I don't usually enchant, but I want to get into it. Does anyone have an enchanting guide for armor and tools (1.12)? I have no idea what is good and what order to apply them in. I do know it is smart to use books and then apply the books to the gear. But if someone can really help me out that would be great.
Armor: Protection IV, Unbreaking III and Mending (plus additional enchants for specific items)
Helmet: Aqua Affinity and Respiration III
Boots: Depth Strider III and Feather Falling IV
Optional: Blast Protection IV on one piece of armor to better survive creeper surprise attacks.
Optional: Thorns III on one piece or armor to damage attackers.
Optional: Frost Walker II on boots (instead of Depth Strider)
Frost Walker will let you walk on water, or walk on Magma Blocks without damage.
Personally I find Depth Strider much more useful.
Pickaxe #1: Silk Touch, Efficiency V, Unbreaking III and Mending
Pickaxe #2: Fortune III, Efficiency V, Unbreaking III and Mending
Sword #1: Sharpness V, Sweeping Edge III, Looting III, Unbreaking III and Mending
Sword #2: Smite V, Sweeping Edge III, Looting III, Unbreaking III and Mending
I also like Knockback I (Knockback II is too much).
I personally do not like or recommend Fire Aspect on a sword.
Since swords are a close combat weapon you are likely to end up on fire yourself.
If you want to set mobs on fire, do it with a bow. And speaking of bows...
Bow: Power V, Unbreaking III, Punch I, Flame, Infinity and Mending (see note below)
Both of my current 1.12 worlds were created in an earlier version, so my bows have both Infinity & Mending.
For bows created in 1.12 you will have to choose one or the other (you can no longer have both enchants in 1.12).
Personally, I'd probably go with Mending, since arrows are easy to craft, and can be acquired in large quantities with a multi-mob or skele grinder. On the other hand, an AFK fishing farm will give you plenty of enchanted bows, so it will be easy to craft another OP bow if you go with Infinity and wear your old one out... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Axe: Sharpness V, Efficiency V, Unbreaking III and Mending
Optional: Fortune III or Silk Touch
Silk Touch is great for harvesting bookshelves and melons.
Shovel: Efficiency V, Unbreaking III and Mending
Optional: Fortune III or Silk Touch
Fortune will give you more flint from gravel (100% with F3). Silk touch will give you none.
Silk Touch for harvesting grass, mycelium, podzol, etc...
Elytra: Unbreaking III and Mending
These enchants are pretty much a must on Elytra (their default durability is quite poor).
Fishing Pole: Lure III, Luck of the Sea III, Unbreaking III and Mending
Some may suggest that having less luck or lure makes it better for certain things.
I have experimented with that and it is not true.
A maxed out pole is better, period! End of story. Just do it!
Optional: Shield with Unbreaking III and Mending
Shields are so inexpensive to make that the value of enchanting them is questionable.
That being said, mine is enchanted...
The order enchants are applied makes no difference in their effectiveness.
It may affect how many XP levels are required when applying the enchants...
Not that I noticed, and I fully agree with everything in your comprehensive list. Thanks for making it so that we can direct people to this thread now for these common "what is best" questions.
I have Thorns III on both my chest and leggings. While I would probably not put it on my leggings again since it severely diminishes its durability, at the same time, the leggings still last longer than boots, so with Mending, you're already "repairing" items so might as well repair them all at once, in my opinion.
I've used Witherbane, my diamond Smite V, Looting III, Unbreaking III, Fire Aspect and Mending sword as my primary weapon for almost a year now. I agree that Fire Aspect can be more of an annoyance than it's worth. While death by flame from Fire Aspect might circumvent Looting for some mobs, I forged it singularly to kill wither skeletons, whom are unharmed by burning. I actually appreciate the fact that it prevents Looting on other mobs—I don't want their trash drops. I just wanted a higher chance for wither skeleton skulls. However, like you say, it's fairly likely to set the wielder aflame in a melee. Unless they buff the enchantment, I won't use it again.
Now that there's Sweeping Edge, it's time for me to forge a new blade, a diamond Sharpness V, Sweeping Edge III, Looting III, Unbreaking III and Mending sword. It will be named after ice since the last sword was flaming. I'm thinking Frost Fate.
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Optional: Blast Protection IV on one piece of armor to better survive creeper surprise attacks.
Optional: Thorns III on one piece or armor.
