Can You Have Smite and Sharpness on a Sword in Minecraft?

The short answer, straight from a veteran Minecraft player’s heart, is a resounding no. You cannot have both Smite and Sharpness on the same sword in vanilla Minecraft. These enchantments, along with Bane of Arthropods, are mutually exclusive, meaning you have to choose only one for your blade.

But why is this the case? And what are your options if you crave the ultimate undead-slaying, general-purpose, sword-swinging machine? Let’s dive deep into the enchanting mechanics and explore the limitations and possibilities within the blocky world.

Why Can’t You Combine Smite and Sharpness?

Minecraft’s enchanting system is designed to encourage strategic decision-making. Sharpness, Smite, and Bane of Arthropods all fall under the category of damage-boosting enchantments, but they target different types of mobs. Applying all three to a single sword would create an overpowered weapon, undermining the need to specialize and adapt to different combat scenarios.

Think of it as a balancing act. If you could one-shot every mob in the game with a single sword, the challenge would vanish. By forcing players to choose between these enchantments, the game promotes diversity in weapon choices and encourages players to consider their surroundings and the types of enemies they’ll be facing.

The Enchanting Triangle: Sharpness, Smite, and Bane of Arthropods

Let’s break down each enchantment to understand their specific strengths and weaknesses:

• Sharpness: This enchantment provides a flat damage increase against all mob types. It’s the most versatile option, making it a solid choice for general use. Each level of Sharpness adds extra damage, making it a reliable enhancement for any sword.

• Smite: This enchantment significantly increases damage against undead mobs, such as zombies, skeletons, withers, and zombie pigmen. While incredibly effective against these specific enemy types, it does absolutely nothing against other mobs.

• Bane of Arthropods: As the name suggests, this enchantment boosts damage against arthropods, including spiders, cave spiders, bees, silverfish, and endermites. Like Smite, it’s highly specialized and less useful in general combat situations.

The game prevents you from combining these enchantments because it wants you to think strategically about the threats you anticipate facing. Do you prioritize general damage, or specialize in slaying specific types of monsters? That’s the question Minecraft asks.

Bypassing the Limitations: Commands and Mods

While vanilla Minecraft restricts you from combining Smite and Sharpness on a sword, there are ways to circumvent these limitations. These methods, however, are generally considered “cheating” in survival mode and are typically reserved for creative mode or custom game setups:

• Commands: Using Minecraft’s command system, you can manually apply multiple incompatible enchantments to a single item. The /enchant command allows you to bypass the game’s built-in restrictions, granting you a sword with both Smite and Sharpness. Be aware that doing so can potentially unbalance your game.

• Mods: Many Minecraft mods exist that alter the game’s mechanics, including the enchanting system. Some mods may remove the restrictions on combining enchantments, allowing you to create custom weapons with any combination of effects.

These methods can be fun for experimenting with overpowered weapons, but they are typically not used in standard survival gameplay.

Choosing the Right Enchantment: A Strategic Decision

Ultimately, the best enchantment for your sword depends on your playstyle and the challenges you anticipate facing.

• For General Use: Sharpness is the clear winner. Its consistent damage boost against all mob types makes it a reliable choice for everyday adventuring.

• For Undead Hunting: Smite is the superior option. When facing hordes of zombies or tackling the Wither boss, the extra damage from Smite can make a significant difference.

• For Spider-Infested Areas: Bane of Arthropods can be useful. However, spiders are generally less dangerous than other mobs, so this enchantment is often considered the least valuable of the three.

Consider your needs before choosing an enchantment, and don’t be afraid to have multiple swords enchanted with different effects.

The Netherite Sword: The Pinnacle of Weaponry

Regardless of which enchantments you choose, the Netherite Sword is the strongest base weapon in Minecraft. Its higher damage output and durability make it the ultimate sword for any adventurer. Combine a Netherite Sword with a well-chosen enchantment, and you’ll have a weapon capable of tackling even the most formidable challenges.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some common questions about enchantments and swords in Minecraft:

1. Can you put Sharpness and Smite on the same axe?

Just like with swords, the answer is no. Sharpness, Smite, and Bane of Arthropods are mutually exclusive on axes as well. The game prevents you from having multiple specialized damage boosts on a single weapon.

2. What enchantments cannot go with Sharpness?

As we’ve established, Sharpness cannot be combined with Smite or Bane of Arthropods. These three enchantments are mutually exclusive.

3. Can you have Bane of Arthropods and Sharpness on a sword?

Again, the answer is no. Bane of Arthropods and Sharpness are incompatible enchantments. You must choose one or the other.

4. Which is better, Bane of Arthropods or Sharpness?

Sharpness is generally considered better due to its versatility. While Bane of Arthropods is more effective against arthropods, these mobs are not as common or dangerous as other enemies. Sharpness provides a consistent damage boost against all mob types.

5. Does Bane of Arthropods cancel Sharpness?

The relationship isn’t that Bane of Arthropods cancels Sharpness, but rather, they cannot exist together on the same item without using commands or mods. The game prevents them from being combined in the first place.

6. What two enchantments cannot go together?

Besides Sharpness, Smite, and Bane of Arthropods, other incompatible enchantment pairs include:

• Fortune and Silk Touch (on tools)
• Protection, Fire Protection, Blast Protection, Projectile Protection (on armor)
• Depth Strider and Frost Walker (on boots)
• Infinity and Mending (on bows)

7. How do you make the most powerful sword in Minecraft?

The most powerful sword is a Netherite Sword enchanted with the most effective enchantments for your needs. For general use, this would typically include Sharpness V, Fire Aspect II, Knockback II, Looting III, and Unbreaking III.

8. How much damage does Sharpness 10 add?

Vanilla Minecraft’s enchanting system does not allow for sharpness 10. In Bedrock Edition, each level of Sharpness adds 1.25 extra damage. Therefore, if you were to get sharpness 10 (via commands, for instance) it would add 12.5 damage.

9. Why can’t I combine Smite and Sharpness?

As discussed, this is a deliberate design choice to promote strategic decision-making and prevent overpowered weapons.

10. Does Smite work on Endermen?

No, Smite only works on undead mobs. Endermen are not classified as undead.

11. Can you put Smite on an axe?

Yes, you can put Smite on an axe. Like swords, axes can be enchanted with Smite to increase damage against undead mobs.

12. What is the best enchantment for a sword in Better Minecraft?

The “best” enchantments are subjective and depend on your play style. But in general, the most used are:

• Sharpness: A fundamental damage booster suitable for all scenarios.
• Smite: Especially potent against undead enemies like zombies and skeletons.
• Looting: Increases the quantity of items dropped by defeated mobs.
• Unbreaking: Enhances the weapon’s durability, extending its lifespan.

13. Is Sweeping Edge Good?

Sweeping Edge is a valuable enchantment for swords, especially when dealing with multiple enemies at once. It increases the damage dealt by sweep attacks, making it easier to clear out crowds of mobs.

14. Can I put Mending on an Infinity bow?

You cannot put Mending and Infinity on the same bow. These enchantments are mutually exclusive, forcing players to choose between infinite arrows (Infinity) or self-repair (Mending).

15. Can sweeping edge go with bane of Arthropods?

While it might seem like a good idea to combine Sweeping Edge (for crowd control) with Bane of Arthropods (for spider slaying), the game’s mechanics don’t allow it. Sharpness, Smite, and Bane of Arthropods are mutually exclusive, so you can’t have both Bane of Arthropods and Sweeping Edge on the same sword. You can see that many complex decisions must be made within Minecraft. To explore the possibilities, and find other valuable information, check out the Games Learning Society website at GamesLearningSociety.org.