Every bow enchantment, ranked
| Enchantment | Max | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
 Power | V | Max build | Much more arrow damage. |
| Flame | I | Max build | Sets targets on fire. |
| Punch | II | Max build | More knockback. |
| Unbreaking | III | Max build | Part of every max bow. |
| Infinity | I | Alternative | Never runs out of normal arrows. Excludes Mending, so you pick one. |
| Mending | I | Max build | Repairs from experience. |
| Curse of Vanishing | I | Avoid | A curse: it only makes the item worse. |
What matters on a bow
The bow is the classic ranged weapon. Power V does most of the work: it raises arrow damage by 150%. Unbreaking III keeps it alive. Then you hit the bow's big choice, Infinity or Mending, because the two exclude each other.
Flame and Punch are extras. Flame sets targets on fire and cooks meat drops. Punch knocks targets back, which is great on a cliff and annoying everywhere else.
Builds for different playstyles
Infinity bow: Power V, Flame, Punch II, Unbreaking III, Infinity. 29 levels in 5 steps. Open in the calculator.
Everyday bow
Power V, Unbreaking III, Mending and Flame. Carry arrows from a skeleton farm, or buy them from fletcher villagers.
Infinity bow
Power V, Infinity, Unbreaking III and Flame. One normal arrow in your inventory lasts forever. Without Mending you repair the bow on an anvil instead.
Ender Dragon bow
Power V and Infinity make shooting end crystals easy, since you never run out of arrows. Some crystals sit inside iron cages, though, so a bow alone won't reach every one.
PvP bow
Power V, Punch II, Unbreaking III and Mending or Infinity. Punch knocks players off ledges and out of melee range.
Mob farm and hunting bow
Power V, Unbreaking III and Mending, without Punch. Punch pushes mobs out of your kill zone, so leave it off any bow you use at a farm.
Conflicts and which one to pick
Java 26.3 has 1 conflict on the bow: Infinity with Mending. An anvil refuses a book that clashes with an enchantment already on the item, so decide before you start.
Infinity or Mending
Mending if you have an arrow supply, such as a skeleton farm or fletcher villagers. Infinity if you don't. You can't have both on one bow, so see Mending vs Infinity before you pick.
Each enchantment on the bow
Power V
Power increases bow damage. At level V that means +150% arrow damage. Much more arrow damage. The book costs 5 levels on a fresh bow. More about Power.
Flame
Flame sets your arrows on fire, so whatever they hit starts burning. The book costs 2 levels on a fresh bow. More about Flame.
Punch II
Punch makes arrows knock targets back further. At level II that means +2 arrow knockback. More knockback. The book costs 4 levels on a fresh bow. More about Punch.
Unbreaking III
Unbreaking gives items a chance to not lose durability when used. At level III that means tools skip 75% of durability loss, armor 30%. The book costs 3 levels on a fresh bow. More about Unbreaking.
Mending
Mending repairs an item with experience orbs. At level I that means each experience point you pick up repairs 2 durability. The book costs 2 levels on a fresh bow. More about Mending.
The numbers behind the build
A bow has 384 durability. Unbreaking III skips three out of four durability losses on average, so it lasts about 1536 uses instead of 384. Mending repairs 2 durability per experience point, so a full repair from almost broken takes about 192 points. That is roughly the XP needed to go from level 0 to level 11. With both books, each point of experience pays for about 8 uses.
Power V raises arrow damage by 150%, the biggest single upgrade a bow can get. Flame adds fire damage over time and cooks food drops. Punch II only adds knockback, so it never raises the damage number itself.
Arrows for a Mending bow
A Mending bow needs a steady arrow supply. A skeleton farm gives arrows, bones and experience at once, so it keeps the bow repaired while you collect. Fletcher villagers also sell arrows for emeralds, and you can craft them from flint, sticks and feathers.
So once you have any of those, Mending beats Infinity in the long run. Infinity still makes sense early, before you have a farm, and on a bow you only take to the End.
Picking your arrows
Normal arrows do the job for most fights. Spectral arrows make targets glow through walls, which helps when you hunt in the dark. Tipped arrows carry potion effects, so arrows of Harming or Slowness are strong against players and bosses.
