What Sharpness does
| Level | Effect | Book cost |
|---|---|---|
| I | +1.25 damage (0.625 hearts) | 1 |
| II | +2.5 damage (1.25 hearts) | 2 |
| III | +3.75 damage (1.875 hearts) | 3 |
| IV | +5 damage (2.5 hearts) | 4 |
| V | +6.25 damage (3.125 hearts) | 5 |
Book cost is the anvil cost of putting that book on a fresh item. However, already-used items add their prior work penalty: work it out in the calculator.
How much damage Sharpness adds
In Bedrock, every level of Sharpness adds 1.25 damage, so Sharpness V adds 6.25. That is twice the Java bonus, which makes Sharpness much stronger on Bedrock.
The bonus is flat. So it matters most on weak weapons and against mobs with little health, where one extra point can save a whole hit.
Critical hits and the attack cooldown
Bedrock has no attack cooldown, so every hit gets the full Sharpness bonus. That is one more reason Sharpness is the main damage enchantment on Bedrock.
Sharpness, Smite or Bane of Arthropods?
The three damage enchantments exclude each other, so a weapon carries only one. Sharpness helps against everything. Smite and Bane of Arthropods add 2.5 per level, but only against undead or arthropods.
For a main weapon, Sharpness is the right pick. Undead and spiders are only part of what you fight, and players, endermen, piglins, illagers and the warden take Sharpness damage too. A Smite weapon makes sense as a second tool for the wither fight or an undead farm. The Sharpness vs Smite and Sharpness vs Smite vs Bane pages show the numbers side by side.
Sword, axe or spear?
Sharpness goes on swords, axes and spears. The table offers it on swords and spears, while axes need a book.
The mace and the trident can't take Sharpness. The mace uses Density or Breach instead, and the trident uses Impaling. See Sharpness on an axe, Sharpness on a spear, Sharpness on a mace and Sharpness on a trident.
The max sword
The standard sword is Sharpness V, Looting III, Fire Aspect II, Unbreaking III and Mending. Knockback is optional, and many players skip it. The best sword enchantments page shows the full build and the sword enchant order the cheapest steps.
Because Sharpness has a ×1 book multiplier, it is cheap to add at any point. So use it to fill the last anvil step, when the other books are already on.
Is Sharpness V worth it over IV?
In Bedrock, each level adds a full 1.25 damage, so Sharpness V is a clear upgrade over IV. It is worth hunting for the max book.
Since Sharpness is a ×1 book, the upgrade costs very few levels on the anvil. The real cost is the prior work penalty, so do the upgrade before the weapon has been on the anvil many times.
Which weapon to enchant first
In early game, an iron sword with Sharpness is a big step up from an unenchanted diamond one. Later, move to netherite and put your best books there. The old sword makes a good spare for jobs where you might lose it, such as fights near lava.
Sharpness and Sweeping Edge
Bedrock has no Sweeping Edge, so a Bedrock sword puts its books into Sharpness, Looting, Fire Aspect, Knockback, Unbreaking and Mending.
Sharpness and Fire Aspect
Fire Aspect adds burn damage over time, while Sharpness adds damage to every hit. So they stack well, and almost every max sword carries both. Since both are cheap books, there is no reason to pick one over the other.
Sharpness for farms
In a mob farm, Sharpness V means fewer hits per mob. So the farm runs faster and your sword uses less durability. Pair it with Looting III for the drops.
Common mistakes
- Putting Smite on your only sword. You lose damage against every mob that is not undead.
- Combining two Sharpness IV swords at the anvil instead of books. Item-to-item merges cost twice as much per level.
- Expecting more than Sharpness V in survival. Higher levels only come from commands.
Which items take Sharpness
Sharpness goes on 3 kinds of gear in the calculator: sword, axe, spear. An enchanting table can roll it on the sword, spear. On axe the table never offers it, so there it only comes from a book.
It can't share an item with Smite, Bane of Arthropods, Impaling, Density or Breach. If an item already has one of those, the anvil skips the Sharpness book.
Anvil cost of Sharpness
Sharpness has an anvil multiplier of 1 from another item and 1 from a book. So a Sharpness V book costs 5 levels on a fresh item, and each lower level costs 1 less. Two fresh Sharpness IV books merge into Sharpness V for 1 level. Building it from scratch takes 16 level I books and 15 merges, 49 levels in all. That is as cheap as books get, so it rarely decides the order.
Bedrock only charges for the levels a book adds. So upgrading a lower level costs only the difference. Every step also adds the prior work penalty of both items. The enchantment calculator finds the cheapest order for your whole set of books.
Builds, questions and guides
Sharpness is part of the max build for 3 items: best sword enchantments, best axe enchantments, best spear enchantments. To put it on in the cheapest order, see the sword enchant order, axe enchant order, spear enchant order.
Common questions: can you put Sharpness on an axe?, can you put Sharpness on a mace?, can you put Sharpness on a trident?, can you put Sharpness on a spear?
More reading: Getting books from librarians, How to enchant in Minecraft, Every max enchantment level. You can make a Sharpness book with the command generator. The librarian price list shows what villagers charge for it.
How to get Sharpness
- Enchanting table It can appear when you enchant a supported item at an enchanting table. However, higher levels need more bookshelves and a level 30 enchant.
- Librarian villagers Librarians can sell it as an enchanted book.
- Gear worn by trial chamber mobs One of the places it reliably shows up, the same as in Java.
- Trial chamber vaults One of the places it reliably shows up, the same as in Java.
- Random enchanted books It is also in the pool for the random enchanted books and gear in many chests and in fishing loot.
Sharpness is the most common weapon enchantment at the table. Sharpness also turns up on the swords and axes that mobs drop and in many loot chests.
Trial chamber vaults and the weapons that trial chamber mobs carry can also have it.
Tips
- Sharpness, Smite and Bane of Arthropods exclude each other: Sharpness is the all-round choice.
- It works on swords, axes and spears. The mace uses Density or Breach instead.
Commands
Hold the item and run this command in Bedrock 26.60 with cheats on. Bedrock's /enchant only goes up to the max level. Its /give command can't add enchantments.
/enchant @s sharpness 5Questions
Sharpness or Smite?
Sharpness for general use. Smite adds 2.5 per level against undead only, so it suits a dedicated undead or wither weapon.
What is the max Sharpness level?
Sharpness V in survival. Bedrock's /enchant command also stops at V.
Does Sharpness work on players?
Yes. Sharpness adds damage against every mob and every player, which is why PvP swords use it.
Does Sharpness work on an axe?
Yes. Axes can take Sharpness from a book on an anvil. The enchanting table only offers it on swords and spears.
How much damage does Sharpness V add?
In Bedrock, Sharpness V adds 6.25 damage per hit.
Do critical hits multiply Sharpness?
Critical hits add their own bonus, and Sharpness still applies on top.
Can a mace get Sharpness?
No. The mace uses Density, Breach or Smite instead, and they exclude Sharpness.
Is Sharpness worth it on a sword?
Yes. It is cheap, it works against every mob and player, and it is part of every max sword build.
Can you get Sharpness from villagers?
Yes. Librarians often sell Sharpness books, including Sharpness V.