What Bane of Arthropods does
| Level | Effect | Book cost |
|---|---|---|
| I | +2.5 damage against arthropods, Slowness IV for 1.5s | 1 |
| II | +5 damage against arthropods, Slowness IV for 2s | 2 |
| III | +7.5 damage against arthropods, Slowness IV for 2.5s | 3 |
| IV | +10 damage against arthropods, Slowness IV for 3s | 4 |
| V | +12.5 damage against arthropods, Slowness IV for 3.5s | 5 |
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.
Which mobs count as arthropods
Bane of Arthropods works on spiders, cave spiders, silverfish, endermites and bees. Each level adds 2.5 damage against them, so level V adds 12.5.
It also slows them down. Every hit on an arthropod gives it Slowness IV for a short time, and the time grows with the level. So spiders can't jump at you while they crawl.
A spider has 16 health. A diamond sword with Bane of Arthropods V hits it for 19.5, which kills it in one hit. With Sharpness V the same sword needs two hits.
Where it is worth it
- Cave spider spawners in mineshafts, where many small, poisonous spiders swarm you.
- Spider farms for string.
- Strongholds and other places full of silverfish from infested blocks.
Outside those jobs, Bane of Arthropods is the weakest of the three damage enchantments. Spiders are not very dangerous, and the extra damage does nothing against anything else.
A roll you may want to replace
The table often rolls Bane of Arthropods on swords. Because it excludes Sharpness and Smite, that roll blocks the better enchantment. A grindstone removes it, but it removes every other enchantment except curses as well. So if the rest of the roll is good, it is often cheaper to keep the sword as a spare and enchant a new one.
In a build
Bane of Arthropods fits on swords, axes, spears and the mace, next to Looting, Fire Aspect, Unbreaking and Mending. It excludes Sharpness, Smite, Density and Breach. See Sharpness vs Smite vs Bane for when each one wins.
Bane of Arthropods by level
Each level adds the same 2.5 damage, so level V is five times as strong as level I. The slowness also lasts longer at higher levels. Since the book is cheap, a dedicated spider weapon should go straight to level V.
Bane on a mace or a spear
The mace can take Bane of Arthropods from a book, and the spear can also get it from the enchanting table. On a mace it adds to every hit against spiders, but it gives up Density, which helps against everything. On a spear it gives up Sharpness. So in both cases it only makes sense on a second, farm-only weapon.
Should you remove it?
If the table gives you a sword with Bane of Arthropods and good extras, keep it as a spider sword. Then enchant a second sword for Sharpness. That is usually cheaper than grinding the first one and starting over.
Which items take Bane of Arthropods
Bane of Arthropods goes on 4 kinds of gear in the calculator: sword, axe, spear, mace. An enchanting table can roll it on the sword, spear. On axe, mace the table never offers it, so there it only comes from a book.
It can't share an item with Sharpness, Smite, Impaling, Density or Breach. If an item already has one of those, the anvil skips the Bane of Arthropods book. Java still charges 1 level for it.
Bane of Arthropods from the enchanting table
The level you can roll depends on the item's enchantability. A material with a higher value reaches higher levels from the same level 30 enchant. This table shows the best Bane of Arthropods each sword can get from a level 30 enchant with 15 bookshelves.
| Item | Enchantability | Best from the table |
|---|---|---|
| Netherite Sword | 15 | V |
| Diamond Sword | 10 | V |
| Iron Sword | 14 | V |
| Golden Sword | 22 | V |
Anything higher has to come from a book instead. Then the enchanting table calculator shows the exact chance for every level.
Anvil cost of Bane of Arthropods
Bane of Arthropods has an anvil multiplier of 2 from another item and 1 from a book. So a Bane of Arthropods V book costs 5 levels on a fresh item, and each lower level costs 1 less. Two fresh Bane of Arthropods IV books merge into Bane of Arthropods V for 5 levels. Building it from scratch takes 16 level I books and 15 merges, 75 levels in all. That is as cheap as books get, so it rarely decides the order.
Java charges the full resulting level every time, even when the item already has a lower level of it. 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
Bane of Arthropods can go on 4 items: best sword enchantments, best axe enchantments, best spear enchantments, best mace enchantments. To put it on in the cheapest order, see the sword enchant order, axe enchant order, spear enchant order, mace enchant order.
More reading: Getting books from librarians, How to enchant in Minecraft, Every max enchantment level. You can make a Bane of Arthropods book with the command generator. The librarian price list shows what villagers charge for it.
How to get Bane of Arthropods
- 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. Level I costs 5–19 emeralds plus a book.
- Trial chamber vaults This loot table names it directly, so it is one of the most reliable places to look.
- Random enchanted books It is also in the pool for the random enchanted books and gear in many chests and in fishing loot.
Bane of Arthropods is an uncommon roll at the enchanting table on swords and spears. Trial chamber vaults can also give it. Librarians sell it often, and it is a cheap ×1 book on the anvil.
Enchanting power and librarian prices
| Level | Enchanting power | Librarian price |
|---|---|---|
| I | 5–25 | 5–19 emeralds |
| II | 13–33 | 8–32 emeralds |
| III | 21–41 | 11–45 emeralds |
| IV | 29–49 | 14–58 emeralds |
| V | 37–57 | 17–64 emeralds |
The power column is the hidden enchanting value each level needs. A level 30 enchant on a netherite sword reaches power 43 at most. That already includes the enchantability bonus and the random spread. The price column shows what a librarian can ask for each book. Curing a zombie villager or the Hero of the Village effect lowers it.
Tips
- It is the least useful of the three damage enchantments, since few arthropods are dangerous.
- Use it only on a dedicated spider-farm weapon.
Commands
Give yourself a Bane of Arthropods book or enchant the item in your hand. These work in Java 26.3 once cheats are on.
/give @p enchanted_book[stored_enchantments={bane_of_arthropods:5}]
/enchant @s bane_of_arthropods 5
/give @p netherite_sword[enchantments={bane_of_arthropods:5}]Versions
Bane of Arthropods is in every Java version from 1.21 (when enchantments became data files) up to 26.3.
- 1.21.9: now goes on copper sword, copper axe.
- 1.21.11: now goes on diamond spear, stone spear, golden spear, netherite spear, wooden spear, iron spear, copper spear.
Also see the update log for every change, and how this data is checked. Bedrock player? See Bane of Arthropods on Bedrock.
Questions
Should I put Bane of Arthropods on my sword?
Usually no. Sharpness helps against every mob, and spiders are rarely a threat.
Does Bane of Arthropods work on bees?
Yes. Bees count as arthropods, so they take the extra damage and the slowness.
Is Bane of Arthropods worth it?
Only for a dedicated spider, cave spider or silverfish weapon. For a main weapon, Sharpness is better because it works on everything.
Does Bane of Arthropods work on endermites and silverfish?
Yes. Both count as arthropods, along with spiders, cave spiders and bees.
Can you put Bane of Arthropods on a mace?
Yes, from a book. It excludes Density and Breach, so it only makes sense on a second mace for spiders.