Being the most versatile and dependable weapon in Minecraft, the sword takes center stage when fighting off hostile mobs. If you want to dominate your world, investing in sword enchantments will help you take care of creepers faster.
There are various sword enchantments available in Minecraft, each with its distinct purpose and effect. Although some enchantments simply increase damage output, others grant practical effects that help you fight specific mobs.
Join us as we take a look at the best sword enchantments available for Minecraft 1.20.
Sharpness
Levels: V
Incompatibilities: Smite, Cleaveing, Bane of Arthropods
We believe that Sharpness is still one of the best Minecraft sword enchantments in 1.20. This enchantment was not changed and still provides increased damage to all mobs, which remains unmatched.
Enchanting your sword with Sharpness will give you a serious advantage during combat.
For instance, a Netherite Sword with Sharpness V deals 11 DMG and 15 CRIT DMG, allowing you to kill zombies in 2 hits. This gives you peace of mind that you can slay enemies faster and fewer hits.
Sharpness is also the only sword enchantment that works with the Ender Dragon, further proving its case as one of the best enchantments to use.
| Edition | Sharpness I | Sharpness II | Sharpness III | Sharpness IV | Sharpness V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Java | +1 | +1.5 | +2 | +2.5 | +3 |
| Bedrock | +1.25 | +2.5 | +3.75 | +5 | +6.25 |
Fire Aspect
Levels: II
Incompatibilities: None
While Fire Aspect doesn’t apply cool flame effects to your sword, it’s one of the best Minecraft enchantments if you want to deal even more damage to your enemies.
This enchantment is compatible with all other sword enchantments, making it a great addition to Sharpness.
A sword with Fire Aspect will set your target on fire, applying 4 seconds of burning damage. Level I Fire Aspect deals 3 Heart DMG and Level II 7 Heart DMG.
Fire Aspect can also be a great way to slay enemies and cook food instantly. For instance, killing a pig in Minecraft with a sword with Fire Aspect will drop cooked pork chops.
The only downside of Fire Aspect is that it’s nullified on all Nether-exclusive mobs due to fire and lava immunity. The Warden is also another mob that is not affected by this enchantment.
| Java & Bedrock Edition | Fire Aspect I | Fire Aspect II |
|---|---|---|
| Effects | Burn for 3 Damage | Burn for 7 Damage |
Looting
Levels: III
Incompatibilities: None
While some mob farms no longer work with version 1.20, there are new designs that are effective with the latest update.
Most mobs in Minecraft still drop items when killed, and Looting can cause mobs to drop more items and increase drop rate chances.
With the right mob farm and Looting enchanted sword, you can obtain more items efficiently, allowing you to progress your gameplay faster.
You also don’t need to directly use your sword to kill an enemy for Looting to take effect. As long as your sword is in your main hand, Looting enchantment is applied when you kill a mob.
For instance, you can fire a projectile at a dying mob, then switch to your sword to get the Looting effect.
| Java & Bedrock Edition | Looting I | Looting II | Looting III |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drop Rate Increase | +1 | +2 | +3 |
| Rare Drop Rate Increase | +1% | +2% | +3% |
Unbreaking
Levels: III
Incompatibilities: None
Unbreaking remains compatible with other Minecraft sword enchantments in version 1.20, especially Mending. Given how important it is to always carry a weapon in Minecraft, Unbreaking is a ‘must equip’ to your sword.
Contrary to what many players know, Unbreaking doesn’t increase your sword’s durability but rather reduces the chance of durability reduction.
At Level III, Unbreaking can increase your weapon’s durability by 300%. This increases your mileage before you need to make or use another sword.
Unbreaking can be paired with Mending to further increase your sword’s lifespan, making it virtually unbreakable.
| No Unbreaking | Unbreaking I | Unbreaking II | Unbreaking III | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Lifetime Increase | +0% | +100% | +200% | +300% |
Mending
Levels: I
Incompatibilities: None (for Swords) / Infinity (for Bows)
Mending doesn’t provide any advantage in combat. However, it’s still one of the most popular sword enchantments in Minecraft 1.20 since it allows you to use your sword longer.
This enchantment restores your sword’s durability by absorbing experience points.
You don’t have to worry about creating another Netherite Sword using rare materials since it will automatically repair itself as you slay mobs and gain experience.
Keep in mind that you can only obtain Mending through villager trades or finding an enchanted book with mending in the wild. An AFK fish farm is another option to obtain Mending faster.
| Java & Bedrock Edition | Mending I |
|---|---|
| Durability Restored | 2 Durability Per Experience Point |
Knockback
Levels: II
Incompatibilities: None
Knockback can be a handy sword enchantment when you are placed in difficult situations. As its name suggests, this Minecraft enchantment knocks enemies back when you hit them, allowing you to move to another location or prepare for your next attack.
Level 1 of this enchantment increases the knockback distance by 105% and 190% for Level 2.