Pickaxe #1: Silk Touch, Efficiency V, Unbreaking III and Mending
Pickaxe #2: Fortune III, Efficiency V, Unbreaking III and Mending
Sword #1: Sharpness V, Sweeping Edge III, Looting III, Unbreaking III and Mending (I also like Knockback I)
Sword #2: Smite V, Sweeping Edge III, Looting III, Unbreaking III and Mending (I also like Knockback I)
I personally do not like or recommend Fire Aspect on a sword.
Since it is a close combat weapon you are likely to end up on fire yourself.
If you want to set mobs on fire, do it with a bow. And speaking of bows...
Bow: Power V, Unbreaking III, Punch I, Flame, Infinity and Mending (see note below)
Both of my current 1.12 worlds were created in an earlier version, so my bows have both Infinity & Mending.
For bows created in 1.12 you will have to choose one or the other (you can no longer have both enchants in 1.12).
Personally, I'd probably go with Mending, since arrows are easy to craft, and can be acquired in large quantities with a multi-mob or skele grinder. On the other hand, an AFK fishing farm will give you plenty of enchanted bows, so it will be easy to craft another OP bow if you go with Infinity and wear your old one out... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Axe: Sharpness V, Efficiency V, Unbreaking III and Mending
Optional: Fortune III
Shovel: Efficiency V, Unbreaking III and Mending
Optional: Silk Touch
Elytra: Unbreaking III and Mending
These enchants are pretty much a must on Elytra (their default durability is quite poor).
Optional: Shield with Unbreaking III and Mending
Shields are so inexpensive to make that the value of enchanting them is questionable.
Fishing Pole: Lure III, Luck of the Sea III, Unbreaking III and Mending
Some may suggest that having less luck or lure makes it better for certain things.
I have experimented with that and it is not true.
A maxed out pole is better, period! End of story. Just do it!
The order enchants are applied makes no difference in their effectiveness.
It may affect how many XP levels are required when applying the enchants...
Did I forget anything?
You forgot an unbreaking 3 mending diamond hoe! Also I like silk touch on my axe (although I did end up making one with fortune 3) simply because I hate breaking bookshelves and having to re-craft them with the dropped books.
Not that I noticed, and I fully agree with everything in your comprehensive list. Thanks for making it so that we can direct people to this thread now for these common "what is best" questions.
I have Thorns III on both my chest and leggings. While I would probably not put it on my leggings again since it severely diminishes its durability, at the same time, the leggings still last longer than boots, so with Mending, you're already "repairing" items so might as well repair them all at once, in my opinion.
I've used Witherbane, my diamond Smite V, Looting III, Unbreaking III, Fire Aspect and Mending sword as my primary weapon for almost a year now. I agree that Fire Aspect can be more of an annoyance than it's worth. While death by flame from Fire Aspect might circumvent Looting for some mobs, I forged it singularly to kill wither skeletons, whom are unharmed by burning. I actually appreciate the fact that it prevents Looting on other mobs—I don't want their trash drops. I just wanted a higher chance for wither skeleton skulls. However, like you say, it's fairly likely to set the wielder aflame in a melee. Unless they buff the enchantment, I won't use it again.
Now that there's Sweeping Edge, it's time for me to forge a new blade, a diamond Sharpness V, Sweeping Edge III, Looting III, Unbreaking III and Mending sword. It will be named after ice since the last sword was flaming. I'm thinking Frost Fate.
Is Witherbane able to kill skeletons in 1 hit (even if it has to be a critical)? I am tempted to create a new smite 5 looting 3 sword just for wither skeletons (and killing the withers themselves since smite is better than sharpness for them).
Currently I have Runeblade, which has every enchantment possible, bar fire aspect and knockback (I hate knockback). However I rarely use it seeing as it requires 2 full strokes to kill most mobs, whereas my sharpness 5 axe can do the same, but the second hit does not need to be fully charged.
Is Witherbane able to kill skeletons in 1 hit (even if it has to be a critical)? I am tempted to create a new smite 5 looting 3 sword just for wither skeletons (and killing the withers themselves since smite is better than sharpness for them).
I play locked on hard difficulty. I'm sorry, but I don't recall if it will kill them in one hit or not, but I doubt it. Probably two, or even three if one's not a good hit, actually.
I'm seriously considering switching to my Sharpness V, Fortune III, etc. axe, Arborcide. I just can't get over that I'm using an axe to attack.
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I play locked on hard difficulty. I'm sorry, but I don't recall if it will kill them in one hit or not, but I doubt it. Probably two, or even three if one's not a good hit, actually.
I'm seriously considering switching to my Sharpness V, Fortune III, etc. axe, Arborcide. I just can't get over that I'm using an axe to attack.
I guess I can test it out on my creative world first, after all I don't want to waste time and XP making a new sword if there's no benefit over my current one.
