeralds per block. With 2 stacks of ore I yielded 4 1/2 stacks of ore. 24.119.151.54 16:01, 19 July 2012 (UTC)

My level randomly resetting
So Ive been playing and I randomly noticed my experience bar went back to the first level you start as this happened a couple times and it is very irrating I cant keep track of what level I really am. –Preceding unsigned comment was added by Haloplayer1998 (Talk&#124;Contribs) 22:07, 29 June 2012‎. Please sign your posts with


 * The yellow bar just indicates how close you are to reaching the next level, so it resets every time you gain one. Your current level is the number above it. -- Orthotope 02:03, 30 June 2012 (UTC)

Fire doesn't burn anything but mobs
Should it be noted that the fire enchants can't light trees on fire or activate nether portals, etc.? 70.191.118.37 23:54, 2 July 2012


 * it lights TNT 1n 12w34b good enough? –Preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.59.22.190 (Talk) 19:08, 5 September 2012‎ (UTC). Please sign your posts with

Efficiency "Speed Boost" Unclear
I was reading the efficiency enchantment effect, and I cannot for the life of me figure out how it works.

It says +50% mining speed per level. "+50%" would mean it takes 50% longer to mine each block?. But that's obviously not it. It's not -50% to mining speed either, otherwise with level II it would take 0% of the original time.

So how would you calculate the time taken mine a block using a tool with the efficiency enchantment?

+ 50% mining SPEED, not mining time. It probably means the same as -50% time.

I think it means -50% time based on time taken for previous level, so eff. I is 50% time, II is 25% time, III is 12.5% IV is 6.25% and V is 3.125%. However, I'm not sure if that's accurate because it sounds WAY too fast. Gamerzap 20:36, 4 July 2012 (UTC)

50% mining speed sounds like it's the most accurate description. With level I, your mining speed is 150% of unenchanted mining speed. Level II, 200% of original speed (you break blocks twice as fast). With level V, you're up to 350%, or blocks break in less than 1/3 of the time (28.5% of the original mining time, to be precise). It's an additive effect, not a multiplicative effect like what Gamerzap is suggesting. [TH_Hackandslash]

To answer the "how would you calculate the time taken to mine a block", you'd be looking at something like 100/(1 + 0.5*Efficiency level). That'll give you the percent of base time to mine a block (taking unenchanted time to be 100%). [TH_Hackandslash]

Hacked enchantments
When hacking enchantments, you can enchant items like boats and signs. Weird. For bukkit server, you may see the plugin "Tim the Enchanter". If you type /enchant all, you get all enchantments with max level and every enchantment for that item, Even for fishing rods!!

Fortune Axes
Is the drop rate of Saplings and Red Apples affected by having Fortune on an Axe? If not, is there any benefit to having Fortune enchantments apply to axes? VictorTyne 06:23, 8 July 2012 (UTC)


 * Those drop rates are not affected at all. A Fortune axe might be good for harvesting melons, but not much else. -- Orthotope 06:56, 8 July 2012 (UTC)

Does it work with giant mushrooms?--Gil2455526 16:20, 15 July 2012 (UTC)

Experience and Enchanting
Does anyone know does it take the same amount of experience to do the same enchantment on the same type of item. If so we could produce a table that might give us a clue as to what enchantment we are getting. --unknown parties.


 * For future readers, the enchanting table itself isn't consistent about what you get for a given number of levels. However, the newer anvil reveals a system for "how much enchantments are worth".  See the Anvil mechanics page for full details. --Mental Mouse 20:43, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

Power 5 no longer exists
According to http://pernsteiner.org/minecraft/enchant/tables/Power_5.html power 5 on a bow can no longer be got ("probability 0%"). I think that the main page needs editing to reflect this. --Rik1301 22:54, 2 August 2012 (UTC)

I think that this is so for all level V enchants. Not sure though --212.50.176.184 17:53, 3 August 2012 (UTC)

