Minecraft Bedrock Edition offers a vast and engaging world where players can explore, build, and, most importantly, enchant. Enchanting your gear is crucial for survival and progression, allowing you to deal more damage, gain better protection, and obtain various helpful abilities. While the enchanting table typically limits enchantments to level 5, there are methods to surpass this limitation and unlock even more powerful enchantments. This article will delve into the intricacies of achieving enchantments beyond level 5 in Minecraft Bedrock, providing a comprehensive guide to help you create god-tier equipment.
Understanding the Enchanting Mechanics in Bedrock Edition
Before diving into the methods for exceeding the level 5 enchantment cap, it’s essential to understand how enchanting works in Minecraft Bedrock. The enchanting table is the primary tool for applying enchantments to your items. It requires lapis lazuli and experience levels to function.
The available enchantments and their levels are somewhat random, influenced by the number of bookshelves surrounding the enchanting table and the item being enchanted. The more bookshelves surrounding the table (up to a maximum of 15), the higher the potential enchantment levels. The placement of bookshelves is critical; they must be positioned one block away from the table and at the same height, or one block higher, with an air gap between them and the table.
The level displayed on the enchanting table is not the level of the enchantment you will get, it is just the experience level required to perform the enchantment. Higher levels offer the possibility of better enchantments and higher levels of those enchantments.
Furthermore, certain enchantments are mutually exclusive. For example, you can’t have both Sharpness and Smite on a sword. These limitations are important to consider when planning your enchanting strategy. Also, some enchantments, such as Mending and Curse of Vanishing, can only be obtained through fishing, trading with villagers, or finding them in loot chests.
The Role of Grindstones and Anvils
Two essential tools in exceeding the level 5 enchantment limit are grindstones and anvils. While they serve different purposes, both are critical for manipulating and combining enchantments.
Grindstones are primarily used to remove enchantments from items. When you disenchant an item using a grindstone, you receive a small amount of experience. This tool can be useful for removing unwanted enchantments or combining two enchanted items to get one item with a combined enchantment. Be careful because grindstones destroy one of the enchantments if the items have different enchantments.
Anvils are used to combine two items, either to repair them or to combine their enchantments. Combining two enchanted items on an anvil can result in an item with higher enchantment levels than would be possible through the enchanting table alone. This is the primary method for surpassing the level 5 limit. Anvils use experience points to function, and the amount of experience required increases based on the number of previous repairs and enchantments on the item. Combining enchanted books is also a very powerful method.
Experience Management
Experience points are the currency of enchanting. You need them to use the enchanting table and the anvil. Managing your experience is essential for efficient enchanting. The more experience you have, the more you can experiment and combine enchantments.
There are several ways to gain experience in Minecraft. Killing mobs is a common method, but more efficient farms can be built to automate experience generation. Enderman farms and blaze farms are two popular options for obtaining large amounts of experience quickly.
Another method is to trade with villagers, particularly librarian villagers. They often offer enchanted books in exchange for emeralds, which can be obtained through various means. Trading is a safe and reliable way to acquire specific enchantments and build up a collection of enchanted books.
Methods to Exceed Level 5 Enchantments
Now that we’ve covered the basics of enchanting, let’s explore the specific techniques you can use to get enchantments beyond level 5 in Minecraft Bedrock Edition. This primarily involves combining enchanted items and books using an anvil.
Combining Enchanted Books
The most reliable method is to combine enchanted books. First, you’ll need to gather books with the desired enchantment. These can be obtained from the enchanting table, villager trades, fishing, or loot chests.
For example, if you want a Sharpness V sword, you’ll need to obtain multiple Sharpness enchanted books. Start with Sharpness I books and combine two of them on an anvil to create a Sharpness II book. Then, combine two Sharpness II books to create a Sharpness III book. Continue this process until you have a Sharpness V book. This method works for many enchantments, but the cost increases exponentially with each combination.
Remember that there is an anvil use limit on each item. Combining too many enchantments will render the item “Too Expensive!” to enchant further.
Combining Enchanted Items
Another method involves combining two enchanted items of the same type. For instance, you can combine two diamond swords, each with different enchantments, or two diamond chestplates. The anvil will attempt to combine the enchantments, resulting in a single item with all the enchantments from both.
If the items have the same enchantments, the anvil will often increase the level of that enchantment, potentially exceeding level 5. For example, combining two swords with Fire Aspect I will create a sword with Fire Aspect II.