I think it's worth switching to an axe. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I find it so much more practical when fighting mobs 1 on 1. You can get a fully charged attack in first, then either back up and swing again, or finish it off with a half-charged critical hit.
I find the sword is still better on endermen and armoured skeletons, so don't discard your sword completely.
Now that there's Sweeping Edge, it's time for me to forge a new blade, a diamond Sharpness V, Sweeping Edge III, Looting III, Unbreaking III and Mending sword. It will be named after ice since the last sword was flaming. I'm thinking Frost Fate.
I called mine the Mob Broom. See what I did there? Sweeping edge... Broom... {ba dump, dump, cymbal crash}
Also I like silk touch on my axe (although I did end up making one with fortune 3) simply because I hate breaking bookshelves and having to re-craft them with the dropped books.
I do have a Silk Touch Axe (more than one, actually). Nearly every axe I put on the table comes off with Silk Touch for some odd reason. Seriously, it was a pain in the hindquarters getting a Fortune III axe because the dern table would not let go of Silk Touch no matter how many trash enchants I did. And it wasn't much more cooperative with the books I was trying (it wasn't stuck on silk touch, but it wasn't giving me anything useful either). Burned through quite a lot of books, lapis, XP levels, emeralds (for villager trades) and a few diamond axes before I got the combination of items needed to build my OP F3 Axe.
Enchanting is one of the things I hate most about Minecraft (that, and enderman griefing). The whole random nature of enchanting is nonsense. This is mine-CRAFT after all, so why can't we craft enchants? {deep breath... calm down, CM...}
Oh, and I already have stacks of bookshelves, so I find the books more useful now, but my silk touch axe still comes in handy for harvesting melons.
Enchanting is one of the things I hate most about Minecraft (that, and enderman griefing). The whole random nature of enchanting is nonsense. This is mine-CRAFT after all, so why can't we craft enchants? {deep breath... calm down, CM...}
Oh I wish for enchanting to be redone. I would like a way to craft a "recipe" for an enchantment then add it to the book on the enchanting table. That way you can choose what enchantment you get and on what item. I don't know how leveled enchantments would work, unless you had to upgrade your enchantment recipes in the book with experience. Bookshelves would also be kind of useless, but maybe you use the books to make the recipes instead.
I'm sorry, but I don't recall if it will kill them in one hit or not, but I doubt it. Probably two, or even three if one's not a good hit, actually.
I tested out a diamond sword with smite 5 and I can confirm that, with a critical hit, you can kill a wither skeleton in 1 stroke. If your attack is not critical, then you will only need to use a half-charged attack to finish it off.
I'm off to make a new sword now for killing wither skeletons and withers.
I tested out a diamond sword with smite 5 and I can confirm that, with a critical hit, you can kill a wither skeleton in 1 stroke. If your attack is not critical, then you will only need to use a half-charged attack to finish it off.
I'm off to make a new sword now for killing wither skeletons and withers.
Yup, great for dispatching annoying pigmen as well. A critical 1-hit kill will not agro other pigmen.
Oh I wish for enchanting to be redone. I would like a way to craft a "recipe" for an enchantment then add it to the book on the enchanting table. That way you can choose what enchantment you get and on what item. I don't know how leveled enchantments would work, unless you had to upgrade your enchantment recipes in the book with experience. Bookshelves would also be kind of useless, but maybe you use the books to make the recipes instead.
I think the higher levels can easily be handled by requiring a higher level of experience or by simply requiring a certain number of bookshelves (as is currently required for higher level enchants. I do agree that a tiny bit more control would be nice, though.
Oh I wish for enchanting to be redone. I would like a way to craft a "recipe" for an enchantment then add it to the book on the enchanting table. That way you can choose what enchantment you get and on what item. I don't know how leveled enchantments would work, unless you had to upgrade your enchantment recipes in the book with experience. Bookshelves would also be kind of useless, but maybe you use the books to make the recipes instead.
I agree that enchanting is in dire need of a complete overhaul. Here's some of my thoughts from the other day:
Well, until 1.8, the randomness made a little sense in its own way. We were clicking a button to roll the dice. Place your diamond item on the altar and pray to the Minecraftian gods. Got a bad enchant? Either use more diamonds once you got all your levels back to take another risk or use what you got.
Once enchanted books were added in 1.4.6 at the end of 2012 . . . That whole scheme made a whole lot less sense. Books are far less valuable than diamonds. Tossing a wasted book isn't nearly as painful as sundering diamond equipment.
