Best Elytra Enchantments

Every elytra enchantment, ranked

Enchantment	Max	Verdict	Why
Unbreaking	III	Max build	Durability drains every second you glide; this slows it a lot.
Mending	I	Max build	Repairs it from experience. Essential.
Curse of Binding	I	Avoid	A curse: it only makes the item worse.
Curse of Vanishing	I	Avoid	A curse: it only makes the item worse.

What matters on an elytra

The elytra can only take Unbreaking, Mending and the two curses. So the best elytra build is simple: Unbreaking III and Mending. The real decisions are how you repair it and when you swap it for a chestplate.

An elytra gives no armor at all. That is why many players keep a max chestplate in their inventory and switch before a fight.

Builds for different playstyles

Long-distance travel

Unbreaking III and Mending, plus a stack of firework rockets. Use rockets without firework stars, because stars make them explode and hurt you.

End city looting

You find elytra on end ships near end cities. Put Unbreaking and Mending on the first one you get, because a second elytra means another long trip.

Rain and Riptide

In rain, a Riptide trident throws you into the air and the elytra carries you on. That saves rockets, but it only works while it rains.

Building at height

An elytra and a few rockets beat scaffolding on big builds: fly up, place blocks and glide down. Unbreaking and Mending keep it ready all day.

Combat

An elytra gives no armor, so swap back to a Protection IV chestplate for boss fights and PvP. Keep the elytra in your hotbar for a quick escape.

Conflicts and which one to pick

Unbreaking and Mending together?

Yes. They don't conflict, and you want both. Unbreaking means fewer repairs; Mending makes the repairs free.

Each enchantment on the elytra

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%. Durability drains every second you glide; this slows it a lot. The book costs 3 levels on a fresh elytra. 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. Repairs it from experience. Essential. The book costs 2 levels on a fresh elytra. More about Mending.

How long an elytra lasts

An elytra has 432 durability and loses 1 point for every second you glide. That is 7 minutes 12 seconds of flight. Unbreaking III stretches it to about 29 minutes on average. At 1 durability it stops working instead of breaking, so you stop gliding and fall.

You can repair it with phantom membranes on an anvil, but Mending is far better. Each anvil repair raises the prior work penalty, while Mending repairs are free.

Getting and repairing an elytra

Your first elytra comes from an end ship, next to an end city on the outer End islands. You reach those islands through an end gateway after the dragon fight. Each phantom membrane repairs a quarter of its durability on an anvil.

Mending on the elytra in practice

Mending repairs a random damaged Mending item that you hold or wear. So with the elytra on, experience from mobs, mining or a farm goes to it and your other gear. An XP farm with the elytra on is the quickest way to top it up.

Where to get the books

You need 2 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:

• 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.

The enchanting table won't take an elytra at all, so every enchantment on it comes from books on an anvil. You can still enchant plain books at the table and apply them here.

Which books to get first

Get Unbreaking III first. It comes from enchanting-table books, librarians or loot, so it is easy. Then get Mending, the important one: trade with a librarian, fish for it or check trial chamber vaults. How to get Mending covers every source.

Add each book with its own anvil step. With only two books, every order costs the same.

Mistakes to avoid

• Repairing with phantom membranes over and over. Each anvil repair raises the penalty until the anvil refuses.
• Using firework rockets with stars. They explode on launch and hurt you.
• Putting Curse of Binding on an elytra. You can't take it off until you die or it breaks, and you lose your chestplate slot.
• Crashing into walls at speed. The impact can kill you, so slow down near hills and builds.
• Flying on low durability over the void or lava. Land and repair before the elytra runs out.

Elytra enchantment questions

Every enchantment an elytra can take in Java 26.3: Unbreaking, Mending.

Quick answers: can you put Mending on an elytra?, can you put Unbreaking on an elytra?, can you put Protection on an elytra?

See also the full list of incompatible enchantments and the god gear command generator.

Putting the books on

Unbreaking III alone costs 3 levels on a fresh elytra. Mending alone costs 2 levels on a fresh elytra. Both together cost 6 levels, about 54 experience points if you spend them as you earn them. Unbreaking III first costs 3 + 3 levels. Mending first costs 2 + 4. Merging the two books first, then adding the result, costs 2 + 6. The cheapest route costs 6.

Afterwards the elytra has been on the anvil 2 times, so its prior work penalty is 3. Any later anvil repair starts from that cost, which is one more reason to let Mending do the repairs. Check your own item in the enchantment calculator if it already has anvil uses.

Other gear

• Full armor set
• Helmet
• Chestplate
• Leggings
• Boots
• Sword
• Axe
• Spear
• Mace
• Trident
• Bow
• Crossbow
• Pickaxe
• Shovel
• Hoe
• Fishing Rod
• Shears
• Brush
• Flint and Steel
• Shield
• Carrot on a Stick
• Warped Fungus on a Stick