10 BEST Minecraft Armor Enchantments [Expert’s Picks]

Enchantments are additional buffs or extra perks that can be added to swords, axes, and even crossbows. These serve the purpose of enhancing the properties of whatever item they’re applied to. For instance, the Unbreaking III enchantment added to swords increases their durability and makes them last longer. The same is the case with armor in Minecraft, allowing your attire to persevere for a longer amount of time in the face of your foes. 

In this article, I’ll be talking about the best Minecraft armor enchantments you can possibly use. We’ll be sure to add a detailed description of where to find each enchantment, so the process can be seamless for you.

Before I begin, here is a look at the comparison between each Armor Enchantment from my guide:

Minecraft Armor Enchantments Table

Best Armor Enchantments In Minecraft

Enchantments offer a unique Minecraft experience and allow you to brave the difficult parts of the game with charm and vigor in equal measure. While other enchantments can pay off to enhance your gameplay experience, there’s no doubt that the Best Minecraft armor enchantments will help you the most to survive. You definitely need to know what are these to level up and become a top-notch player. Let’s get started with them right away. 

1. Aqua Affinity 

Starting off this list is the brilliant Aqua Affinity enchantment that can only be applied to Helmets in the game. Aqua Affinity’s major purpose is to provide players with the same mining speed underwater as they would have on land. 

• The maximum level that you can upgrade Aqua Affinity to is 1, which is already established at its base. Furthermore, it’s worth taking into account a distinct way of using this enchantment that can allow you to utilize it to the full. 

Don’t try mining while being partially submerged in water. Delve into digging when you’re standing on the sea bed for the best results. You’ll be able to mine at the exact same speed as you would on land. It’s definitely one of the best Minecraft armor enchantments you can get your hands on in the game. 

2. Protection IV 

The Protection enchantment is probably the most go-to armor enchantment in Minecraft. It’s multi-faceted and can be applied to all four armor pieces: Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, and boots. The maximum level that you can upgrade this buff to is 4, so make sure you’re all stocked up on Experience Points.

A good way to get started with that is by creating an XP farm, should you want to know how to do that here. As for the Protection Enchant’s basic functionality, it serves the purpose of reducing the damage dealt by enemy attacks.

• The good part is that since you can apply the enchantment to different armor pieces, the effects can usually stack up.
• The base level of Protection will reduce the damage taken from different attacks by 4 points. However, with each level that you upgrade the enchantment, the base effect will be multiplied.
• For instance, Protection IV will reduce absorbed damage by 16 points. This is one of the best enchantments for Netherite armor as well, so definitely keep that in mind if you’re focusing your build around it.
• The buff is incompatible with the likes of Blast Protection, Fire Protection, and Fire Protection as well.

3. Mending

Mending is not an armor-specific enchantment. It is rather a buff that can be used with all tools and weapons in the game. What it does is basically use up your gained Experience Points and utilize them in replenishing your armor’s and weapon’s durability. Mending is one of the best armor enchantments in the game for this purpose. 

The item that you have enchanted with the Mending perk will automatically be repaired and prevented from becoming unusable. This goes out for your armor too, including the relatively strongest Netherite armor that can give out after a certain number of uses. 

The maximum level that this enchantment can be upgraded to is 1, so you’re pretty much set with the base version of Mending. You can use this perk with any other enchant you can get your hands on, but beware that the Infinity Enchantment is the only one that won’t work with it.

4. Feather Falling IV 

Feather Falling is an enchantment that can be applied to Boots only. The reason it’s on this list is that this enchantment can genuinely save your life in Minecraft. Feather Falling does the service of reducing fall damage.

• The base level of this enchantment will reduce damage taken from considerable heights by 12%. Another way of iterating that is 2 heart icons, which convert to 4 health points.
• The maximum power level that Feather Falling can be upgraded to is 4.
• 12 times 4 is just about 48, so you can expect a 48% fall damage reduction when you’ve got Feather Falling IV equipped on your Boots.
• The best way to utilize this enchantment is by falling on Hay Bale. That way, you can get a substantial decrease in fall damage. 