However, after 1.8 made enchantments visible, thus removing the dice roll, the UI should have no longer been designed based on receiving a random enchantment. It's not random. We can see what we're getting. At the same time, the surcharge was devalued from the piece of equipment you wanted to enchant—potentially a tough loss—to whatever is cheapest (e.g. a wooden shovel) plus three lapis—a minor annoyance. At that point, the randomness became silly. Enchanting was nothing like the original design, but for some reason kept the UI designed around randomness.
It's such a glaring bruise in Minecraft's utter genius.
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My short story-like journals; quick-and-easy reads:
Thanks for this post. I have referenced it numerous times while getting my gear setup. I finally got an AFK fishing farm going and have just finished setting up all of my gear based on your list.
[Sweeping Edge is contraindicated with Pigmen about and Sharpness is better vs Magma Cubes or Endermen which are the only Nether mobs I generally hunt outside of farms.]
Sword v. Undead: Smite5/Unbreaking3/Mending/Looting3/Sweeping Edge3
[For Undead farms; some may use this as a GP sword, in which case Sharpness on ones Axe is recommended, but I prefer Sharpness as it gives a damage boost vs a wider range of targets.]
Sword v. Spiders: Bane of Arthropods5/Unbreaking3/Mending/Looting3/Sweeping Edge3
[For Spider and Silverfish spawners/farms, not generally worth carrying]
[Sharpness rather than Smite because most surprise attacks are either creepers or chuckies, and increased general damage is preferred to the greater increase but more specific increase of Smite.
(Knockback would be much more useful on an Axe than a sword IMO, as the axe tends to get used when surprised and Knockback would be useful for punching creepers out of range as well as creating a slight pause in which to switch weapons.)
Fortune3 is mainly for harvesting Junglewood saplings from leaves — for which purpose it is vital.]
[This is my weapon of choice if I need to kill something when there are pigmen about (something I try to avoid as Looting is desirable when possible.)]
[Good for general work (recovers glass and ender chests etc), Ice, Glowstone and general mining (avoids converting one ore to multiple items). Carrying a non-silk touch pick is strongly recommended in case one needs cobble. ]
[For converting mined ores to a maximum number of drops. Once one has more than one of these, useful as a backup to the GP Pick.]
Pick Nether: Unbreaking3/Mending/Silk Touch
[Efficiency makes "overmining" netherrack too easy... ]
Pick Nether Ore: Unbreaking3/Mending/Fortune3
[Efficiency makes "overmining" netherrack too easy, but re-mining nether quartz in a safe base makes using an standard ores pick reasonable...
Not generally worth the bother.]
.
Shovels
Shovel GP: Efficiency5/Unbreaking3/Mending/
[Not having SilkTouch makes for less inventory clutter.
Fortune3 can be added, but seems rather pointless…(Flint is so easy to get, it is usually more a nuisance than a resource.]
[Good for harvesting Gravel, Grass blocks, Podzol, & Mycelium; otherwise the GP version is more friendly to ones inventory management.]
Shovel Nether: Unbreaking3/Mending
[Efficiency makes "overmining" netherrack too easy... Good for Soul Sand and the flint drops from gravel are more likely to be useful.
(I don't intentionally mine gravel in the nether unless I'm simply removing it, so flint is less of an issue.)]
.
Fishing Rod
Fishing Rod GP: Unbreaking3/Mending/Lure3/Luck of the Seas3
[Good for Books/Bows/Fishing Rids and Lillypads.]
Fishing Rod Junk Special: Unbreaking3/Mending/Lure3
[Under special circimstances, some things in the Junk catagory can be especially useful. (eg. Leather if one has yet to acquire a better source.)]
.
Shears
Shears GP: Efficiency5/Unbreaking3/Mending
[None of these are tremendouly useful; mainly this avoids having to carry iron to craft new shears.
Low priority]
.
Flint&Steel
Paranoids version: Unbreaking3/Mending
[Hypothetically… I just make many sets and store a couple in a hopper (for better blast resistance) tucked into a bottom corner of every Nether Portal (economy model portals, of course )]
.
Hoe
???
[I don't recall ever enchanting a hoe…]
.
Carrot on a stick
???
[Never used this enough to make enchanting worthwhile. (Very rarely use this item.)]
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"Why does everything have to be so stoopid?" Harvey Pekar (from American Splendor)
WARNING: I have an extemely "grindy" playstyle; YMMV — if this doesn't seem fun to you, mine what you can from it & bin the rest.
