How the Power enchantment works in Minecraft

A bow with the Power enchantment in Minecraft will cause the arrows fired to inflict increased damage.

There are plenty of nasty and difficult enemies to encounter in Minecraft, a lot of which can be a bit tricky to defeat. Enemies who deal large amounts of melee damage can quickly shred through a player's defenses if they are not careful.

However, instead of jumping right into the fray, Minecraft players can turn to ranged combat instead. With a bow, players will be able to deal some serious damage at a much safer distance.

The damage that players deal with a bow can be amplified with the Power enchantment, in order to make a bow a truly effective weapon for killing mobs or other players in PvP combat.

This article breaks down how the Power enchantment works in Minecraft and explains how players can get it on their very own bow.

How the Power enchantment works in Minecraft

The power enchantment can be placed on any bow that players have obtained throughout their adventures in the world of Minecraft.

Any player who does not already have a bow can craft one by combining three sticks and three pieces of string at a crafting table. Instead of crafting, players can also acquire a bow by purchasing one from fletcher villagers or fishing one up as a treasure item.

By default, a bow will deal three hearts worth of damage when it has reached full charge. At no charge, it deals one heart of damage, and even has the potential to deal five and half hearts of damage with a full charge critcal strike.

However, Minecraft players can greatly increase that amount with the Power enchantment. There are five power levels in the Power enchantment, with the first level increasing the damage players deal with arrows by fifty percent.

After the first level, each subsequent level increases the damage dealt by an additional 25% per level of the enchantment.

A table for the damage amplification of the Power enchantment in Minecraft. (Image via minecraft.gamepedia.com)

The enchantment increases the amount of damage fired from a bow by the following formula: (25% x (level of the enchantment +1)

Note: Minecraft will always round the damage done up to the nearest heart.

This means that players with a Power V enchanted bow can deal seven and half hearts worth of damage at full charge, and can even do up to twelve and a half hearts worth of damage if it crits.

Getting the Power Enchantment

An enchanting table in Minecraft (Image via Sportskeeda/Minecraft)

Power can be placed on any bow using an enchanting table, some experience and some lapis lazuli.

This enchantment can also be placed on a piece of equipment with an anvil and the correct corresponding enchantment book.

A complete guide to enchantments in Minecraft can be found here.