Minecraft: 6 BEST Pickaxe Enchantments [Expert’s Guide]

Learn about the best pickaxe enchantments that you can use in Minecraft for mining efficiently and for making the pickaxe more durable.

Throughout the journey in Minecraft, one thing that players will use the most is the pickaxe. Therefore, possessing the best pickaxe enchantments Minecraft offers is important. Just like other tools, players can enchant pickaxes as well.

Key Takeaways
  • In Minecraft, the purpose of enchantment is to either add an ability or to upgrade an existing gear.
  • Apart from items like crossbows, axes, and swords, players can use the best enchantments on a pickaxe to make it more effective and durable.
  • To enchant a pickaxe in Minecraft, players must first make an enchantment table, which requires two diamonds, three obsidian, and one book.
  • Once players get an enchantment table, they can combine an enchantment book with a pickaxe to make it more powerful.
  • Other ways to get an enchanted pickaxe are to find it as an Enchanted Book in a loot chest, trade with a villager, and explore areas to look for them.

6 BEST Minecraft Pickaxe Enchantments

Here’s an overview of all the best enchantments that you can use with your pickaxe in Minecraft:

EnchantmentAffect How To Get
MendingPreserve the Axe by increasing the Durability through earned XPFound in an enchantment book, in a loot chest, or by trading with a villager
EfficiencyIncreases the rate of mining blocks, higher the level higher the efficiencyBe above level 30 to have a chance of enchantment appearing at the level three slot of the enchanting table
FortuneHave a probability of providing multiple dropsFound in an enchantment book, in a loot chest, or by trading with a villager
Silk TouchLet players mine a block or object as it is without breakingFound in an enchantment book, in a loot chest, or by trading with a villager
UnbreakingChance of the pickaxe not using any durability while breaking a block or objectFound in enchantment books, trading with librarian villagers, and fishing
Curse of VanishingThe gear vanishes upon deathCan be made by using an enchantment table or found through a loot chest, or by trading with a villager

6. Curse Of Vanishing

The Best Enchantment For Trolling Players.
Minecraft: Curse of Vanishing
The Curse of Vanishing Enchantment [Image Captured by eXputer]
Why I Chose This: Although the Curse of Vanishing doesn’t have any positive effects on the pickaxe, it’s arguably one of the most enchantments to apply onto your unwanted weaker pickaxes.

The Curse of Vanishing enchantment is for players who often die and find their gear stolen every time in Minecraft. It will ensure that once you die, no one can take your gear. The Curse of Vanishing does so by simply vanishing from the world as soon as you die. It only comes at level one, and it is recommended not to make one using an enchantment table as it is not really worth that much.

  • Good for trolling friends.
  • Prevents other players from stealing your gear.
  • No useful buffs.
  • Can actually make you lose your items forever.

5. Unbreaking

The Best Early-game Pickaxe Enchantment In Minecraft.
Minecraft: Unbreaking
The Unbreaking Enchantment [Image Credit Copyright: eXputer]
Why I Chose This: Instead of having multiple pickaxes clogging your inventory, having a single pickaxe with the Unbreaking enchantment is a much better alternative.

If you are a diehard miner, you might have definitely broken your pickaxe several times. If you have not stored enough items, it can be challenging to craft a new pickaxe. What is more fatiguing is when your pickaxe breaks deep down in a cave, and you do not have enough items. If you do not want that to happen, then you should definitely go for the Unbreaking enchantment.

  • If you enchant the Unbreaking on your pickaxe in Minecraft, there will be a random chance that your pickaxe will not use any durability while breaking a block.
  • Not only that, but your pickaxe will also endure more damage because the Unbreaking enchantment increases the pickaxe’s durability.
  • As you acquire the Unbreaking enchantment through the enchantment table, you can take it up to a maximum rank of three.
    • With each rank, the durability of the pickaxe will increase by 25%.
  • If you get lucky, you might be able to find it by enchantment books, trading with librarian villagers, and fishing.
  • Helpful in long mining expeditions.
  • Makes pickaxes noticeably more reliable.
  • Easy to get.
  • Gets overshadowed by Mending.

4. Silk Touch

The Best Building Pickaxe Enchantment In Minecraft.
Minecraft: Silk Touch
The Skill Touch Enchantment [Screenshot Captured by eXputer]
For players who want to mine out objects and blocks without breaking them, the Silk Touch enchantment is one of the best 6 pickaxe enchantments in Minecraft. When mining an object, it might not be very pleasant, and it just disappears. Therefore, use the Silk Touch enchantment to mine an object or block as it is.

  • With Silk Touch, you can mine coral blocks without killing them and grass blocks without breaking them.
  • Besides farming, if you are building something, Silk Touch will ease the task.
  • With it, you will not break any block while building something that takes time.
  • Lastly, Silk Touch only comes with one level; you cannot combine Silk Touch with Fortune enchantment. 
  • Great for building structures.
  • Extremely unique.
  • Can’t be upgraded.
  • Limited uses.

