What enchantments can I put on a Sword in Minecraft?

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

What is the maximum number of enchantments on a Sword?

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

Why does my sword 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 sword?

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

ITEMS · WEAPON

Best Sword Enchantments in Minecraft (2026)

Plan the optimal anvil order for your sword - 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 Sword 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
Sweeping Edge	3	4/lvl	-	vanilla
Unbreaking	3	2/lvl	-	vanilla
Mending [treasure]	1	4/lvl	Infinity	vanilla
Curse of Vanishing [curse] [treasure]	1	8/lvl	-	vanilla

Best Sword Combos

The right combo depends on what you do with your sword. 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.

PvP / Combat

Sharpness V
Fire Aspect II
Looting III
Unbreaking III

Maximum melee damage on most mobs. Skip on raiders if you want Smite V instead.

Survival / All-purpose

Sharpness V
Looting III
Unbreaking III
Mending

Self-repairing daily driver. Trade Fire Aspect away to keep Mending viable.

Speedrun / Mob farms

Sharpness V
Knockback II
Sweeping Edge III
Unbreaking III

Kill cobwebs of mobs in single sweeps. Pairs well with iron golem farms.

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 sword 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 sword 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 Sword in Minecraft?: A Sword accepts 10 enchantments: Sharpness, Smite, Bane of Arthropods, Knockback, Fire Aspect, Looting, Sweeping Edge, Unbreaking, Mending, Curse of Vanishing.
What is the maximum number of enchantments on a Sword?: You can stack up to 7 enchantments on a single sword via anvil combines. Conflicting enchantments such as Sharpness/Smite/Bane of Arthropods or Silk Touch/Fortune cannot share the same item.
Why does my sword 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 sword?: Repair a sword on the anvil using wood, stone, iron, gold, diamond, netherite. Or apply Mending and let absorbed XP repair it passively.