Best Helmet Enchantments

Every helmet enchantment, ranked

Enchantment	Max	Verdict	Why
Protection	IV	Max build	Reduces almost all damage. The default pick.
Blast Protection	IV	Alternative	Only for explosion-heavy fights. Excludes Protection, so you pick one.
Fire Protection	IV	Alternative	Only for a Nether or lava set. Excludes Protection, so you pick one.
Projectile Protection	IV	Alternative	Only for skeleton-heavy fights. Excludes Protection, so you pick one.
Respiration	III	Max build	Much more air underwater.
Aqua Affinity	I	Max build	Normal mining speed underwater.
Thorns	III	Max build	Free damage back, worth it with Mending.
Unbreaking	III	Max build	Part of every max helmet.
Mending	I	Max build	Part of every max helmet.
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 a helmet

The helmet ties with the boots for the fewest armor points, but it carries two enchantments no other piece can take: Respiration and Aqua Affinity. That makes it your ocean piece. Still, Protection IV comes first, because no water perk makes up for the damage you take without it.

Respiration III and Aqua Affinity matter most in ocean monuments, underwater builds and drowned farms. On land they do nothing, so they never replace Protection. Thorns is the only true extra, and it only makes sense once Mending is on.

Builds for different playstyles

All-round survival

Protection IV, Respiration III, Aqua Affinity, Unbreaking III and Mending. This is the max build without Thorns, and it covers mining, exploring and the odd swim. Add Thorns III later if you have a spare book.

Ocean monuments and underwater bases

Keep Respiration III and Aqua Affinity, and wear Depth Strider boots with them. Together they let you mine prismarine at full speed and stay down about a minute per breath. Bring milk, though: Aqua Affinity does not cancel the Mining Fatigue that elder guardians put on you.

Creeper farms and the wither

Swap Protection for Blast Protection IV on the helmet only. It doubles your protection against explosions on this piece and cuts blast knockback. Meanwhile the other three pieces keep Protection IV for everything else.

PvP

Protection IV, Unbreaking III and Mending, plus Thorns III if you want damage back. Respiration and Aqua Affinity add nothing in a land fight, so PvP players often skip them to save levels.

Turtle shell

A turtle shell takes the same books. It gives 10 seconds of Water Breathing when you dive, and Respiration stacks on top. But it has less armor and durability than diamond or netherite, so most players keep it as a swap for long dives.

Conflicts and which one to pick

Java 26.3 has 6 conflicts on the helmet: Protection with Blast Protection, Protection with Fire Protection, Protection with Projectile Protection, Blast Protection with Fire Protection, Blast Protection with Projectile Protection and Fire Protection with Projectile Protection. An anvil refuses a book that clashes with an enchantment already on the item, so decide before you start.

Protection or a special protection

Protection IV wins for daily use, because it covers every damage type. Pick Blast, Fire or Projectile Protection only for a helmet you swap in for one job. Protection vs Blast Protection has the numbers.

Each enchantment on the helmet

Protection IV

Protection cuts almost every kind of damage: mobs, falls, fire, explosions and projectiles. At level IV that means 4 protection points against all damage, about 16% less damage from this piece. Reduces almost all damage. The default pick. The book costs 4 levels on a fresh helmet. More about Protection.

Respiration III

Respiration lets you stay underwater longer and makes it easier to see while submerged. At level III that means about 60 seconds of air instead of 15. Much more air underwater. The book costs 6 levels on a fresh helmet. More about Respiration.

Aqua Affinity

Aqua Affinity removes the mining slowdown you get underwater, so blocks break at normal speed while you are submerged. The book costs 2 levels on a fresh helmet. More about Aqua Affinity.

Thorns III

Thorns damages anything that hits you in melee. At level III that means 45% chance to deal 1–5 damage to the attacker. Free damage back, worth it with Mending. The book costs 12 levels on a fresh helmet. More about Thorns.

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 helmet. 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 helmet. More about Mending.

The numbers behind the build

A netherite helmet has 407 durability. On armor, Unbreaking III only skips 30% of durability loss, so the piece lasts about 581 durability's worth of hits instead of 407. Mending repairs 2 durability per experience point, so a full repair from almost broken takes about 204 points. That is roughly the XP needed to go from level 0 to level 11.

Protection IV gives this piece 4 protection points, about 16% less damage on its own. Four pieces add up to 16 points, 64% less damage after armor, and the game caps the total at 20 points (80%). A netherite helmet also adds 3 armor and 3 toughness. The armor protection calculator works out any mix.

Where to get the books

You need 6 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:

• Protection IV: the enchanting table, librarian villagers, gear worn by trial chamber mobs, random chest loot and fishing.
• Respiration III: the enchanting table, librarian villagers, random chest loot and fishing.
• Aqua Affinity: the enchanting table, librarian villagers, random chest loot and fishing.
• Thorns III: the enchanting table, librarian villagers, 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 helmet in the enchanting table and it can roll Protection, Blast Protection, Fire Protection, Projectile Protection, Respiration, Aqua Affinity and Unbreaking. Thorns and Mending never show up there on a helmet, so those come from books only. The enchanting table calculator shows the odds for each slot.

Which books to get first

Start with Protection IV and Unbreaking III. Both come from the enchanting table, so you can roll them on a diamond helmet early. Respiration III and Aqua Affinity come next, from books or a lucky table roll, once you start exploring oceans.

Mending is the late, valuable book: get it from a librarian, fishing or trial chamber vaults. Add Thorns III last, because it is the dearest book here and only pays off once Mending covers its extra wear.

Which material to enchant

Put your best books on a netherite helmet: it has the most durability (407), so every enchantment lasts longest, and it also survives lava. The golden helmet has the highest enchantability (25), so it rolls the best results at an enchanting table, but it wears out fast. Enchantments stay on when you upgrade diamond gear to netherite at a smithing table, so you can enchant diamond first and upgrade later.

Netherite has 407 durability against diamond's 363, about 12% more, plus 3 toughness instead of 2 per piece. Copper is the cheap middle step: 121 durability, against 165 for iron, with enchantability 8. It is fine for a first enchant, but don't spend treasure books on it. Gold rolls the best table enchantments (25 enchantability) yet has only 77 durability, so it suits throwaway gear.

The turtle shell sits between iron and diamond for durability. Its real value is the Water Breathing, not the armor.

Mistakes to avoid

• Putting Thorns on before Mending. Thorns costs extra durability each time it triggers, so without Mending it eats the helmet.
• Wearing a Blast Protection helmet all the time. It leaves you with less protection against mobs, arrows and falls.
• Thinking Respiration means unlimited air. It only slows the air bar, so bring a Water Breathing potion or a conduit for long jobs.
• Adding the books one by one to the helmet. Each trip raises the penalty, so merge books together first, as the helmet enchant order shows.

Helmet enchantment questions

Every enchantment a helmet can take in Java 26.3: Protection, Blast Protection, Fire Protection, Projectile Protection, Respiration, Aqua Affinity, Thorns, Unbreaking, Mending.

Quick answers: can you put Mending on a helmet?

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 helmet costs 45 levels in 6 steps, with no step above 14. So you never need more than 14 levels at once.

Spend the levels step by step as you earn them: that costs about 753 experience points in total. If you saved up to level 45 first, you would need 4020 points, because each level costs more XP the higher you climb. Afterwards the helmet has been on the anvil 3 times, so later repairs start at a penalty of 7.

See every step

Other gear

• Full armor set
• Chestplate
• Leggings
• Boots
• Elytra
• 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