However, this method is more expensive than using enchanted books, as it consumes both items and more experience. It’s most useful when you have two similar items with valuable enchantments that you want to consolidate into one.
Using the Anvil Effectively
To maximize your chances of successfully combining enchantments, it’s essential to understand how the anvil works. The order in which you place the items in the anvil slots can affect the cost and the outcome.
Placing the item you want to keep in the first slot and the item you are sacrificing in the second slot is generally the most efficient approach. This reduces the experience cost and increases the likelihood of successfully combining the enchantments.
Also, be mindful of the “Too Expensive!” limit. Each time an item is enchanted or combined on an anvil, its “prior work penalty” increases. This penalty contributes to the overall cost of subsequent anvil operations. If the total cost exceeds 39 experience levels, the anvil will display the “Too Expensive!” message, and you won’t be able to proceed.
To mitigate this, try to combine items with the lowest possible prior work penalty. This can be achieved by carefully planning your enchanting process and avoiding unnecessary anvil operations. Repairing items with materials instead of combining them can also help reduce the penalty.
Advanced Enchanting Strategies
Beyond the basic methods, there are more advanced strategies to optimize your enchanting process and achieve the highest possible enchantment levels.
One strategy involves using multiple enchanting tables strategically placed around your base. Each enchanting table will offer slightly different enchantment options. By checking multiple tables, you can increase your chances of finding the specific enchantments you need.
Another strategy is to use villager trading to your advantage. Librarian villagers can offer a wide variety of enchanted books, often at reasonable prices. By curing zombie villagers and turning them into librarians, you can obtain even better prices and discounts. This can significantly reduce the cost of acquiring the necessary enchanted books for your projects.
The Importance of Mending and Unbreaking
Two enchantments are particularly valuable for maximizing the lifespan of your enchanted gear: Mending and Unbreaking.
Mending allows your gear to repair itself using experience points. When you gain experience while holding or wearing an item with Mending, the experience is used to repair the item instead of contributing to your experience bar. This can significantly extend the lifespan of your favorite tools and armor.
Unbreaking increases the durability of your gear, reducing the rate at which it takes damage. Unbreaking III is the highest level and can greatly extend the life of your items. Combining Mending and Unbreaking is a powerful strategy for creating gear that lasts indefinitely.
The Power of Efficiency V
For tools like pickaxes, axes, and shovels, Efficiency V is an essential enchantment. It dramatically increases the speed at which you can mine or harvest resources. Efficiency V can only be achieved through the anvil by combining multiple Efficiency enchanted books or items.
Efficiency V combined with a Haste II beacon effect can allow you to instantly mine many types of blocks, making it invaluable for mining large quantities of resources quickly.
Troubleshooting Common Enchanting Problems
Even with careful planning, enchanting can sometimes be frustrating. Here are some common problems and how to troubleshoot them.
“Too Expensive!” Error: This is the most common problem. It occurs when the prior work penalty on an item becomes too high. To avoid this, try to minimize the number of times you combine an item on an anvil. Plan your enchanting process carefully and avoid unnecessary operations. Using materials to repair items can also help reduce the penalty.
Unwanted Enchantments: Sometimes, the enchanting table offers enchantments that you don’t want. You can’t directly control the enchantments you get, but you can influence them by changing the number of bookshelves around the table. Experiment with different bookshelf arrangements to see if you can get the desired enchantments. Also, using a cheap item such as a wooden hoe to refresh the enchantment table options is a good way to reroll the enchantments.
Difficulty Finding Specific Enchanted Books: This can be frustrating, but patience and persistence are key. Keep checking the enchanting table, trading with villagers, and exploring loot chests. Curing zombie villagers to create librarian villagers with better trading prices can also help. Fishing can be an effective way to find enchanted books when all other methods have been exhausted.
Conclusion
Achieving enchantments higher than level 5 in Minecraft Bedrock requires a combination of understanding the enchanting mechanics, strategic use of anvils and grindstones, and careful experience management. By combining enchanted books and items, you can create gear with unparalleled power and durability. Remember to plan your enchanting process carefully, manage your experience efficiently, and take advantage of villager trading to acquire the necessary enchanted books. With these techniques, you can create god-tier equipment and conquer any challenge that Minecraft throws your way.
Can you naturally get enchantments higher than level 5 in Minecraft Bedrock?
No, you cannot naturally obtain enchantments higher than level 5 directly through the enchantment table in Minecraft Bedrock. The enchantment table will only provide enchantments up to level 5, depending on the amount of experience levels and lapis lazuli you offer. This is a fundamental limitation of the vanilla enchantment system implemented in the game.
