Swords are the trusty weapons that go with you through all of Minecraft content. You start the game with a wooden sword, then finish it with a clean-cut from the enchanted Netherite sword. If you don't know, enchanting means infusing weapons, armors, or tools with special traits to buff their powers. Here are the best Enchantments for swords in Minecraft and how to get them in the 1.17 update!

Table of Contents

Unbreaking III

Unbreaking is an enchantment that increases the durability of most items in the game. When the items are being used, there's a chance that they can avoid durability reduction. Unbreaking can be applied to armors, weapons, tools, pretty much everything in Minecraft. At Unbreaking level 3, weapons and tools have a 33.33% chance of losing durability when used. Armor pieces have a 70% chance.

Combine 2 Unbreaking II books to make Unbreaking III.

In order to get Unbreaking III, the best way is to make a Villager Trading Post. Keep placing and breaking in front of villagers to change their sale inventory. Unbreaking III is obtainable from the Enchant Table, but the chance is slim. On top of that, most of the time you only get Unbreaking I or II.

Mending

Mending is the best enchantment for all items in Minecraft. It uses players' EXP to restore lost durability. That means the items won't ever break. In order to repair an item enchanted with Mending, you will have to hold it on your main hand, offhand, or equip it into armor slots. Mending will use 2 EXP points to restore 1 durability. Build yourself an EXP farm, make sure your mob grinder works, and you will have infinite items that never break.

Mending cannot be acquired from the Enchant Table, build a trading hall to get it!

Mending is one of the rare Enchantments in the Minecraft world. You cannot take it from the Enchant Table. It counts as a treasure enchantment and is obtainable from chest loot, fishing, raids, or trading. You can also obtain one by finding a diamond pickaxe in a bastion remnant.

Sharpness V/Smite V/Bane of Arthropods V

Depending on your purpose, you can choose one of the three best Enchantments for swords in Minecraft:

Trade for enchanted books!
  • Sharpness is good for general use. It increases melee weapons' damage for swords and axes. At level 5, this enchantment boosts your sword's damage by 3 points (Java Edition). To get Sharpness V, place two Sharpness IV books or swords into the Anvil and combine them.
  • Smite deals extra damage to undead mobs (Zombies and Skeletons). It bumps up your damage towards this kind of mobs by a whole lot. However, it doesn't have any other use. Smite V can be obtained from trading or enchanting.
  • Bane of Arthropods allows your swords to deal more damage to arthropod mobs (spiders, cave spiders, bees, silverfish, and endermites). Overall, this is not a good choice, unless you're going for a spider farm. Bane of Arthropods V can be obtained from trading or enchanting.

Sweeping Edge III

Being one of the few Enchantments exclusive to the Java Edition, Sweeping Edge increases the sweeping damage of swords. And since swords are the only weapon that can sweep attack, this Enchantment can only be applied to them.

Beware the types of mobs you're fighting.

Get your Sweeping Edge III from combining enchanted books or trading with villagers.

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Looting III

Looting is a must-have Enchantment for a mob farm in Minecraft. It buffs the chance of dropping items when killing mobs. This applies to common, uncommon, and rare loots. However, looting does not affect the EXP drop.

SAve up your emerald to buy the items you need.

To get Looting III, enchant books until you have enough Looting I or II to combine them to level 3. Also, you have to be at least level 30 to unlock the third Enchantment option.

Fire Aspect II

Fire Aspect is pretty much goodbye to furnace and smoker for cooking food. It sets the target on fire and mobs like pigs, cows, or fishes will drop cooked meats when they die. Fire Aspect also deals extra burn damage for 4 seconds when applied to an enemy.

Fire Aspect II is pretty hard to get from enchanting. So your best bet is making a Villager trading center for it. Or you can enchant books instead of swords to save resources.

Knockback II

Last but not least, one of the best Enchantments for swords in Minecraft is Knockback. It increases the knock-back distance of your sword, creating more space between you and the enemies. However, it can make fighting the Drowned and Skeletons a struggle. You don't want those mobs to fire at you with their ranged attack from afar.

Knockback and Fire Aspect make a good combo.

Get Knockback II from the Enchantment Table or trading.

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