Sharpness vs Smite

The difference

Sharpness adds damage against every target: +1 at level I and 0.5 per extra level, so +3 at Sharpness V. Smite only adds damage against undead mobs, but much more: 2.5 per level, so +12.5 at Smite V. You can't have both on one weapon.

Undead mobs include zombies, husks, drowned, zombie villagers, zombified piglins, zoglins, skeletons, strays, bogged, wither skeletons, phantoms and the wither. If most of your fighting is against them, Smite wins by a mile. For everything else, Sharpness is better, because Smite adds nothing at all to a creeper, spider, enderman or player.

Level by level

So at max level Smite adds 4.17 times as much as Sharpness, but only against undead. Against anything else the Smite column drops to zero, while Sharpness keeps its +3.

Hits to kill a skeleton

A skeleton has 20 health and no armor of its own, so the maths is simple. These are fully charged hits without criticals:

That last column is the reason undead farms use Smite. A netherite sword with Smite V deals 20.5 damage, so each unarmored skeleton dies in one hit. With Sharpness V the same sword needs 2.

Which to pick, situation by situation

• Early game. Take Sharpness. Your first sword fights spiders, creepers and zombies alike, so a bonus that always applies beats a big one that only sometimes does.
• Undead mob farm. Take Smite. Zombie, skeleton and drowned farms only hold undead, so every swing gets the full +12.5. Fewer swings also means less durability used.
• General mob farm. Take Sharpness. A dark-room spawner farm also brings spiders, creepers and witches, and Smite does nothing to them.
• The wither. Take Smite. The wither is undead, so Smite V adds 12.5 to every melee hit, while Sharpness V adds only 3. A Smite weapon is the classic wither kit.
• Nether fortress. Wither skeletons are undead, so Smite helps while you farm skulls. Blazes are not undead, though, so bring a bow or a Sharpness sword for them.
• The End. Take Sharpness. Endermen, shulkers and the Ender Dragon are not undead, so Smite adds nothing there.
• PvP. Take Sharpness. Players are never undead, so Smite is wasted in a duel.
• Trial chambers. Sharpness is the safer pick. Trial spawners mix undead like bogged and husks with breezes, spiders and slimes.

Max build with each

Here is what a full sword costs with each option, books combined in the cheapest order on a fresh sword:

Open the Sharpness build or the Smite build in the calculator. The sword enchant order walks through every anvil step. The best sword enchantments page explains each book in the build.

Which items take each

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

What each one does

Sharpness

Sharpness adds melee damage against every mob and player. Level I adds 1 damage and each level after that adds 0.5, for +3 damage at Sharpness V.

• Sharpness, Smite and Bane of Arthropods exclude each other: Sharpness is the all-round choice.
• It works on swords, axes and spears. The mace uses Density or Breach instead.

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 V adds 12.5 damage against undead, more than four times what Sharpness V adds.
• A Smite sword or mace is the classic choice for the wither fight.

Where to get them and what they cost

• Sharpness: max level V, from the enchanting table, librarian villagers, gear worn by trial chamber mobs, trial chamber vaults and enchanted loot from fishing and chests. Once you have one, a max book costs 5 levels on a fresh item. Librarians sell a Sharpness V book for 17 to 64 emeralds.
• Smite: max level V, from the enchanting table, librarian villagers, ominous vaults (trial chambers) and enchanted loot from fishing and chests. Once you have one, a max book costs 5 levels on a fresh item. Librarians sell a Smite V book for 17 to 64 emeralds.

They are incompatible, so you choose one per item. Both can go on the sword, axe and spear. Whichever you pick, combine the books in the cheapest order with the enchantment calculator or follow the sword enchant order.

Good to know

Sharpness and Smite both fit with the rest of a sword build. Fire Aspect, Looting, Knockback, Unbreaking and Mending go with either one, and so does Sweeping Edge. So switching between them changes one book, not the whole sword.

Critical hits multiply the weapon's base damage by 1.5, and then the enchantment bonus is added on top. In other words, a crit does not raise the Smite or Sharpness bonus itself. Crits still pay off, but the gap between the two stays the same.

Common mistakes

• Putting Smite on your only sword. Your main sword meets creepers and spiders too. So keep Smite for a second weapon.
• Expecting Smite to help in the End. Endermen and the dragon are not undead. A Smite sword hits them like an unenchanted one.
• Forgetting the axe and the mace. Smite also goes on axes and maces. A Smite axe makes a cheap undead weapon next to a Sharpness sword.

Switching from one to the other

An anvil never swaps Sharpness for Smite. If you put a conflicting book on an item, the anvil shows no result at all. So the only way to switch on the same item is a grindstone. It strips every enchantment except curses, then you enchant the item again from scratch.

Most players never swap. They keep a Sharpness sword as the main weapon and a cheaper Smite sword, axe or mace for undead work. If you do grind an item, the Java grindstone also clears its prior work penalty, so the rebuild costs the same as on new gear.

Java and Bedrock differences

In Java 26.3, Sharpness and Smite are incompatible. Sharpness is weaker in Java than in Bedrock: Java adds +3 at level V, Bedrock adds 1.25 per level for +6.25. So Smite's lead over Sharpness is bigger in Java. Java swords can also take Sweeping Edge, which Bedrock does not have. The anvil also differs between the editions. Java charges the full new level of every book, plus 1 level for each conflicting enchantment it skips. Commands work with one /give in Java, using the enchantments component. This page shows the Java 26.3 numbers.

More comparisons

• Sharpness vs Smite vs Bane of Arthropods
• Mending vs Infinity
• Density vs Breach
• Fortune vs Silk Touch
• Fortune vs Looting
• Protection vs Fire Protection
• Protection vs Blast Protection
• Loyalty vs Riptide
• Multishot vs Piercing
• Depth Strider vs Frost Walker