What Thorns does
| Level | Effect | Book cost |
|---|---|---|
| I | 15% chance to deal 1–5 damage to the attacker | 4 |
| II | 30% chance to deal 1–5 damage to the attacker | 8 |
| III | 45% chance to deal 1–5 damage to the attacker | 12 |
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 Thorns works
Every armor piece with Thorns rolls on its own when a mob or player hits you. Each piece has a 15% chance per level to strike back for 1 to 5 damage, about 3 on average. The attacker takes the damage even if your armor blocks most of the hit.
The chances add up across pieces. With Thorns III on all four pieces, about 91% of hits trigger at least one piece. With a single Thorns III chestplate it is 45%.
The durability cost
Each time Thorns triggers, that armor piece loses 2 extra durability. In a long fight that adds up quickly. Without Mending, Thorns can wear down a set of diamond armor noticeably faster than normal.
With Mending and Unbreaking III, the cost mostly disappears. A mob farm or an XP farm repairs the armor faster than Thorns damages it. That is why most max sets include Thorns and most early sets skip it.
Where Thorns shines
- Mob grinders and raids, where many mobs hit you at once and each one takes damage back.
- PvP, where every enemy hit costs them health.
- Fighting groups of zombies or piglins in tight spaces.
It does little against ranged mobs, creepers or anything that does not touch you. It also cannot replace a real weapon, because 3 damage on 45% of hits is small next to a sword.
Thorns in a build
Thorns goes on any armor piece, and it does not conflict with anything. So it fits next to Protection, Feather Falling, Swift Sneak and the rest. Add it last, since its ×4 book multiplier makes Thorns III cost 12 levels on a fresh piece. The best chestplate enchantments page shows where it fits in the order.
Thorns by level
Each level adds 15% to the trigger chance. Level I triggers on 15% of hits, level II on 30% and level III on 45%. The damage stays the same at every level. Since the book is ×4 per level, Thorns III is pricey on the anvil, so decide early whether you want it.
Thorns and the warden
Thorns still triggers against very strong mobs, including the warden. However, the warden hits so hard that Thorns damage barely matters. So don't count on it there.
Which items take Thorns
Thorns goes on 4 kinds of gear in the calculator: helmet, chestplate, leggings, boots. An enchanting table can roll it on the chestplate. On helmet, leggings, boots the table never offers it, so there it only comes from a book.
Nothing conflicts with Thorns, so it fits next to every other enchantment its items can take.
Anvil cost of Thorns
Thorns has an anvil multiplier of 8 from another item and 4 from a book. So a Thorns III book costs 12 levels on a fresh item, and each lower level costs 4 less. Two fresh Thorns II books merge into Thorns III for 4 levels. Building it from scratch takes 4 level I books and 3 merges, 14 levels in all. That is one of the most expensive books. So put it on early, while the prior work penalty is still low.
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
Thorns is part of the max build for 4 items: best helmet enchantments, best chestplate enchantments, best leggings enchantments, best boots enchantments. To put it on in the cheapest order, see the helmet enchant order, chestplate enchant order, leggings enchant order, boots enchant order.
Common questions: can you put Thorns on boots?
More reading: Getting books from librarians, How to enchant in Minecraft, Every max enchantment level. You can make a Thorns book with the command generator. The librarian price list shows what villagers charge for it.
How to get Thorns
- 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.
- Random enchanted books It is also in the pool for the random enchanted books and gear in many chests and in fishing loot.
The enchanting table only rolls Thorns on chestplates, and only rarely. For helmets, leggings and boots you need a book from a librarian or from loot. Because the book is very rare and expensive on the anvil, many players add Thorns to just the chestplate.
Tips
- Pair it with Mending and Unbreaking, or Thorns wears your armor down noticeably faster.
- Thorns on several pieces rolls separately for each piece.
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 thorns 3Questions
Is Thorns worth it?
In a max build with Mending, it is free extra damage. Without Mending, many players skip it because of the durability cost.
Does Thorns stack across armor pieces?
Each piece rolls separately. With Thorns III on all four pieces, about 91% of the hits you take trigger at least one piece.
Does Thorns break your armor faster?
Yes. Each time it triggers, that piece loses 2 extra durability. Mending and Unbreaking III keep up with it in normal play.
Can Thorns go on a helmet or boots?
Yes, with a book on an anvil. The enchanting table only offers Thorns on chestplates.
What is the max level of Thorns?
Thorns III. Each piece then has a 45% chance to strike back when you are hit.