One of the key ways to improve a shield’s reliability in Minecraft is by equipping it with enchantments. Unlike weapons, however, shields have a very limited number of available enchantments, and they usually go into upgrading their durability. Still, having a single, reliable shield that you can freely customize and upgrade is much better than having multiple weaker shields clogging up your inventory and storage.
- Shield enchantments are available in all Minecraft versions, including Java, Bedrock, Education, and Legacy.
- These enchantments come in the form of enchanted books that you can either craft yourself for Enchantment Levels or find in the world.
- You can usually find Enchanted books in chests in Minecraft’s dungeons, pillager outposts, temples, and other such structures in Minecraft.
- Shield enchantments are primarily focused on increasing a shield’s durability since that’s the only aspect of it that can be improved.
- Why Trust Us: After going through Minecraft for several weeks on Xbox, I feel confident going into the topic with thorough experience.
Ranking Minecraft’s Shield Enchantments
Here are the stats for the best 3 shield enchantments in Minecraft:
| Enchantment Name | Max Level | Enchantment Cost | Description | How To Acquire | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mending | 1.0 | 4.0 | Can use this enchantment to mend your armors, weapons, shields, and tools. Uses XP to increase durability. | Trade it with a librarian. | Durability |
| Unbreaking | 3.0 | 3.0 | - Increases an item's lifespan - Decreases the chances of the item taking durability damage | - Trade it with a librarian villager - Looting dungeon chests | Increasing an item's lifespan. |
1. Mending
- Max Level: 1
- Enchantment Cost: 4
- Why I Chose This Enchantment: The enchantment allows for a better durability after using XP orbs.
Mending enchantment in Minecraft is a late-game treasure enchantment that uses XP orbs to restore durability. You can use it on armor, weapons, and tools, including your shield.
Once you put this enchantment on a damaged shield, the XP orbs you collect in Minecraft from the ground will automatically go into repairing it.
One noticeable drawback of Mending in Minecraft is that it is incompatible with Infinity enchantment for Minecraft. However, this is hardly an issue if you’re looking to enchant a shield with Mending since Infinity is strictly a bow enchantment.
The pros and cons for the Mending Enchantment are mentioned as follows in my opinion:
- Gives infinite durability.
- Highly broken.
- Not compatible with Infinity Enchantment.
2. Unbreaking
- Max Level: 3
- Enchantment Cost: 3
- Why I Chose This Enchantment: The enchantment is able to increase an item’s survivability, making it useful for longer-lasting items.
The Unbreaking enchantment improves an item’s lifespan and makes it much more durable and resistant to breaking. In terms of compatibility, this enchantment can be paired with any other shield enchantment in Minecraft. Apart from that, you can also apply it to all other weapons such as axe enchantments for players or sword enchantments, as well as farming tools.
You can obtain the Unbreaking enchantment book by trading with a librarian villager or looting dungeon chests. You can also test your luck by fishing or using an enchantment table to get this enchantment. The higher number of bookshelves surrounding the enchantment table, the better Unbreaking enchantment you’ll find.
The pros and cons for the Unbreaking Enchantment are mentioned below as per my testing:
- One of the most common enchantments.
- Easy progression.
- Difficult to get.
My Thoughts And Tips For Shield Enchantments
In my opinion, the best enchantment for shields in Minecraft is definitely Mending. This is because the shield’s durability is consumed when blocking enemy damage. Obtaining experience orbs from any source replenishes your shield’s durability, making it one of the most useful enchantments for your shield.
One important tip I’d like to give is always having your shield for expeditions since you always ensure your shield has full or near-full health in case of an unexpected raid. Also, I’d suggest building an XP farm near your house to have a regular XP supply in times when you don’t want to forcefully go exploring.
That wraps up my guide on the best enchantments you can get on a shield in Minecraft Java, Bedrock, Legacy, and Education. Once you’ve gotten your enchantments, consider reading our Top 70 Best Minecraft House Ideas and store your shield someplace nice written by Matt Hunter.
If you want to learn about more interesting enchantments, check out our guide on Minecraft’s Fortune Enchantment which tells you about the Fortune Enchantment compiled by Matt Hunter.
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