Efficiency 5 is still possible.
I noticed that the wiki says now that efficiency 4 is the max. now this may be the case for most tools, but gold tools(and possibly a few others) CAN have efficiency 5. Proof: (I was not using a map editor or mods, you will just have to take my word for it)


 * Looking at the mechanics, it looks like the new max bookshelves gives 30, gold tools add a max of 22, so (30+22+1)1.25=66.25 (rounded to 66) is the highest possible number of "points". Looking at Enchanting/Levels it seems efficiency V requires only 61, so while incredibly rare, it appears possible. Cultist O 07:04, 11 August 2012 (UTC)


 * i actually got a smite V enchant on a diamond sword (no hack) so yeah. –Preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.59.22.190 (Talk) 23:21, 4 September 2012 (UTC). Please sign your posts with


 * Smite was never in question, sharpness, power and efficiency are the only material restricted ones to my knowledge. Cultist O 11:57, 5 September 2012 (UTC)


 * i also got efficiency V on a pick (still no hack but gold tools) –Preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.59.22.190 (Talk) 19:11, 5 September 2012‎ (UTC). Please sign your posts with

power V is back for bows! you can't get them in enchantingtables but you can in anvils! since snapshot 12w41a

Ok, I think this is reached the point of clear vandalism
A slew of Non Registered Users keep changing the max power level Vs to IVs. They are doing it in a way that seems like intentional abuse to me. How do we flag down an admin to lock it down? Cultist O 07:41, 18 August 2012 (UTC)


 * The code still defines the maximum level as 5, so I'm inclined to leave it at V unless someone makes a compelling case otherwise. -- Orthotope 19:32, 21 August 2012 (UTC)


 * Your help is much appreciated, but your notes are inaccurate, if you look at my math (which no one has refuted) sharpness, bane of arthropods, efficiency and smite V ARE obtainable on gold tools with the current model. Power V is not, due to not having a gold variant.


 * The notes were mostly intended to stop the edit warring; you're welcome to change them, as you're more familiar with enchanting mechanics than I am. -- Orthotope 05:29, 22 August 2012 (UTC)


 * I would say that Power V should be added to the bow as the max level now since it is obtainable through the new anvil, though it seems to be the consensus of this Wiki that snapshot changes be added as notes instead. So I should say that post-1.4, it should be changed to Power V, and for now be left as a note. 98.23.138.136 16:25, 16 October 2012 (UTC)

Hunger damage and Protection?
A trivia note states that Protection converts hunger damage into armor damage. Besides seeming odd in it's own right, that sounds like it could rapidly destroy any such item. Is this for real? What about drowning damage?--Mental Mouse 02:18, 3 October 2012 (UTC)


 * That note was added . As far as I can tell, armor is damaged only when the player is physically attacked; other damage sources (e.g., hunger, falling, on fire) do not affect armor. There is no 'conversion' of health damage to armor damage, even when enchantments reduce damage from sources armor does not normally protect against. -- Orthotope 09:43, 3 October 2012 (UTC)


 * Hmm. does that apply to withering and Protection too? Also, does Protection actually reduce hunger damage?  That's still odd. –Preceding unsigned comment was added by Mental Mouse (Talk&#124;Contribs) 13:00, 3 October 2012 (UTC). Please sign your posts with


 * Protection reduces damage from everything but void damage and the /kill command. It doesn't make sense that it works against hunger damage, but a lot of things in Minecraft don't make sense. In 1.3, the only damage sources that reduce armor's durability are fire blocks (but not being on fire), lava, contact with cactus, explosions, mob attacks and projectiles. I don't know about withering, but my guess is that Protection works against it and it doesn't damage armor. -- Orthotope 20:24, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

Power V now possible
I just noticed that it is now possible to get a Power V bow by combining two Power IV bows using the new anvil (12w41a). To my knowledge, there is no change to the levels that can be reached directly using an enchanting table. 71.56.146.147 02:27, 13 October 2012 (UTC)

