Can you put Smite on a mace?

How to add it

The surest way is to combine an enchanted book with the mace on an anvil: Smite V costs 5 levels on a fresh mace.

Plan it in the calculator

What it does on a mace

Smite on a mace adds 2.5 damage per level against undead on every hit, not just smash attacks. A plain mace hit deals 6, so Smite V makes it 18.5 against undead. It excludes Density and Breach, though. Density V adds 2.5 per block fallen, so it matches Smite V after a 5-block fall and beats it on anything higher, even against undead.

Step by step

1. First, get Smite V as an enchanted book. Sources: a librarian villager (17–64 emeralds for a top-level book), an enchanting table (on a plain book), fishing, chest loot or ominous vaults (trial chambers).
2. Then put the mace in the left slot of an anvil and the book in the right slot.
3. Finally, pay the cost shown: 5 levels on a fresh mace, plus any prior work penalty the mace already has.
4. If the mace is getting more books, plan the order first so no step costs 40 levels or more.

Why it works

Smite lists mace among its supported items. That matters because each enchantment's data file lists the items it supports, and the anvil checks that list. The enchanting table never offers Smite on a mace, so it has to come from a book.

On a mace it rules out Bane of Arthropods, Density or Breach, so choose before you buy books.

What it costs on the anvil

First, the base price: on a fresh mace, Smite V costs 5 levels. Java charges the full new level of each book, so upgrading later costs the whole level again. Each anvil use also raises the item's prior work penalty for the next step.

Order matters. Say your mace already has Wind Burst III, Fire Aspect II, Unbreaking III and Mending, put on in the cheapest order. That took 3 anvil uses, so adding Smite last costs 12 levels: 7 for the prior work penalty plus 5 for the book. Planning everything from the start costs 31 levels in total, with no step above 10.

Plan your own version in the calculator or follow the mace enchant order. The prior work penalty calculator shows how the penalty grows.

Where Smite goes

• Smite goes on sword, axe, spear and mace. The enchanting table offers it on the sword and spear, while the axe and mace need a book. Related questions: Smite on axe.

Commands and creative mode

In creative or with cheats, one command does it: /give @p mace[enchantments={smite:5}]. Holding the item, /enchant @s smite 5 works too. Creative mode also ignores the anvil's 40-level limit. The command generator writes the right syntax for your edition.

Java and Bedrock

As far as the item list goes, the answer is also the same in Java and Bedrock. The anvil differs, though: Java charges the full new level of every book. This page follows Java 26.3.

About Smite

Smite adds a lot of damage against undead mobs: zombies, skeletons, the wither, phantoms, drowned, zombie piglins and more. Each level adds 2.5 damage against them.

Smite has a max level of V. If you need a book, you can get it from the enchanting table, librarian villagers, ominous vaults (trial chambers) and enchanted loot from fishing and chests. A librarian sells a Smite V book for 17 to 64 emeralds. Before you buy, read everything about Smite, including what each level does.

What else a mace can take

Besides Smite, a mace can take Wind Burst, Bane of Arthropods, Density, Breach, Fire Aspect, Unbreaking and Mending. Of those, Bane of Arthropods, Density and Breach conflict with Smite. Then the best mace enchantments page ranks them and gives the max build.

Related questions: Mending on mace, Sharpness on mace, Fire Aspect on mace, Density and Breach on mace.

Related

• Best mace enchantments
• Smite
• Mending on mace
• Sharpness on mace
• Smite on axe
• Fire Aspect on mace
• Density + Breach on mace