Armor: Protection IV, Unbreaking III and Mending (plus additional enchants for specific items)
Helmet: Aqua Affinity and Respiration III
Boots: Depth Strider III and Feather Falling IV
Optional: Blast Protection IV on one piece of armor to better survive creeper surprise attacks.
Optional: Thorns III on one piece or armor to damage attackers.
Optional: Frost Walker II on boots (instead of Depth Strider)
Frost Walker will let you walk on water, or walk on Magma Blocks without damage.
Personally I find Depth Strider much more useful.
Pickaxe #1: Silk Touch, Efficiency V, Unbreaking III and Mending
Pickaxe #2: Fortune III, Efficiency V, Unbreaking III and Mending
Sword #1: Sharpness V, Sweeping Edge III, Looting III, Unbreaking III and Mending
Sword #2: Smite V, Sweeping Edge III, Looting III, Unbreaking III and Mending
I also like Knockback I (Knockback II is too much).
I personally do not like or recommend Fire Aspect on a sword.
Since swords are a close combat weapon you are likely to end up on fire yourself.
If you want to set mobs on fire, do it with a bow. And speaking of bows...
Bow: Power V, Unbreaking III, Punch I, Flame, Infinity and Mending (see note below)
Both of my current 1.12 worlds were created in an earlier version, so my bows have both Infinity & Mending.
For bows created in 1.12 you will have to choose one or the other (you can no longer have both enchants in 1.12).
Personally, I'd probably go with Mending, since arrows are easy to craft, and can be acquired in large quantities with a multi-mob or skele grinder. On the other hand, an AFK fishing farm will give you plenty of enchanted bows, so it will be easy to craft another OP bow if you go with Infinity and wear your old one out... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Axe: Sharpness V, Efficiency V, Unbreaking III and Mending
Optional: Fortune III or Silk Touch
Silk Touch is great for harvesting bookshelves and melons.
Shovel: Efficiency V, Unbreaking III and Mending
Optional: Fortune III or Silk Touch
Fortune will give you more flint from gravel (100% with F3). Silk touch will give you none.
Silk Touch for harvesting grass, mycelium, podzol, etc...
Elytra: Unbreaking III and Mending
These enchants are pretty much a must on Elytra (their default durability is quite poor).
Fishing Pole: Lure III, Luck of the Sea III, Unbreaking III and Mending
Some may suggest that having less luck or lure makes it better for certain things.
I have experimented with that and it is not true.
A maxed out pole is better, period! End of story. Just do it!
Optional: Shield with Unbreaking III and Mending
Shields are so inexpensive to make that the value of enchanting them is questionable.
That being said, mine is enchanted...
The order enchants are applied makes no difference in their effectiveness.
It may affect how many XP levels are required when applying the enchants...
Pick GP: Efficiency5/Unbreaking3/Mending/Silk Touch
[Good for general work (recovers glass and ender chests etc), Ice, Glowstone and general mining (avoids converting one ore to multiple items). Carrying a non-silk touch pick is strongly recommended in case one needs cobble.]
I disagree that your "general mining" pickaxe should have Silk Touch, and I'm not sure why it is so popular:
That's how I manage to mine thousands of ores per play session without having to return even once, often only once every 2 sessions depending on how much non-ore stuff I find (only 12 out of 24 available slots (minus crafting table, furnaces, and anvil) are filled with resources, with 4 empty slots and several partially filled slots left).
Crafting resources into blocks is so powerful I occasionally set up a bank of furnaces so I can smelt up to a dozen stacks of iron and gold at once, while continuing to explore areas nearby; I even modded in blocks that let me craft 9 rails and 4 cobwebs (previously 4 string into wool) into one block), and lapis (when mined with Fortune, which I do not use) is the only ore that averages more than 9 resources (13.2 for Fortune III (6 without), compared to 6 (4.5) for redstone and 2.2 (1) for other ores).
Sure, I do have to carry another pickaxe for my Ender chest (and the occasional emerald ore, the only ore I use it on, and I almost never find more than a stack at a time so it is the same either way) but the space savings by crafting blocks far outweighs the loss of one slot (also, you forgot to mention that you also need a regular pickaxe for coal to make torches, either that, or you'd need to bring enough with you).
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Oh come on, no one enchants their diamond hoe with Eff5, Fort3, Unb3, Mend... Why not? If your gonna have one, you might as well throw on Fort3. Since you're throwing on Fort 3, might as well deck it out. I keep this in the farm box with my Eff5, Sharp5, Silk Touch, Unb3, Mend Axe. Because melon block harvesting saves slots.