The cherry on top here is that Feather Falling can be stacked up with other enchantments. The aforementioned Protection IV enchant, in particular, can combine the effects of the latter to give you a fall damage reduction that’s as high as 80%. That’s because Protection is also capable of decreasing the damage taken by falls.

5. Soul Speed III 

Soul Speed is another Boots-only Minecraft armor enchantment that can be used in combination with Feather Falling. The Soul Speed enchantment allows you to walk a lot faster in the Soul Sand biome in the Nether

• Soul Sand block can slow down the movement of the player by a factor of 50%. Furthermore, it compels the character to go down into the block by a margin of 2 pixels thereby impeding the speed of the player.
• Don’t fret though since this is exactly where the Soul Speed enchantment dives in, allowing players to walk or sprint at normal speed without breaking a sweat.
• The maximum level that you can achieve with these enchants is 3. If you manage to upgrade Soul Speed to the highest power level, you’ll actually be able to sprint faster on Soul Sand and Soul Soil than on regular blocks.

With all that being said, there is one downside to what is otherwise one of the best armor enchantments in Minecraft. And that is durability. You’ll be eligible for a 4% chance of durability depreciation when you step on any Soul Sand or Soul Soil block. The good news is that this chance occurrence can be reduced by a maximum of 30% if you have the Unbreaking III enchant equipped on your boots.

6. Respiration III

If you’re a fanatic of building terrific underwater bases and beach houses, you’re not going to want to miss out on the Respiration enchantment. It’s worth noting that the perk can only be applied to the Helmet of your armor set.

Respiration prolongs the amount of time that you can breathe without drowning while submerged underwater. Furthermore, the functionality of this enchantment is two-fold. You’ll not only be breathing underwater for longer, but you’ll also take damage at a lesser rate if you run out of breath and reach the point of drowning. 

• The maximum power level that Respiration can be upgraded to is 3.
• The base power level grants you an additional 15 seconds of underwater time before you start taking drown damage. This means that you’ll be able to breathe for 30 seconds just by having Respiration I equipped.
• If you were to upgrade the enchant to the maximum level, expect a full one minute to be given to you underwater without absorbing drown damage. 

There is a way to capitalize on the total output of Respiration III. You can get yourself a Turtle Shell and wear it on your head. The process of crafting a Turtle Shell is lengthy, but easy nonetheless. All you have to do is grow a Baby Turtle on your Minecraft farm or anywhere else that’s suitable by feeding it consistently. 

7. Unbreaking III

You’ve seen me mention the Unbreaking III enchantment for its effectiveness before in this guide, so it’s only logical that I provide it in a separate entry. This hefty buff is centered on the durability trait—just like Mending—and serves the purpose of increasing any tool’s, weapon’s, or armor piece’s endurance toward a decrease in durability points.

• The maximum power level that Unbreaking can be taken up to is 3. There is a certain formula that this enchant follows to implement the favorable effects.
• You’ll receive a 42.9% increase in the typical lifetime of an armor piece with the Unbreaking III equipped if we’re to sum that formula up. 

We definitely recommend pairing Unbreaking III with Mending if you want to make your high-end armor indestructible. The duo is easily one of the best Minecraft armor enchantments that can alter the odds in your favor in Survival Mode. Besides, you will be needing the extra buffs when mining a great deal of blocks for some of the most amazing player-made cottages in the game.

8. Depth Strider III

Depth Strider provides players with fairly basic yet heavily convenient functionality. This enchant lets you walk underwater faster than you would without having it equipped. The gist of it is that the player’s speed is significantly slowed down when they submerge in any water source.

Applying this buff to your Boots gets you the third part of the movement underwater that you would normally get on land. 

• The maximum level that this perk can be upgraded to is 3. 

Another synonymous enchant that allows you to literally walk on water is Frost Walker. Although it’s fairly useful, this particular buff isn’t quite on the level of Depth Strider. In addition, the two are also incompatible with each other, so you’ll have to pick one between them. My bets are definitely on the latter, considering it’s one of the best enchantments for armor in Minecraft.

9. Thorns III

Next up is the exceptional Thorns enchantment. This perk is primarily applied to the Chestplate armor piece but can also accommodate Leggings, Boots, Helmets, and even Turtle Shells. Having this enchant equipped means that whoever manages to land a hit on you gets it right back at them. I mean that this unique enchant boasts the benefit of dealing damage to the entity that has attacked you. 