However, this enchantment can be a double-edged sword that can also give you a disadvantage when fighting shifty and ranged enemies.
Another thing to remember is that knockback doesn’t work with all enemies. For instance, squids are resistant to knockback when out of water. Wardens, on the other hand, are completely immune to this enchantment.
Smite
Levels: V
Incompatibilities: Sharpness, Bane of Arthropods
If you’re having a hard time dealing with undead mobs, Smite is among the sword enchantments you should go for in Minecraft 1.20. This enchantment did not receive any changes, but still very effective with zombies, phantoms, and similar mobs.
Similar to Sharpness, Smite increases the damage of your sword. However, the damage increase only applies to undead mobs and is incompatible with Sharpness.
Each Smite level adds 2.5 extra damage to undead mobs, so a Netherite Sword with Smite can deal 20.5 DMG or 24.5 CRIT DMG to undead mobs.
| Sword Type | Base DMG | Smite I | Smite II | Smite III | Smite IV | Smite V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood | 4 (6) | 6.5 (8.5) | 9 (11) | 11.5 (13.5) | 14 (16) | 16.5 (18.5) |
| Gold | 4 (6) | 6.5 (8.5) | 9 (11) | 11.5 (13.5) | 14 (16) | 16.5 (18.5) |
| Stone | 5 (7.5) | 7.5 (10) | 10 (12.5) | 12.5 (15) | 15 (17.5) | 17.5 (20) |
| Iron | 6 (9) | 8.5 (11.5) | 11 (14) | 13.5 (16.5) | 16 (19) | 18.5 (21.5) |
| Diamond | 7 (10.5) | 9.5 (13) | 12 (15.5) | 14.5 (18) | 17 (20.5) | 19.5 (23) |
| Netherite | 8 (12) | 10.5 (14.5) | 13 (17) | 15.5 (19.5) | 18 (22) | 20.5 (24.5) |
Bane of Arthropods
Levels: V
Incompatibilities: Sharpness, Smite
Bane of Arthropods is the best Minecraft sword enchantment when fighting mobs classified as Arthropods. This includes creepers, bees, spiders, and more. Bane of Arthropods has similar effects to Smite but works on a different set of mobs.
It’s not compatible with Sharpness and Smite, so you’ll need to make a separate sword meant for Arthropods if you want to deal with them more easily.
Besides increasing damage, Bane of Arthropods also applies Slowness IV on arthropods with a random duration. Bane of Arthropods V can apply a maximum of 3.5 seconds slow to targets.
| Sword Type | Base Damage | Level I | Level II | Level III | Level IV | Level V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood | 4 (6) | 6.5 (8.5) | 9 (11) | 11.5 (13.5) | 14 (16) | 16.5 (18.5) |
| Gold | 4 (6) | 6.5 (8.5) | 9 (11) | 11.5 (13.5) | 14 (16) | 16.5 (18.5) |
| Stone | 5 (7.5) | 7.5 (10) | 10 (12.5) | 12.5 (15) | 15 (17.5) | 17.5 (20) |
| Iron | 6 (9) | 8.5 (11.5) | 11 (14) | 13.5 (16.5) | 16 (19) | 18.5 (21.5) |
| Diamond | 7 (10.5) | 9.5 (13) | 12 (15.5) | 14.5 (18) | 17 (20.5) | 19.5 (23) |
| Netherite | 8 (12) | 10.5 (14.5) | 13 (17) | 15.5 (19.5) | 18 (22) | 20.5 (24.5) |
Sweeping Edge
Levels: III
Incompatibilities: None
Sweeping Edge dropped in rankings for this list since swords in Minecraft 1.20 can now deal sweep damage without Sweeping Edge. Due to this, Sweeping Edge only increases the sweeping damage dealt by swords.
Regardless, it’s still one of the best sword enchantments in Minecraft since it provides 50-70% increased sweep damage, depending on your enchantment level. Sweep attacks still have a 2.75 x 2.75 x 2.75 cube range and deal damage to all mobs within the area.
Although this enchantment can work with Fire Aspect, the burning effect only applies to the enemy directly hit by your sword.
| Sweeping Edge I | Sweeping Edge II | Sweeping Edge III | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweeping Edge Damage Increase | +50% | +67% | +75% |
Curse of Vanishing
Levels: I
Incompatibilities: None
This Minecraft sword enchantment is only helpful during PvP modes. Curse of Vanishing causes an item to despawn as soon as you die, preventing another player from getting your sword and reducing the advantage they gain for killing you.
However, this can also be annoying since you’ll have to redo all the progress you had with your sword.
Conclusion
We hope that this list helped you make the ultimate weapon to dominate creepers, zombies, and bosses.
Regardless of what’s included in our list, the best sword enchantments in Minecraft are the ones that will fit your playstyle and needs. You can mix and match enchantments and bring multiple swords with you so you are prepared for any situation.