Oh come on, no one enchants their diamond hoe with Eff5, Fort3, Unb3, Mend... Why not? If your gonna have one, you might as well throw on Fort3. Since you're throwing on Fort 3, might as well deck it out. I keep this in the farm box with my Eff5, Sharp5, Silk Touch, Unb3, Mend Axe. Because melon block harvesting saves slots.
I actually did this (minus Efficiency, which they cannot get in Survival, at least they can't in 1.6.4, or I never checked; the Wiki says they can currently only get Unbreaking, Mending, and Curse of Vanishing; anything else can be applied if you use Creative or commands but that is not Survival) in my last (modded) world since TMCW makes it so they can get Fortune and it only works on crops if it is applied to a hoe, which also lose durability when breaking any block so higher tier hoes are actually useful.
Of course, I didn't even deplete 25% of its durability (enough for a repair with one diamond, the most you can repair it with; TMCW's version of Mending simply replaces renaming prior to 1.8 to keep the cost down), much less all of it or needing Mending to avoid "too expensive" as a full use can harvest about 20,000 potatoes (net yield of 3.2 per crop * 1562 uses * 4 for Unbreaking III), enough for close to two years of daily gameplay and I only played on the world for 5 months (I've cooked about 34,000 over nearly 1,000 daily sessions in my first world; not all of these have been eaten as I have around 5 stacks at each of 18 bases).
I don't usually enchant, but I want to get into it. Does anyone have an enchanting guide for armor and tools (1.12)? I have no idea what is good and what order to apply them in. I do know it is smart to use books and then apply the books to the gear. But if someone can really help me out that would be great.
Thank you!
Armor: Protection IV, Unbreaking III and Mending (plus additional enchants for specific items)
Pickaxe #1: Silk Touch, Efficiency V, Unbreaking III and Mending
Pickaxe #2: Fortune III, Efficiency V, Unbreaking III and Mending
Sword #1: Sharpness V, Sweeping Edge III, Looting III, Unbreaking III and Mending
Sword #2: Smite V, Sweeping Edge III, Looting III, Unbreaking III and Mending
Bow: Power V, Unbreaking III, Punch I, Flame, Infinity and Mending (see note below)
Axe: Sharpness V, Efficiency V, Unbreaking III and Mending
Shovel: Efficiency V, Unbreaking III and Mending
Elytra: Unbreaking III and Mending
Fishing Pole: Lure III, Luck of the Sea III, Unbreaking III and Mending
Optional: Shield with Unbreaking III and Mending
The order enchants are applied makes no difference in their effectiveness.
It may affect how many XP levels are required when applying the enchants...
Did I forget anything?
Not that I noticed, and I fully agree with everything in your comprehensive list. Thanks for making it so that we can direct people to this thread now for these common "what is best" questions.
I have Thorns III on both my chest and leggings. While I would probably not put it on my leggings again since it severely diminishes its durability, at the same time, the leggings still last longer than boots, so with Mending, you're already "repairing" items so might as well repair them all at once, in my opinion.
I've used Witherbane, my diamond Smite V, Looting III, Unbreaking III, Fire Aspect and Mending sword as my primary weapon for almost a year now. I agree that Fire Aspect can be more of an annoyance than it's worth. While death by flame from Fire Aspect might circumvent Looting for some mobs, I forged it singularly to kill wither skeletons, whom are unharmed by burning. I actually appreciate the fact that it prevents Looting on other mobs—I don't want their trash drops. I just wanted a higher chance for wither skeleton skulls. However, like you say, it's fairly likely to set the wielder aflame in a melee. Unless they buff the enchantment, I won't use it again.
Now that there's Sweeping Edge, it's time for me to forge a new blade, a diamond Sharpness V, Sweeping Edge III, Looting III, Unbreaking III and Mending sword. It will be named after ice since the last sword was flaming. I'm thinking Frost Fate.
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You forgot an unbreaking 3 mending diamond hoe! Also I like silk touch on my axe (although I did end up making one with fortune 3) simply because I hate breaking bookshelves and having to re-craft them with the dropped books.
Is Witherbane able to kill skeletons in 1 hit (even if it has to be a critical)? I am tempted to create a new smite 5 looting 3 sword just for wither skeletons (and killing the withers themselves since smite is better than sharpness for them).
Currently I have Runeblade, which has every enchantment possible, bar fire aspect and knockback (I hate knockback). However I rarely use it seeing as it requires 2 full strokes to kill most mobs, whereas my sharpness 5 axe can do the same, but the second hit does not need to be fully charged.
I play locked on hard difficulty. I'm sorry, but I don't recall if it will kill them in one hit or not, but I doubt it. Probably two, or even three if one's not a good hit, actually.
