The Easiest Way to Get Enchanted Books in Minecraft

The easiest way to get enchanted books in Minecraft is undoubtedly through fishing. While it might seem counterintuitive, setting up a simple, automated fish farm and letting it run while you’re off doing other things (or even AFK) provides a surprisingly consistent stream of enchanted books, along with other useful treasure items. This method bypasses the risks and resource investments associated with enchanting tables and villager trading, making it a reliable and accessible choice for players of all skill levels.

Why Fishing is the Easiest

There are several reasons why fishing stands out as the easiest method for obtaining enchanted books:

• Accessibility: Fishing requires minimal initial investment. A wooden fishing rod and a water source are all you need to get started. More efficient rods can be crafted later using iron or diamond.

• Automation: Basic fishing farms can be easily automated using simple redstone mechanics, allowing you to passively generate loot.

• Safety: Fishing can be done in relative safety, away from hostile mobs and dangerous environments.

• Multiple Benefits: Aside from enchanted books, fishing also yields raw fish (a food source), name tags, saddles, and other treasure items, making it a versatile activity.

• Reduced Reliance on Luck: While enchantment tables rely heavily on random number generation, fishing provides a more predictable and sustainable source of enchanted books over time.

Building a Simple Fishing Farm

While a manual fishing setup works, an automated fishing farm dramatically increases efficiency. Here’s a simple design you can implement:

1. Create a Water Source: Dig a 2×2 hole and fill it with water to create a water source.

2. Place a Note Block: Place a note block directly in front of the water source.

3. Place a Pressure Plate: Put a pressure plate on top of the note block.

4. Stand Close and Cast: Stand close to the water and cast your fishing rod at the note block. The pressure plate will automatically trigger the note block, breaking the line and automatically recasting, giving you the chance to obtain the loot.

This design exploits a game mechanic where right-clicking (or pressing the interact button) while looking at a note block will break the fishing line. The pressure plate automates this process, allowing for hands-free fishing. There are numerous variations on this design online that optimize for even greater AFK efficiency.

Optimizing Your Fishing Setup

While the basic setup is effective, you can significantly improve your chances of catching enchanted books and other treasure by optimizing your fishing rod and environment.

Enchanting Your Fishing Rod

The key enchantments for a fishing rod are:

• Luck of the Sea: Increases the chance of catching treasure items, including enchanted books. Level III is the highest and most effective.

• Lure: Reduces the wait time for fish to bite, increasing the overall rate of items caught. Level III is also the maximum.

• Unbreaking: Increases the durability of the fishing rod, reducing the frequency of repairs. Level III is ideal.

• Mending: Uses experience orbs to repair the fishing rod, making it virtually indestructible. This enchantment is highly recommended for long-term AFK fishing.

Prioritize Luck of the Sea and Lure to maximize your treasure yield and fishing speed. Mending will save you from frequently repairing your fishing rod, while Unbreaking will reduce damage dealt to the rod when it’s not getting repaired by mending.

Fishing in Open Water

Ensure your fishing spot is considered “open water” by the game. This means having a 5x4x5 area of water blocks (including the surface) free of any solid blocks (excluding lily pads and other non-solid blocks). Fishing in enclosed spaces severely reduces your chances of catching treasure.

Other Methods for Obtaining Enchanted Books

While fishing is often the easiest, other methods exist:

• Enchanting Tables: Creating enchantments with an enchanting table relies on luck and requires experience levels and lapis lazuli.

• Villager Trading: Villager trading can be reliable but requires locating a librarian villager with the desired enchantments. You’ll also need emeralds, which can be obtained through trading with other villagers.

• Loot Chests: Dungeons, temples, and other structures sometimes contain enchanted books in their loot chests. This is a less reliable method due to the randomness of spawns and loot tables.

• End Cities: End Cities provide enchanted books, but it’s a very dangerous place to collect the loot.

Choosing the Right Method

Ultimately, the “easiest” method depends on your current circumstances and play style.

• Early Game: Fishing is generally the best option for early-game players due to its low resource requirements.

• Mid-Game: Villager trading can become a more viable option as you establish a village and acquire emeralds.

• Late Game: Enchanting tables can be used to target specific enchantments, but fishing remains a reliable supplementary source.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the best enchantment to get on an enchanted book?

The “best” enchantment depends on your needs. For tools, Efficiency V, Fortune III, and Mending are highly desirable. For armor, Protection IV, Mending, and Unbreaking III are excellent choices. Swords benefit from Sharpness V, Smite V, or Bane of Arthropods V (depending on the target mob), as well as Looting III, Fire Aspect II, and Mending. Overall, Mending is typically considered the best enchantment to get on any tool or armor because it saves you from having to replace the item.

2. How rare are enchanted books when fishing?

The base chance of catching treasure (which includes enchanted books) is relatively low (around 5%), but this can be significantly increased with the Luck of the Sea enchantment. With Luck of the Sea III, the chance of catching treasure rises significantly.

3. Can you get every enchantment from fishing?

Yes, you can technically obtain every enchantment book available in the game through fishing, although some are much rarer than others.

4. What level do you need to be to use enchanted books?

You do not need to be a specific level to use an enchanted book. You only need to be able to apply it to a compatible item using an anvil. However, some enchantments obtained through other means (like enchanting tables) may require a certain level to acquire.

5. How do you use an enchanted book?

You use an anvil to apply the enchantment from the book to a compatible item (tool, weapon, or armor). Place the item and the enchanted book in the anvil slots, and if the enchantment is compatible and you have enough experience levels, you can combine them.

6. Are there any limitations to the enchantments you can get from fishing?

While you can get almost any enchantment, certain enchantments, such as soul speed, are only obtainable through specific methods, such as bastion remnants.

7. How do I increase my chances of getting Mending?

Mending is one of the rarer enchantments. Increasing Luck of the Sea on your fishing rod significantly improves your overall treasure yield and therefore increases your chances of finding it. Trading with villager librarians is another reliable option.

8. Does the biome affect the type of enchanted books I can find?

No, the biome does not influence the types of enchanted books you can catch while fishing. The loot table is consistent across all biomes.

9. Is it better to fish during the day or night?

The time of day does not affect the loot you obtain from fishing. You can fish at any time of day or night with the same chances of catching treasure.

10. Can I use a luck potion to improve my fishing luck?

No, luck potions do not affect the outcome of fishing. Only the Luck of the Sea enchantment on your fishing rod influences your chances of catching treasure.

11. How do I repair my fishing rod with Mending?

Simply use the fishing rod to gain experience orbs, and Mending will automatically repair the rod’s durability instead of adding the experience to your level.

12. What are the best enchantments for armor?

The best enchantments for armor include: Protection IV (for general damage reduction), Fire Protection IV (for fire damage), Blast Protection IV (for explosions), Projectile Protection IV (for projectiles), Mending, Unbreaking III, Thorns III, and Depth Strider III (for boots, if you spend a lot of time underwater).

13. Can I get multiple enchantments on a single book?

Yes, enchanted books can contain multiple enchantments. These are often combined enchantments found in loot chests or obtained through villager trading.

14. What happens if I try to apply an incompatible enchantment?

The anvil will indicate that the enchantment is incompatible, and you will not be able to combine the book and the item. It will not consume any experience levels or the enchanted book.

15. Is there a difference between fishing in a river versus an ocean?

No, there’s no difference between fishing in a river versus an ocean in terms of the loot you can obtain. As long as it is considered an open body of water, the loot table is the same.