However, there are alternative methods to achieve higher-level enchantments. The primary way to surpass the level 5 limit is through combining enchanted books using an anvil. By merging two books with the same enchantment, the resulting book’s enchantment level will increase, potentially exceeding level 5 if the base enchantments are high enough to begin with. This combination is the core strategy to achieve higher enchantment levels.
What’s the role of an anvil in getting higher-level enchantments?
The anvil serves as the essential tool for combining enchanted books and enchanted items to create higher-level enchantments. When you place two items with the same enchantment type in the anvil, the game will attempt to combine them. If the resulting enchantment level is valid and doesn’t exceed the maximum possible level for that specific enchantment (for instance, Sharpness maxes out at V), the anvil will successfully produce an item with the combined, higher-level enchantment.
Furthermore, the anvil is also used to apply enchanted books onto tools, weapons, and armor. This is particularly useful for applying rare or powerful enchantments that are difficult to obtain directly through the enchantment table. The anvil’s functionality enables players to customize their gear with a precise selection of enchantments, far surpassing what can be achieved solely through enchanting at the table.
How do I combine two enchanted books using an anvil?
To combine enchanted books using an anvil, first place one enchanted book in the first slot of the anvil’s interface. Then, place another enchanted book with the same enchantment type in the second slot. The anvil will display the resulting item in the output slot, along with the experience cost required to complete the combination.
Ensure you have sufficient experience levels to pay the anvil’s cost. If the cost is too high (i.e., exceeds your current experience level or the anvil’s maximum cost limit of 39 levels), the anvil will not allow you to complete the combination. Once you have enough experience and the item is shown as possible, take the resulting book from the output slot to receive the higher-level enchanted book.
What are the experience level requirements for combining enchantments?
The experience level requirement for combining enchantments using an anvil depends on several factors, including the base levels of the enchantments being combined, the rarity of the enchantments, and the number of times the item has been previously worked on in the anvil. Each time an item is processed in the anvil, the cost to work on it again increases, which is known as the “prior work penalty.”
Generally, combining higher-level enchantments requires more experience levels. The cost can range from a few levels for simple combinations to upwards of 30 or more for more complex combinations involving multiple enchantments or items that have already been worked on several times. It’s important to plan your enchantment combinations carefully to minimize the overall experience cost and avoid exceeding the anvil’s level cap.
Does the order of combining enchantments in an anvil matter?
Yes, the order in which you combine enchantments in an anvil can significantly impact the final cost. Combining lower-level enchantments first and then progressively combining the resulting higher-level enchantments is generally more efficient and cheaper than attempting to combine high-level enchantments right away. This is because the “prior work penalty” applies cumulative cost increases.
Think of it like building upon a solid foundation. If you start with small, manageable combinations, you can create increasingly powerful enchantments while keeping the anvil costs down. Experiment with different combinations to find the most cost-effective way to achieve your desired enchantment levels. Careful planning can save you a significant amount of experience points in the long run.
Are there any enchantments that cannot be combined to reach higher levels?
While most enchantments can be combined to achieve higher levels through the anvil, some enchantments have inherent level caps that cannot be exceeded. For example, Sharpness, Smite, and Bane of Arthropods have a maximum level of V. Even if you attempt to combine two Sharpness V books, the resulting book will remain at Sharpness V.
Additionally, certain incompatible enchantments cannot be combined at all. For instance, you cannot combine Sharpness with Smite or Bane of Arthropods on the same weapon, as they are mutually exclusive damage-boosting enchantments. Understanding the maximum levels and compatibility rules of different enchantments is crucial for planning your enchantment strategy and avoiding wasted resources.
What happens if I exceed the anvil’s level cap of 39?
If the experience cost to combine items or enchantments on an anvil exceeds the anvil’s level cap of 39, the anvil will display the operation as “Too Expensive!” You will be unable to complete the combination, and the item will remain unchanged. This is a safeguard implemented in the game to prevent players from exploiting the enchantment system and creating excessively powerful items too easily.
To avoid exceeding the level cap, carefully plan your enchantment process. Consider combining enchantments in smaller steps and prioritize enchantments with lower costs first. If an item has already been worked on multiple times, consider using a different item to begin with or acquiring a new item with fewer prior work penalties to minimize the final cost. Effective inventory management and careful planning are key to navigating the anvil’s level limitations.