What enchantments can I put on a Spear in Minecraft?

A Spear accepts 10 enchantments: Sharpness, Smite, Bane of Arthropods, Knockback, Fire Aspect, Looting, Lunge, Unbreaking, Mending, Curse of Vanishing.

What is the maximum number of enchantments on a Spear?

You can stack up to 7 enchantments on a single spear via anvil combines. Conflicting enchantments such as Sharpness/Smite/Bane of Arthropods or Silk Touch/Fortune cannot share the same item.

Why does my spear say 'Too Expensive!' on the anvil?

Each anvil use raises the item's prior-work penalty (2^n - 1 XP levels). Combined with the per-level enchantment cost, hitting 40 total levels triggers the Too Expensive cap on survival mode. Use the calculator above to plan an order that stays under 40.

How do I repair a spear?

Repair a spear on the anvil using wood, stone, copper, iron, gold, diamond, netherite. Or apply Mending and let absorbed XP repair it passively.

ITEMS · WEAPON

Best Spear Enchantments in Minecraft (2026)

Plan the optimal anvil order for your spear - avoid “Too Expensive!” and choose a compatible Java Edition loadout without wasting rare books or XP.

Anvil Calculator

Optimal order · XP cost · Too-Expensive guard

Item to enchantCurrent prior-work cost

0 = brand new. Every anvil use raises this by 1.

Pick the gear you want to enchant. Books you add below will be merged onto it in the cheapest order we can find.

Books / sacrifices (4)

Optimize for

Least XP levelsCheapest total costLeast prior-workBest for future repairs / further enchanting

All Spear Enchantments

Enchantment	Max Level	Book Cost	Conflicts	Added
Sharpness	5	1/lvl	Smite, Bane of Arthropods	vanilla
Smite	5	2/lvl	Sharpness, Bane of Arthropods, Density, Breach	vanilla
Bane of Arthropods	5	2/lvl	Sharpness, Smite, Density, Breach	vanilla
Knockback	2	2/lvl	-	vanilla
Fire Aspect	2	4/lvl	-	vanilla
Looting	3	4/lvl	-	vanilla
Lunge	3	2/lvl	-	1.21.11
Unbreaking	3	2/lvl	-	vanilla
Mending [treasure]	1	4/lvl	Infinity	vanilla
Curse of Vanishing [curse] [treasure]	1	8/lvl	-	vanilla

Best Spear Combos

The right combo depends on what you do with your spear. These are example Java Edition loadouts based on the calculator's compatibility data. Enter the books you actually have above to see a lower-cost order before you use an anvil.

Jab mobility

Sharpness V
Lunge III
Unbreaking III
Mending

Lunge works on spear jab attacks and costs hunger plus 1 durability per use.

Looting spear

Sharpness V
Looting III
Unbreaking III
Mending

Keeps the sword-style loot bonus while using spear reach and timing.

Undead counter

Smite V
Lunge III
Unbreaking III
Mending

A valid undead-focused setup. Do not add Sharpness or Bane of Arthropods.

Sources and boundaries

Verified on 2026-07-11. Spear support is based on official Java 1.21.11 and Bedrock 1.21.130 notes. Lunge's anvil cost is taken from the official Java 1.21.11 client data package. MinecraftCalc still models Java Edition anvil planning; check the final combine in Bedrock, modded, datapack, or snapshot worlds.

Step-by-step anvil order

Apply books in the order the calculator above prints. As a heuristic: the cheapest books first (Unbreaking, Mending), the per-level multiplier-1 enchants next (Sharpness, Efficiency, Power), then the high-cost ones (Looting, Fortune, Thorns, Silk Touch).

This calculator uses a Java Edition anvil-cost model with a 40-level survival cap and a 2^n - 1 prior-work penalty. It does not model Bedrock-specific math, mods, datapacks, or snapshot behavior, so verify a valuable final combine in game.

How to get the best spear enchantments

Villager trading: Librarian villagers offer single enchanted books for emeralds; trap two villagers and reroll until you have one each of Mending and Unbreaking III.
Enchanting table: Build 15 bookshelves around a level 30 table for the strongest single enchant. Combine the result onto your spear via the anvil.
Loot & structures: Trial chambers, ancient cities, and bastions reliably drop high-level books.
Fishing: With a Luck of the Sea III rod you can pull enchanted books on roughly 1% of catches.

World compatibility

MinecraftCalc is scoped to Java Edition planning. Bedrock, modded, datapack, and snapshot worlds can differ in available enchantments or mechanics. Treat the result as a planning path and confirm the final combine in the world where you play.

FAQ

What enchantments can I put on a Spear in Minecraft?: A Spear accepts 10 enchantments: Sharpness, Smite, Bane of Arthropods, Knockback, Fire Aspect, Looting, Lunge, Unbreaking, Mending, Curse of Vanishing.
What is the maximum number of enchantments on a Spear?: You can stack up to 7 enchantments on a single spear via anvil combines. Conflicting enchantments such as Sharpness/Smite/Bane of Arthropods or Silk Touch/Fortune cannot share the same item.
Why does my spear say 'Too Expensive!' on the anvil?: Each anvil use raises the item's prior-work penalty (2^n - 1 XP levels). Combined with the per-level enchantment cost, hitting 40 total levels triggers the Too Expensive cap on survival mode. Use the calculator above to plan an order that stays under 40.
How do I repair a spear?: Repair a spear on the anvil using wood, stone, copper, iron, gold, diamond, netherite. Or apply Mending and let absorbed XP repair it passively.