What does Bane of Arthropods do in Minecraft 1.19 update?

The Bane of Arthropods is an enchantment in the Minecraft 1.19 update, which can be applied to swords and axes. It's a special combat-related powerup that only affects a select mob type. Many new players might not know how to use this enchantment, but it can be quite useful in certain fights.

Enchantments are special powerups in the game that players can apply to their gear to unlock their full potential. These can be applied via an enchanting table or an enchanted book and anvil. Higher levels of enchantment require higher levels of XP points from the player. The Bane of Arthropods might not be the most used enchantment in the game, but it is certainly a useful one.

---

Everything players should know about the Bane of Arthropods in Minecraft 1.19 update

How to use the enchantment correctly

This powerup only works on spiders, cave spiders, bees, endermites, and silverfishes (Image via Mojang)

Bane of Arthropods is a combat-related enchantment, but it cannot be used on every mob in the game. As the name suggests, the enchantment can only affect arthropod mobs. Currently, the only arthropod mobs are spiders, cave spiders, bees, silverfish, and endermites.

Based on the mobs they are facing, players can decide whether they need this enchantment or not. Since it only affects a few mobs, players don't use this enchantment frequently; however, when it comes to killing arthropods, it is the best powerup in the game.

---

Enchantment levels, incompatibilities, and other details

This enchantment can easily kill spiders and other arthropod mobs in one hit (Image via Mojang)

Players can apply this enchantment to both swords and axes, and it is meant to be used in a melee attack. The enchantment has five levels of power, all of which can be applied to the weapons from an enchanting table. However, it is recommended for players to get a librarian villager that specifically gives the desired enchantment in the form of books.

Each power level of the enchantment adds 2.5 HP worth of extra damage to each hit on arthropod mobs. This damage is added to the base attack damage of the weapon and then transferred onto the mob after the attack.

Apart from this, the enchantment also inflicts a slowness level 4 status effect. This status effect remains on the mob anywhere between 1 second and 3.5 seconds, depending on the power level of the enchantment. Each level adds 0.5 seconds to the status effect inflicted on the mob.

Sharpness and Smite enchantments cannot be combined with Bane of Arthropods in survival mode (Image via Mojang)

The Bane of Arthropods enchantment is incompatible with Smite and Sharpness enchantments. Players won't be able to combine these enchantments together in normal survival mode, though it can be possible via commands or when players are in creative mode with cheats enabled.