Minecraft Armor Enchantment Tier List

Minecraft Armor Enchantment Tier List

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• S-Tier: Must-Have Minecraft Enchantments

• A-Tier: Minecraft Enchantments That Are Worth The Lapis

• B-Tier: Solid Minecraft Enchantments That Can Be Built Around

• C-Tier: A Fun Enchantment That is Too Situational

• D-Tier: Minecraft Enchantments That Should Be Avoided

Minecraft’s armor is often what stands between a player and an untimely end. To optimize protection, fans should know which of Minecraft’s enchantments are best to take.

Though there are some bits of gear in Minecraft that could use more enchantment attention, armor is well-stocked for available enhancements. There are a good couple of enchantments for every piece of armor, with each having their own unique ones to boot (except for chestplates). However, only a handful are vital for a player’s outfit, so it is important to separate the best from the worst to make it clear which enchantments are crucial and which are a waste of lapis.

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S-Tier: Must-Have Minecraft Enchantments

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• Mending

• Protection

• Unbreaking

• Feather Falling

S-Tier houses essential enchantments, the ones that no player should forget. Naturally, Mending continues to be Minecraft’s best enchantment. Mending is the best way to preserve high-end armor, especially sets with big-ticket enchantments. Repairing with an anvil is far more expensive and will eventually no longer work, while Mending will always function. Unbreaking is also a universally solid enchantment. Even with Mending, a player that takes their share of licks will see durability plummet. It’s especially vital with enchantments such as Soul Speed or Thorns, which suck up durability as part of their usage.

Protection is the best armor-specific enchantment in Minecraft. It’s excellent against multiple sources of damage, including those not covered by more situational protection enchantments. When taking damage in Minecraft, it usually comes from multiple sources simultaneously—such as a barrage of piglin arrows in addition to a brute’s axe, or the combined fire and blast of a ghast’s attack. This makes it the obvious choice over said specialized protection enchantments, since those are incompatible with Protection. Since Feather Falling can be taken with Protection, it’s easily a must-have—especially considering how fall damage goes through regular armor. Stacking those enchantments together can let players survive some huge falls.

A-Tier: Minecraft Enchantments That Are Worth The Lapis

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• Depth Strider

• Respiration

• Aqua Affinity

A-Tier may not house essential enchantments, but they’re all great choices that don’t conflict with the above. All three of them are good picks once S-Tier options are sorted. These water-based buffs are somewhat situational, but nonetheless fantastic. Depth Strider, for instance, is an amazing enchantment for Minecraft’s armor. Water can be a real hassle at the best of times, and moving through it faster is really nice. Though long trips are better for boats, it’s perfect for conquering the pesky rivers and swamps that cut into exploration.

Whilst Aqua Affinity and Respiration may be ill-suited for those players disinterested in the sea, they have been given a new lease on life. Minecraft’s new archaeology system has added far more incentive for players to brave ocean ruins. Aqua Affinity is helpful in uncovering suspicious gravel, whilst Respiration handily lets the player stay underwater for longer. The latter is slightly less useful in regard to Ocean Monuments; the Fatigue debuff caused by Elder Guardians nullifies its usefulness despite Depth Strider and Respiration remaining important. However, it’s still a great benefit when plundering the watery depths for minerals.

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B-Tier: Solid Minecraft Enchantments That Can Be Built Around

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• Swift Sneak

• Thorns

• Soul Speed

B-Tier enchantments either have some great benefits at the cost of drawbacks, or are generally decent but not exceptional. In the former case, both Soul Speed and Thorns drain durability for their effects. Soul Speed lets players speed through Minecraft, but has a chance to cost extra durability when active. Similarly, Thorns causes attacks to damage armor durability by an additional point, but can stack for decent damage; even projectile-based foes can be affected by Thorns, with very few mobs being immune. Both are good, but a player will want to get Mending before consideration.

Swift Sneak is Minecraft’s latest enchantment. It’s an incredibly niche asset, but an asset nonetheless. Faster travel around Ancient Cities is nice, but it’s also a great help when building bridges or traversing the hot magma of a basalt delta. It also has no conflicts, so if it’s available it should be readily applied. Being locked behind Ancient Cities does inhibit their primary benefit somewhat, as the structure must first be traversed to even find the enchantment that helps traverse them. Still, it’s useful for subsequent cities or for those resourceful enough to bring an anvil.

C-Tier: A Fun Enchantment That is Too Situational

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• Frost Walker

Frost Walker is a middling entry among Minecraft’s enchantments. It’s great fun for a player looking to channel their inner Elsa, and it’s by no means a bad way to travel by water. Its main issue lies in being incompatible with Depth Strider, which is far less situational. It’s also something of a nuisance; it can make going underwater ever-so-slightly cumbersome, and has the habit of freezing crop water. Still, it’s a delightful buff that has its uses, even in the face of better options.

D-Tier: Minecraft Enchantments That Should Be Avoided

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• Projectile Protection

• Blast Protection

• Fire Protection

Aside from Minecraft’s curses, which are intended to be malign, D-Tier enchantments are the worst of the bunch. Whilst everything above has its uses, D-Tier entries ought to be avoided. The three specialized protection enchantments fit this bill perfectly. Though they do indeed help against their respective damage type, they only help against that damage type. Since they’re incompatible with Protection, this makes them dreadful choices. A player may consider making separate armor for specific situations that involve them, but that’ll be an immense amount of work. Having three extra armor sets with a total of 12 pieces to enchant between them sounds like a nightmare, even for completionists. All-round Protection is simply superior when specialized protection is only slightly better in one area.

In addition, there are many damage types not covered by these options; Projectile Protection won’t help a player being beaten to death by endermen, and Blast Protection gives no resistance to a vindicator’s axe.

Minecraft

Platform(s)PS Vita, PS3, Wii U, Switch, PS4, Xbox 360, PC, iOS, Android, 3DS, Xbox OneReleasedNovember 18, 2011Developer(s)MojangPublisher(s)MojangGenre(s)Sandbox, SurvivalESRBE10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy ViolenceHow Long To BeatN/AX|S EnhancedNoFile Size Xbox Series1 GB (December 2023)Metascore93Split Screen OrientationVertical or HorizontalNumber of Players1-4