Yes, this is intentional. I suspect we'll end up seeing that most top-tier Enchantments will have to be reached through the Anvil. 98.23.138.136 16:22, 16 October 2012 (UTC)

Yeah, I just got an Effeciency V diamond pickaxe. Should the notes that say the highest enchantments are only available with gold instead say that you can get them through the anvil (while still mentioning the gold being able to naturally enchant that high)? 71.193.161.150 04:52, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

Protection IV + Feather falling IV
I noticed in the trivia section that it says that "protection 4 AND feather falling 4 are not possible without a map editor to get on one pair of boots" i dont think this is true, seeing as i've gotten a few pairs on these on my game. (not in 1.4 as of yet, i havent enchanted any) --204.14.13.53 13:04, 6 November 2012 (UTC)

Gold
I don't believe anything has been said about gold equipment being easier to enchant, or the varying enchantabilities of each equipment grade. The first topic on the talk page has something about gold being 22, and diamond being 10 or something, so the values must be somewhere. Jiraiya1 13:35, 11 November 2012 (UTC)


 * Details of the enchanting process, including the enchantability of various materials, has been moved to Enchantment mechanics. -- Orthotope 22:58, 11 November 2012 (UTC)

Enchantment Calculator?
Is there some kind of online app/program that calculates damage dealt/protected when using custom ones'? ie sharpness 15 on diamond sword?? ~MCGods

== Protection ID? When I try to use /enchant to put protection on an item, it says "the number you have entered is too small". Is this purely a bug, or has Protection's ID changed to something else? --Mental Mouse 01:40, 18 November 2012 (UTC)

== This Command CAN be used in command blocks with the same syntax
 * [Syntax] = "/enchant [player] [enchant ID] [enchant level(1-4)]" with item in hand
 * [Enchant IDS] =

--Tahha 05:16, 25 January 2013 (UTC)

Protection from Wither Skulls?
Could someone test if Projectile Protection protects against Wither Skulls? I'm rather sure the Skulls don't deal damage on a direct hit, but it never hurts to check, does it? Flameclaw0x7 04:05, 25 November 2012 (UTC)

Flameclaw0x7, The wither skull is an exploding projectile, like an exploding arrow, so yes projectile protection helps but you would also need Blast Protection. 199.189.81.28 19:20, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

Thorn enchantment = Diablo II reference??
Maybe this new "thorns" enchantment is a reference to the Diablo II paladin aura of the same name (and same effect). --190.49.180.105 14:26, 16 December 2012 (UTC)

-The use of the word "thorns" predated video games entirely. Early tabletop rollplaying games made use of the term for similur purpose. There can be no speculation as to what influenced the name for the designers without asking them personaly as the list of possable references is endless. Pestilencemage 3 Febuary 2013

Update 1.4.6 = Enchantment system is unrecognizable?
I was playing on multiplayer and realized that the enchantment table didn't work nearly the same as it used to. I tried enchanting a diamond pickaxe with 26 levels on me, and the highest options I got were around 20-23. A few minutes later I tried again, and I got level 30 options. This weird stuff happened a lot. Basically, what I'm asking for is, did Jeb/Dinnerbone/(Notch?) change the enchantment algorithms or something in the source code? Can someone please check and contribute? Hopefully maybe add some factors on what changes the outcome and how? Would sure save a big headache for people if they're having the same problem as me. Thanks!

EDIT: Nevermind. Turns out snow is a factor as to whether or not the bookshelf in its nearest block vicinity will work or not. I'll add this info to wherever applicable.