I'm seriously considering switching to my Sharpness V, Fortune III, etc. axe, Arborcide. I just can't get over that I'm using an axe to attack.
My short story-like journals; quick-and-easy reads:
My Quest for Elytra Complete! (Pic Intense, End-Game Spoilers)
[Journal & Pics] After a Year and a Half, I Finally Found a Jungle
FrozenCore: Hardcore Death; 3/20/15 to 5/3/15; Eight Weeks on a Frozen World in Pictures
I guess I can test it out on my creative world first, after all I don't want to waste time and XP making a new sword if there's no benefit over my current one.
I think it's worth switching to an axe. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I find it so much more practical when fighting mobs 1 on 1. You can get a fully charged attack in first, then either back up and swing again, or finish it off with a half-charged critical hit.
I find the sword is still better on endermen and armoured skeletons, so don't discard your sword completely.
I called mine the Mob Broom. See what I did there? Sweeping edge... Broom... {ba dump, dump, cymbal crash}
Yes, on purpose.
I do have a Silk Touch Axe (more than one, actually). Nearly every axe I put on the table comes off with Silk Touch for some odd reason. Seriously, it was a pain in the hindquarters getting a Fortune III axe because the dern table would not let go of Silk Touch no matter how many trash enchants I did. And it wasn't much more cooperative with the books I was trying (it wasn't stuck on silk touch, but it wasn't giving me anything useful either). Burned through quite a lot of books, lapis, XP levels, emeralds (for villager trades) and a few diamond axes before I got the combination of items needed to build my OP F3 Axe.
Enchanting is one of the things I hate most about Minecraft (that, and enderman griefing). The whole random nature of enchanting is nonsense. This is mine-CRAFT after all, so why can't we craft enchants? {deep breath... calm down, CM...}
Oh, and I already have stacks of bookshelves, so I find the books more useful now, but my silk touch axe still comes in handy for harvesting melons.
Oh I wish for enchanting to be redone. I would like a way to craft a "recipe" for an enchantment then add it to the book on the enchanting table. That way you can choose what enchantment you get and on what item. I don't know how leveled enchantments would work, unless you had to upgrade your enchantment recipes in the book with experience. Bookshelves would also be kind of useless, but maybe you use the books to make the recipes instead.
I tested out a diamond sword with smite 5 and I can confirm that, with a critical hit, you can kill a wither skeleton in 1 stroke. If your attack is not critical, then you will only need to use a half-charged attack to finish it off.
I'm off to make a new sword now for killing wither skeletons and withers.
Added additional enchants and notes for the Axe and Shovel to my post above. Changes highlighted in bold below.
Thanks for the input, Skelebling and Sharpe103.
Yup, great for dispatching annoying pigmen as well. A critical 1-hit kill will not agro other pigmen.
I agree that enchanting is in dire need of a complete overhaul. Here's some of my thoughts from the other day:
My short story-like journals; quick-and-easy reads:
My Quest for Elytra Complete! (Pic Intense, End-Game Spoilers)
[Journal & Pics] After a Year and a Half, I Finally Found a Jungle
FrozenCore: Hardcore Death; 3/20/15 to 5/3/15; Eight Weeks on a Frozen World in Pictures
Thanks for this post. I have referenced it numerous times while getting my gear setup. I finally got an AFK fishing farm going and have just finished setting up all of my gear based on your list.
[NB this is generally similar to Courageous_Marinade's list, differing mainly in my using more special purpose gear]
ARMOR
Shield: Unbreaking3/Mending
Elytra: Unbreaking3/Mending
.
General Pupose [GP] armor –
ALL pieces: Protection4/Unbreaking3/Mending
Helm: ADD Aqua Affinity & Respiration3
Boots: ADD Feather Falling4 & Depth Strider3
Nether armor –
As GP, but
Boots: SUBSTITUTE Fire Protection4 for Protection4 & Frost Walker2 for Depth Strider3
SWORDS
Sword GP: Sharpness5/Unbreaking3/Mending/Looting3/Sweeping Edge3
Sword Nether GP: Sharpness5/Unbreaking3/Mending/Looting3:
Sword v. Undead: Smite5/Unbreaking3/Mending/Looting3/Sweeping Edge3
Sword v. Spiders: Bane of Arthropods5/Unbreaking3/Mending/Looting3/Sweeping Edge3
AXES
Axe GP: Sharpness5/Efficiency5/Unbreaking3/Mending/Fortune3
Axe Nether: Smite5/Efficiency5/Unbreaking3/Mending/Fortune3
Axe Silktouch: Sharpness5/Efficiency5/Unbreaking3/Mending/SilkTouch
.
