Best enchantments for all gear in Minecraft 1.19 update

Enchantments in Minecraft are considerably varied, and some provide better overall utility than others. However, an enchantment's usefulness is derived partially from the piece of gear it is applied to.

For newer players or those just returning to Minecraft, it can be tricky to determine which enchantments are ideal for a given piece of gear.

While this is somewhat subjective, depending on what players are aiming to do with their gear, there are certain enchantments that are generally great to use overall.

At the end of the day, the best enchantment for a gear piece will come down to the player's preference. However, the top enchantment picks can at least get them started on the right foot.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinions of the writer

Breaking down the top enchantment picks for each gear type in Minecraft

Armor Pieces

Minecraft players can customize their armor pieces to provide multiple enchantment benefits. However, certain enchantments are great for armor pieces in general.

Specifically, two of the best options for any piece of armor are the Mending and Protection enchantments.

Mending ensures that players can restore the durability from their armor by picking up experience orbs. Meanwhile, Protection improves the protective value of the armor itself, increasing the percentage of damage that can be absorbed.

For boots, in particular, some players may opt for enchantments like Feather Falling to avoid fall damage. However, Protection helps players more often by reducing damage from other sources.

Players who spend time in water may want to opt for enchantments such as Aqua Affinity and Respiration for their helmet, though this is situational.

Swords

A player enchants their diamond sword at an anvil in Minecraft (Image via Crazy Karan/YouTube)

Sword enchantments in Minecraft tend to be quite customized compared to other gear pieces. This is because swords tend to be the preferred melee weapon for many players. Some of the top general enchantments include Unbreaking, Mending, and Sharpness.

Mending has been explained and works the same as it does for armor.

Unbreaking reduces the likelihood that a sword's durability will lessen when it is used. Meanwhile, Sharpness increases the damage per attack that a sword deals.

However, if players are having issues with the undead or spiders, they may want to opt for the more situational Smite and Bane of Arthropods enchantments, respectively.

Axes

An axe is enchanted at an enchanting table (Image via Mojang)

While axes can serve as suitable weapons in Minecraft, most players tend to use them as a harvesting tool. For this reason, the preferred enchantments for axes tend to be Unbreaking, Mending, and Efficiency.

Unbreaking and Mending work the same as they would on other pieces of gear. Meanwhile, Efficiency increases the mining speed of the axe, making it much better at cutting down trees. However, if players prefer to use their axe as a weapon, they may apply Sharpness to it instead.

Bows

Steve brandishes an enchanted bow (Image via Mojang)

When enchanting a bow in Minecraft, players will want to look to one enchantment in particular. This is Infinity, which ensures that players can continuously fire arrows as long as they have at least one in their inventory. This gives them infinite ammunition.

Mending is also a spectacular option, as it is for many gear pieces. However, if players can't access Mending and Infinity, using Power and Unbreaking is a great substitute.

Power operates much like Sharpness but increases the damage of projectiles fired from a bow (as opposed to increasing the damage of melee strikes).

Crossbows

A firework rocket armed into a crossbow (Image via Mojang)

Unfortunately, crossbows in Minecraft don't benefit from the Infinity enchantment. In lieu of bow-like enchantments, crossbows can get great enchantments like Quick Draw and Multi-Shot instead.

Quick Draw allows players to load and fire their crossbow much more rapidly. Multi-Shot, on the other hand, allows the crossbow to fire multiple projectiles at once. However, this enchantment can drain a substantial amount of ammunition, so players may sometimes want to opt for Piercing instead. Piercing allows projectiles fired by the crossbow to pierce through targets such as mobs.

Mending is also applicable for crossbows. It is always a great addition if players can find the enchantment.

Trident

Tridents are one of the more unique gear pieces in Minecraft, and their enchantments reflect this fact.

Mending is incredibly vital to keep tridents for the long term. Unbreaking is a good stand-in if players can't find Mending. Meanwhile, Loyalty allows players to use a trident as a ranged weapon and return it to them after throwing it.

Gathering Tools (Pickaxe/Shovel/Hoe/Axe/Shears)

Pickaxe enchantments can also apply to many other gathering tools (Image via Mojang)

Gathering tools such as pickaxes, shovels, and axes can have many enchantments in Minecraft. Mending, Efficiency, and Fortune tend to be the ideal enchantments for them.

Efficiency speeds up mining speed for gathering tools, and Fortune improves tools such as pickaxes when it comes to collecting ores.

Silk Touch is a situational enchantment. However, it can be helpful when players need to harvest specific blocks instead of their byproducts (collecting ore blocks instead of raw ores, for example).

Fishing Rods

An enchanted fishing rod in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

While using Mending and Unbreaking is a great option for fishing rods in Minecraft, some players may want to opt for Luck of the Sea instead. This enchantment improves the treasure drops that players can receive while fishing, though it can diminish other drops like standard fish.

However, if players want to use their enchanting prowess to attract more fish, the Lure enchantment is also available to them.

Flint & Steel, Shields, Carrots on a Stick, Fungi on a Stick, and Elytra

A player dons an enchanted Elytra (Image via Minecraft Amino)

The gear in this final collection can only be enchanted with either Unbreaking or Mending.

Given that Unbreaking requires gear to be repaired eventually, Minecraft players will want to opt for Mending whenever possible. This is especially true for Elytra due to their rarity and the fact that they can only be repaired with other Elytra or phantom membranes.

Phantom membranes can be quite a chore to farm due to the annoying nature of phantom mobs in-game.