Ranking Minecraft enchantments for leggings

Like many pieces of Minecraft armor, players can enchant their leg armor to provide themselves with various effects when the armor is equipped. Not every enchantment is helpful. Some are much more beneficial than others.

While leg enchantments should be considered alongside other enchantments placed on armor pieces, it isn't a bad idea to think about the best effects that one can place on their leggings. For players putting together a full-armor build of enchantments, the right decision on one's leg armor can improve a build or hold it back to some degree. Due to this, breaking down the best enchantments for leggings seems like a worthwhile pursuit for future decision-making.

Ranking Each Legging Enchantment As of Minecraft 1.19

10) Curse of Vanishing

Curse of Vanishing is a pretty undesirable enchantment (Image via 9Minecraft)

Minecraft possesses two enchantments known as curses, and neither is something you want to see on your gear. Curse of Vanishing is arguably the worse of the two due to its effect. But, upon death, the curse activates, and the object enchanted with it is destroyed. This means players can't retrieve the gear after dying, though the curse is essentially pointless in Hardcore Mode since death is permanent anyway.

9) Curse of Binding

Curse of Binding is typically used for Minecraft pranks and challenges (Image via Mojang)

The second curse enchantment in Minecraft. Curse of Binding is still not something you want to apply to your gear in just about any circumstance. This enchantment prevents players from typically removing the gear carrying the curse. The only way to remove the armor is to die or switch to Creative Mode. Additionally, Curse of Vanishing armor is irremovable in Hardcore Mode, making it a significant hindrance.

However, if you like pranking your friends or challenging yourself, Curse of Vanishing does have applications. They're just constrained.

8) Projectile Protection

Projectile Protection in Minecraft does precisely what it sounds like it does (Image via u/StoneHeartGaming/Reddit)

While it's far from the best protective enchantment in Minecraft, Projectile Protection has its uses. As the name implies, this enchantment reduces the damage from projectiles, including arrows, thrown tridents, llama spit, blaze fireballs, and shulker bullets.

It reduces the impact damage from ghast fireballs and the Wither's skull projectiles. However, this enchantment doesn't protect against all projectiles. Players will still take total damage from Splash Potions of Harming, firework rockets fired from crossbows, the Ender Dragon's fireballs, or the Warden's sonic boom attack.

7) Fire Protection

Fire Protection can be helpful in Minecraft if you're not a fan of fire and lava (Image via Mojang)

Fire is an occasional hazard in-game, and standard armor doesn't protect you well from it. Whether you get caught in an enemy attack that causes you to burn or stumble into an open flame or lava, Fire Protection can be a helpful addition.

Fire Protection reduces the damage from being on fire by 8% per rank, which is pretty substantial. This enchantment is incredibly helpful in the Nether, as enemies and constant flames and lava can be a nuisance due to the inherent fire damage.

6) Swift Sneak

Swift Sneak is pretty solid when a Minecraft player needs to get around quietly (Image via RajCraft/YouTube)

Sneaking can be very helpful in Minecraft, but it slows players down as they move about. This makes stealth somewhat tedious, but the Swift Sneak enchantment can change that in a pretty significant way. Swift Sneak was introduced in Minecraft 1.19. It increases a player's sneaking speed by 15% per rank, ultimately allowing them to move at 75% of their movement speed while crouching at rank III.

This enchantment comes in handy when you're skulking around the deep dark biome and hoping to avoid the Warden.

5) Thorns

Thorns can be helpful in Minecraft, albeit in a very limited scope (Image via Waifu Simulator 27/YouTube)

Protecting yourself with armor is where the Thorns enchantment comes into play in Minecraft. It bestows the ability for enemies to take damage when they injure a player equipped with enchanted armor. Thorns applied to all direct attacks, including melee and ranged attacks, meaning pesky skeletons aren't immune from taking Thorns damage when they battle you.

However, it's important to note that Thorns will only be activated on a percentage chance, 15% per enchantment rank. Targets will also take a non-standard amount of damage between one to four damage. Fortunately, adding Thorns to other armor pieces can increase the overall damage since these effects stack.

4) Blast Protection

Explosions are much less threatening thanks to Minecraft's Blast Protection enchantment (Image via Mojang)

Explosions in Minecraft are hazardous, even if they don't occur as regularly as other sources of damage. However, when a block of TNT or a Creeper detonates close to you, it can hurt and even outright kill you and send you back to your respawn point. Blast Protection is a helpful enchantment to reduce the threat of explosions by mitigating the damage they cause.

Blast Protection reduces the damage of explosions from TNT, Creepers, firework rockets, beds, and respawn anchors by 8% per rank. If you're having difficulty detonating blocks and entities, Blast Protection can keep you safer from harm, albeit not invincible.

3) Unbreaking

Keep your armor protecting you longer by using Minecraft's Unbreaking enchantment (Image via Mojang)

Few things are more frustrating than when your armor breaks unexpectedly. This is especially true when you have armor made of high-quality materials like diamond or Netherite. To slow down the wear and tear of your leggings, adding Unbreaking is a good idea where enchantments are concerned. Unbreaking technically doesn't increase your gear's durability but instead provides a percentage chance for it not to lose its durability when used.

This means that Unbreaking III can make your enchanted gear last three times as long as it usually would, making it last longer and requiring you to repair it less frequently.

2) Protection

Protection can vastly enhance a Minecraft player's armor value (Image via Mojang)

Depending on your armor, you have a certain amount of resistance to most sources of damage. However, adding the Protection enchantment can improve its defensive capabilities if your armor isn't doing the job. Specifically, Protection adds a 4% damage reduction per rank and stacks with other armor pieces.

This means each piece of gear can add a 16% damage reduction at rank IV and up to 64% reduction if Protection rank IV is enchanted to your helmet, leggings, chestplate, and boots. Even for lower-grade armor, this additional Protection is not something to ignore.

1) Mending

Mending will keep your Minecraft equipment in top shape as long as you can access XP orbs (Image via u/JamesNineLives/Reddit)

It's one of the most coveted in-game enchantments, and Mending is just as great on leggings as on many other gear pieces. At its core, this enchantment takes in experience orbs and repairs any enchanted gear (though it can only repair one at a time if you have multiple pieces with Mending). Players with an experienced farm can make their armor, weapons, and tools last forever.