3. Fortune

The Best Pickaxe Enchantment For Mining Diamonds.
Best Pickaxe Enchantments Minecraft: Fortune
The Fortune Enchantment [Image by eXputer]
Why I Chose This: If you are farming a lot and want to get a high fortune with less effort, then the Fortune enchantment is definitely for you.

If you are mining any ore block using Fortune, what you will get as a drop will be more in amount than it should have been, in other words, multiple drops. To further understand it, you might mine a single diamond ore block and get four diamonds instead of just one.

  • However, the increase in number entirely depends on RNG, but the more you mine, the more chances you have of getting multiple ores.
  • Another way to increase the drop rate is to level up the Fortune Enchantment, as it has three levels.
  • At the first level, the probability of multiple drops is around 33%.
  • At the second level, the probability increases to 75%, and at the third level, it goes all the way up to 120%.
  • Amazing for mining valuable resources like diamonds.
  • Highly popular and sought-out enchantment.
  • Challenging to get.

2. Efficiency

The Best Time-saving Pickaxe Enchantment.
Minecraft: Efficiency Enchantment for Pickaxe
The Efficiency Enchantment [Image credit: eXputer]
Why I Chose This: If you want to come across a diamond a lot and need to farm it quickly, perhaps you will need the Efficiency enchantment for your pickaxe.

Efficiency increases the rate of mining blocks, so if you are gathering resources or strip mining for your building, the Efficiency enchantment will be the best.

  • Unlike most enchantments, the Efficiency enchantment comes in five levels – the base level (Efficiency I) increases the efficiency by 25%, and then with each level, it increases by 5%.
  • To unlock Efficiency IV, you will need to have 30 Levels so that there is a chance of enchantment appearing at the level three slot of the enchanting table.
  • Moreover, for Efficiency V, you will need to combine two Efficiency IV enchanted books together on an Anvil.

Another thing to consider before enchanting Efficiency on your pickaxe is that if the blocks are not compatible with the pickaxe, then it will not work. If you are trying to mine obsidian with a stone pickaxe, then the Efficiency enchantment will not work.

  • Massive time-saver.
  • Strong alternative to Fortune.
  • Great for overworlds like The Nether and The End.
  • Does not apply to blocks incompatible with the pickaxe.

1. Mending

The Best Durability-raising Pickaxe Enchantment.
Best Pickaxe Enchantments Minecraft: Mending
The Mending Enchantment [Image Captured by eXputer]
Why I Chose This: I applied Mending onto a Pickaxe a few months ago, and I still regularly use that pickaxe since it’s my most reliable piece.

Like Unbreaking Enchantment, Mending will preserve your pickaxe, and whenever you earn XP, it will fill up your pickaxe’s durability bar.

The challenge of acquiring the Mending enchantment is that you cannot get it through the enchanting table. Therefore, you will have to look around in the world of Minecraft by finding it in the form of an enchantment book in a loot chest or by trading with a villager. 

  • Stronger version of Unbreaking.
  • Potentially makes the pickaxe last forever.
  • Cannot be applied via an enchanting table.
  • Extremely difficult to get.

My Personal Opinion On The Best Pickaxe Enchantments

In my opinion, the best individual enchantment for your pickaxe is Mending. This is because the pickaxe is the most used tool in your inventory. This means that its durability can quickly run out. This is where mending can come in handy because whenever you collect experience points, it will replenish the durability. This enchantment can be obtained via villager trades and loot chests.

minecraft hours
My current in-game achievements for Minecraft (Screenshot by me)

The other useful enchantments are Efficiency and Silk-Touch. Efficiency increases the mining speed of the players. The highest Efficiency level is Efficiency Level-5, which significantly increases the mining rate. Meanwhile, Silk Touch enables the player to pick up a block as it is. These enchantments can be found in loot chests and villager trades.

All in all, these are the best enchantments in Minecraft that you can attach to your pickaxes. If players prefer having their pickaxe safe and sound, they must go for Mending or Unbreaking.

Apart from the pickaxe, the best trident enchantments in Minecraft can be used for an optimal loadout. If it takes long to farm the items required, perhaps you should check the best Resource Packs to save time. Lastly, for the ultimate beach house in Minecraft, make sure you have the best bedroom ideas.

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Daniyal is a Guides Writer and Editor at eXputer with over one year of experience in content writing. He's had a passion for tech and gaming for more than 15 years. Ever since his first console, the PS2, he's constantly branching off to different genres, and his go-to at the moment is the Souls experience pioneered by FromSoftware, which is evident by his 1,500+ hours of game time on Elden Ring. You can learn some more about Daniyal's gaming journey on his Steam & Xbox profiles.

Experience: 1+ Years || Mainly Covers Guides || Education: Bachelors in Computer Sciences.

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