 * The problem with snow is already mentioned at Enchantment_Mechanics. &mdash;Munin295 &middot; Grid_Book_and_Quill.png Grid_Stone_Pickaxe.png &middot; 23:15, 24 December 2012 (UTC)

1.4.6 Unbreaking enchantment on armor
I was looking through decompiled code when I came across something interesting: if (((paramItemStack.getItem instanceof ItemArmor)) && (paramRandom.nextFloat < 0.6F)) return false;

- Code snippet from EnchantmentDurability.class (from Bukkit's version of minecraft-server.jar)

I interpret that as meaning 60% of the time a piece of armor will degrade regardless of the Unbreaking enchantment level. If true, this has implications on the formula currently listed in the table. Could somebody verify/disprove this exists in Vanilla? –Preceding unsigned comment was added by Finalfred (Talk&#124;Contribs) 07:30, 27 December 2012 (UTC). Please sign your posts with


 * Be careful using Bukkit code as a reference, as it sometimes has subtle differences from vanilla, but in this case you're correct. Here's the entire corresponding function from MCP decompilation of Minecraft 1.4.6:

public static boolean func_92097_a(ItemStack par0ItemStack, int par1, Random par2Random) {  return par0ItemStack.getItem instanceof ItemArmor && par2Random.nextFloat < 0.6F ? false : par2Random.nextInt(par1 + 1) > 0; }
 * This is only called by ItemStack.damageItem; par1 is the level of Unbreaking on that item. If func_92097 returns true, it means the item does not lose durability. So on armor, Unbreaking has a 60% chance of not working at all; the other 40% of the time, it has the usual 50/66/75% chance of not losing durability. Total chances of not losing durability are 20%/26.67%/30%. -- Orthotope 09:56, 27 December 2012 (UTC)

Silk Touch Harvestable Blocks
I have found that glass blocks can be retrieved with the use of silk touch. Unfortunately, ice blocks still cannot be harvested even with this trait. ~Zazhi


 * Welcome to the wiki!


 * I just confirmed in 1.4.6, and ice can definitely be harvested with Silk Touch, with any of the seven tools listed that Silk Touch can be put on legitimately (even Carrot on a Stick!). Make sure you're not in Creative mode when you test Silk Touch -- all blocks (should) break without dropping anything in Creative, irregardless of tools selected in the hotbar.


 * The fact that glass can be harvested is already covered by the description of Silk Touch: "Mined blocks will drop themselves…". Only exceptions (monster spawners, farmland, etc.) and significances (blocks uniquely available by Silk Touch) need be discussed in the notes, otherwise we'd be listing every single block.


 * The Notes section is a little tricky. The notes are actually written in previous sections with a tag, but they don't get displayed until the 01:07, 5 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Hey, it happens to all of us occasionally. ;-) it took me the longest time to realize that aside from Blazes, most Nether mobs don't have their spawns suppressed by light!  --Mental Mouse 01:50, 5 March 2013 (UTC)

Nerf in 1.5?
I've noticed that level 30 enchants have seemed to be pretty lackluster compared to 1.4.7... I keep getting picks such as only unbreaking 3, or only fortune 2. Just a string of bad luck? Or has it been changed, possibly to encourage use of the anvil and books? 98.209.14.109 09:48, 25 March 2013 (UTC)KL
 * Most likely bad luck... I had a bunch of single-spell enchants too, but then I just got Silk Touch with high Efficiency to boot. --Mental Mouse 14:19, 25 March 2013 (UTC)


 * From what I have seen, nothing has changed. 203.208.95.87 17:23, 28 March 2013 (UTC)


 * Did you remember to put bookshelves around the table? -- Numbermaniac  - T  - C 04:22, 3 April 2013 (UTC)

Looting/Fortune get more XP?
Does enchanting a tool with fortune or looting will get you more xp when killing a mob or mining an ore? –Preceding unsigned comment was added by HealableMarrow4 (Talk&#124;Contribs) 12:03, 18 April 2013‎ (UTC). Please sign your posts with -- HMarrowIV {Talk} 02:51, 19 April 2013 (UTC)
 * No, in both cases. -- Orthotope 18:33, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

How much does Protection reduce?
I can't find it on this page or the Armour page. How much does protection 1, 2, 3, and 4 reduce on each armour type?


 * It's complicated. See Armor.
 * &mdash;Munin295 &middot; Grid_Book_and_Quill.png Grid_Stone_Pickaxe.png &middot; 00:33, 15 June 2013 (UTC)