BOWS
Bow GP: Infinity/Power5/Punch2/Unbreaking3
.
PICKS
Pick GP: Efficiency5/Unbreaking3/Mending/Silk Touch
Pick Ores: Efficiency5/Unbreaking3/Mending/Fortune3
Pick Nether: Unbreaking3/Mending/Silk Touch
Pick Nether Ore: Unbreaking3/Mending/Fortune3
.
Shovels
Shovel GP: Efficiency5/Unbreaking3/Mending/
Fortune3 can be added, but seems rather pointless…(Flint is so easy to get, it is usually more a nuisance than a resource.]
Shovel Gardening: Efficiency5/Unbreaking3/Mending/SilkTouch
Shovel Nether: Unbreaking3/Mending
.
Fishing Rod
Fishing Rod GP: Unbreaking3/Mending/Lure3/Luck of the Seas3
Fishing Rod Junk Special: Unbreaking3/Mending/Lure3
.
Shears
Shears GP: Efficiency5/Unbreaking3/Mending
.
Flint&Steel
Paranoids version: Unbreaking3/Mending
.
Hoe
???
.
Carrot on a stick
???
Shears: Unbreaking 3, Efficiency 5, Mending
I think Antvenom has a guide on how to get the “pefect” enchantments, I found it quite helpful.
Just type in “Antvenom Pefect Enchantments” in youtube to find it.
“There are no evil weapons, only evil people” - Someone, I guess?
I disagree that your "general mining" pickaxe should have Silk Touch, and I'm not sure why it is so popular:
That's how I manage to mine thousands of ores per play session without having to return even once, often only once every 2 sessions depending on how much non-ore stuff I find (only 12 out of 24 available slots (minus crafting table, furnaces, and anvil) are filled with resources, with 4 empty slots and several partially filled slots left).
Crafting resources into blocks is so powerful I occasionally set up a bank of furnaces so I can smelt up to a dozen stacks of iron and gold at once, while continuing to explore areas nearby; I even modded in blocks that let me craft 9 rails and 4 cobwebs (previously 4 string into wool) into one block), and lapis (when mined with Fortune, which I do not use) is the only ore that averages more than 9 resources (13.2 for Fortune III (6 without), compared to 6 (4.5) for redstone and 2.2 (1) for other ores).
Sure, I do have to carry another pickaxe for my Ender chest (and the occasional emerald ore, the only ore I use it on, and I almost never find more than a stack at a time so it is the same either way) but the space savings by crafting blocks far outweighs the loss of one slot (also, you forgot to mention that you also need a regular pickaxe for coal to make torches, either that, or you'd need to bring enough with you).
TheMasterCaver's First World - possibly the most caved-out world in Minecraft history - includes world download.
TheMasterCaver's World - my own version of Minecraft largely based on my views of how the game should have evolved since 1.6.4.
Why do I still play in 1.6.4?
Oh come on, no one enchants their diamond hoe with Eff5, Fort3, Unb3, Mend... Why not? If your gonna have one, you might as well throw on Fort3. Since you're throwing on Fort 3, might as well deck it out. I keep this in the farm box with my Eff5, Sharp5, Silk Touch, Unb3, Mend Axe. Because melon block harvesting saves slots.
I actually did this (minus Efficiency, which they cannot get in Survival, at least they can't in 1.6.4, or I never checked; the Wiki says they can currently only get Unbreaking, Mending, and Curse of Vanishing; anything else can be applied if you use Creative or commands but that is not Survival) in my last (modded) world since TMCW makes it so they can get Fortune and it only works on crops if it is applied to a hoe, which also lose durability when breaking any block so higher tier hoes are actually useful.
Of course, I didn't even deplete 25% of its durability (enough for a repair with one diamond, the most you can repair it with; TMCW's version of Mending simply replaces renaming prior to 1.8 to keep the cost down), much less all of it or needing Mending to avoid "too expensive" as a full use can harvest about 20,000 potatoes (net yield of 3.2 per crop * 1562 uses * 4 for Unbreaking III), enough for close to two years of daily gameplay and I only played on the world for 5 months (I've cooked about 34,000 over nearly 1,000 daily sessions in my first world; not all of these have been eaten as I have around 5 stacks at each of 18 bases).
TheMasterCaver's First World - possibly the most caved-out world in Minecraft history - includes world download.
TheMasterCaver's World - my own version of Minecraft largely based on my views of how the game should have evolved since 1.6.4.
Why do I still play in 1.6.4?