The attack that makes the effect of the Thorns enchantment can be melee or any other projectile-based hit.

• The maximum power level that Thorns can achieve is 3.
• The enchantment has a 15% success rate of damaging your enemy upon a registered hit. This success rate, however, is multiplied with each power level. This means that having Thorns III equipped on any of your armor pieces will grant a 45% chance of getting back at your enemies.
• As for the damage dealt, the health points deducted from the enemy range from anywhere around 1 to 4. 

The best part about Thorns is that it can be stacked. You’re free to apply the enchant to different armor pieces to increase your odds of damaging your foes when you take a hit. Having this enchantment on all four armor parts will make you eligible for a 61.18% chance to land the highest damage.

10. Projectile Protection IV

The Projectile Protection enchantment is one of the most useful enchantments that you can use in Minecraft. You can use it with any sort of armor piece, like helmets, chest plates, leggings, or boots. The main purpose of it, as the same suggests, is to protect you from projectiles. It successfully reduces the amount of damage you take from attacks that are considered projectiles in Minecraft.

While using Projectile Protection, you will notice a significant reduction in the damage you receive from arrows, tridents, shulker bullets, llama spit, and blaze fireballs. In the case of wither skulls and ghast fireballs, you will notice a damage decrease only during the impact but not during the actual explosion.

• The highest level you can get with Projectile Protection is 4, and every time you get a higher level, the damage reduction is increased by 8%.
• This means that once you get to level 4, the overall damage you will reduce from projectile attacks will be 32%.
• Do keep in mind that Projectile Protection is not compatible with the Protection, Blast Protection, and Fire Protection enchantments. 

How to Create the Best Minecraft Armor Using Enchantments 

Enchantments on their own can surely do the job for you, but did you know there is a way of merging enchantments together and increasing the overall effect they create for your armor? This is the way most pro players utilize their armor pieces and end up crafting the most solid robust in the game. 

We’ll be covering how to create the best Minecraft armors using a combination of enchantments in this section.

Best Helmet – What Minecraft Armor Enchantments to Use

Crafting the best helmet in Minecraft requires you to obtain the following enchantments: 

• Protection IV 
• Aqua Affinity
• Respiration III 
• Unbreaking III 
• Mending

Best Chestplate – What Minecraft Armor Enchantments to Use

You will need the following enchantments to transform your Netherite Chestplate into an overly resilient armor piece:

• Mending
• Protection IV 
• Unbreaking III

Best Leggings – What Minecraft Armor Enchantments to Use

The following enchantments are required to buff up the Netherite Leggings like never before: 

• Unbreaking III
• Mending 
• Protection IV 

Best Boots – What Minecraft Armor Enchantments to Use

Getting the best Boots in Minecraft warrants the presence of the following enchants in your inventory. Do note that this one will be fairly complex to manifest, so bear with me as I walk you through the whole procedure.

• Protection IV 
• Feather Falling IV
• Unbreaking III
• Depth Strider III
• Soul Speed III 
• Mending

My Thoughts On The Best Armor Enchantments

In my opinion, the enchantment that best suits armor is Protection IV. Protection shields the player from enemy and mob damage. The level of defense depends upon the level of enchantment. For instance, if all armor pieces are equipped with Protection IV, it shields the player from 64% of damage.

This enchantment can be obtained through villager trades, loot chests, or by combining the Protection Enchantment Book with armor using an anvil. However, it should be noted that Protection is incompatible with Blast Protection, Projectile Protection, and Fire Protection.

Conclusion 

Playing Minecraft with significant buffs is the best way of enjoying the game in Survival Mode. That way, you have far better chances of making it through the day and returning to your decked-out base in the nighttime. With that being said, venturing out into the dangers of the various Minecraft worlds without the proper equipment truly sets you up for defeat and subsequent frustration. 

That is exactly why you need to be well-versed with the best Minecraft armor enchantments around to absorb enemies’ attacks like a sponge. In this article, we’ve talked about just that, including how to get these high-end enchantments for your Minecraft character. Make sure you take the time out and invest some effort in finding these enchantments for the best results. 

Next:

• Best Minecraft houses