Where to get the books
You need 5 books for this build. Mending is a treasure enchantment, so the enchanting table won't give it. Plan to trade or loot for it first. Here is where each one comes from:
- Power V: the enchanting table, librarian villagers, gear worn by trial chamber mobs, random chest loot and fishing.
- Flame: the enchanting table, librarian villagers, random chest loot and fishing.
- Punch II: the enchanting table, librarian villagers, gear worn by trial chamber mobs, ominous vaults (trial chambers), random chest loot and fishing.
- Unbreaking III: the enchanting table, librarian villagers, random chest loot and fishing.
- Mending: librarian villagers, trial chamber vaults, random chest loot and fishing.
Librarians are the most reliable source for exact books, because you can reroll them until they offer the one you want. The trading hall guide shows how, and the villager trade tool lists the prices. Combine the books in the cheapest anvil order so no step becomes too expensive.
Put a bow in the enchanting table and it can roll Power, Flame, Punch, Unbreaking and Infinity. Mending never shows up there on a bow, so that one comes from books only. The enchanting table calculator shows the odds for each slot.
Which books to get first
Power, Punch, Flame, Infinity and Unbreaking can all come from the enchanting table or librarians. Bows have very low enchantability, so a librarian who sells Power V is the fastest route.
Decide on Infinity or Mending before you start. Infinity can come from the table; Mending needs trading, fishing or vault loot.
Skeletons sometimes drop enchanted bows, and fishing can catch them too. So check those before you spend levels on a fresh bow.
Mistakes to avoid
- Adding Infinity to a bow that already has Mending. The anvil refuses the book.
- Using Flame against blazes, ghasts or magma cubes. They are immune to fire.
- Putting Punch on a hunting or farm bow. Mobs fly out of range, and you waste arrows.
- Shooting before the bow is fully drawn. A half-drawn arrow flies short and hits weakly.
- Grinding a bow to swap Mending for Infinity. A grindstone removes every enchantment except curses, so you lose Power too.
- Expecting Infinity to save tipped or spectral arrows. In Java only normal arrows are free.
Bow enchantment questions
Every enchantment a bow can take in Java 26.3: Power, Flame, Punch, Unbreaking, Infinity, Mending.
Quick answers: can you put Mending on a bow?, can you put Mending and Infinity on a bow?, can you put Fire Aspect on a bow?
See also the full list of incompatible enchantments and the god gear command generator.
Cheapest order
Combining these books in the wrong order can cost twice as many levels or hit Too Expensive! The cheapest order for the max bow costs 26 levels in 5 steps, with no step above 9. So you never need more than 9 levels at once.
Spend the levels step by step as you earn them: that costs about 334 experience points in total. If you saved up to level 26 first, you would need 997 points, because each level costs more XP the higher you climb. Afterwards the bow has been on the anvil 3 times, so later repairs start at a penalty of 7.
Questions
Infinity or Mending on a bow?
Mending if you have an arrow supply (a skeleton farm or fletcher villagers), Infinity if you don't. You can't have both on one bow.
What is the best bow enchantment?
Power V. It adds the most damage by far. Then add Unbreaking III and Mending or Infinity.
Does Flame work with Infinity?
Yes. They don't conflict, so an Infinity bow can carry Flame and Power together.
Is Punch good on a bow?
For PvP and cliff fights, yes. On a farm or hunting bow it pushes mobs out of reach, so skip it.
Can you put Mending and Infinity on a bow?
No. They exclude each other on a bow, so pick one.
Is Flame worth it on a bow?
For cooked food and extra fire damage, yes. It is cheap, but useless against fire-immune Nether mobs.
Can you put Power on a crossbow?
No. Power only goes on bows; crossbows use Piercing or Multishot instead.
Bow or crossbow?
The bow takes Power, Flame and Infinity. The crossbow loads slower without Quick Charge, but takes Multishot or Piercing and fires firework rockets.
What is the max level for every bow enchantment?
Power V, Flame I, Punch II, Unbreaking III, Infinity I, Mending I.
