When we add enchantments to a weapon, tool, or piece of armor in Minecraft, we want to make that item more powerful than it was before. This can mean it lasts longer, it does more damage, or contains a number of different effects.
Some enchantments, like this one, are meant to boost your damage in a specific way to make it easier for you to survive the night against mobs. Keep reading to learn what the Bane of Arthropods enchantment can do to help you fight mobs.
How to obtain the Bane of Arthropods enchantment
It is important to note that the Bane of Arthropods is an enchantment that can only be applied to axes and swords since it is an enchantment that increases damage.
It has the exact same method of acquisition as any other enchantment in the game. You can apply the enchantment to an existing weapon using anvils or enchantment tables, or you can find an item that is already enchanted in the wild.
However, there is a slight difference in how to apply it using anvils/enchantment tables depending on your version of Minecraft:
- in Minecraft Bedrock Edition, you can use an enchantment table to randomly obtain the enchantment on both an axe and a sword.
- in Minecraft Java Edition, you can only apply it using an enchantment table if you are applying it to a sword. If you want to apply it to an axe, you have to either find it in the wild or use an anvil to combine the axe with an enchanted book.
You should also keep in mind that the Bane of Arthropods enchantment cannot be applied to a tool that already has Smite or Sharpness unless you use commands.
What does the Bane of Arthropods enchantment do
As the name may have hinted to you, Bane of Arthropods gives you a boost in damage against Minecraft’s arthropod and arthropod-inspired mobs. This includes:
- spiders
- cave spiders
- bees
- silverfish
- endermites
Specifically, the enchantment adds 2.5 damage per level to both swords and axes. It also has the additional effect of inflicting Slowness IV on arthropods when hit. The duration of this effect is a random value between 1 and 1.5 seconds at a level I enchantment, with an additional increase in max duration for every level by 0.5. This is capped at 3.5 seconds with Bane of Arthropods V.
Where can you use the Bane of Arthropods enchantment
Since spiders and cave spiders are the most commonly found arthropods in Minecraft, this enchantment can be very useful when you go into Mineshaft structures.
You can also use it to easily kill silverfish if you’re exploring the Stronghold structure and looking for an end portal, or if you’re just wandering around a forest and you happen to stumble upon bees.
Key Takeaways
Here’s a list of things to remember when talking about the Bane of Arthropods enchantment:
- It is an enchantment for swords and axes
- In Java Edition, you can only apply it to axes using an anvil and an enchanted book.
- It is not compatible with the Sharpness and Smite enchantments.
- It adds 2.5 extra damage to spiders, cave spiders, bees, silverfish and endermites
- You can use it for exploring Mineshafts and Strongholds