Best Minecraft armor enchantments for 1.20 and 1.21(2024)

Best Minecraft armor enchantment guides - Thumbnail showing a character wearing netherite armor and holding a trident
There are many armor enchantments in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

Since Minecraft is a survival-based game, defending oneself against danger is paramount. Hence, best Minecraft armor enchantments are one of the most important items to be obtained and used in the game.

Armor parts are worn to protect different areas of the body. Though players can use stronger materials to create better armor parts, it is sometimes not enough.

This is where armor enchantments come into the picture. These special powerups can be applied to armor to unleash their full potential. They can be applied to tools, weapons, and armor. Most of them are positive powerups that unlock magical aspects.

Listed below are some of the best Minecraft armor enchantments available for latest version 1.20 and 1.21 in 2024.

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Note: The entries in this article are subjective and solely reflect the writer's opinion.


Best Minecraft armor enchantments in 2023

1) Mending

The Mending enchantment allows armor parts to mend themselves with XP orbs (Image via Mojang)
The Mending enchantment allows armor parts to mend themselves with XP orbs (Image via Mojang)

Mending is one of the best Minecraft armor enchantments players can use. It can only be obtained as an enchanted book through a librarian villager or by looting chests around the Overworld.

This enchantment will enable any armor part to absorb XP orbs and repair itself. It essentially makes any armor part invincible.


2) Protection

The Protection enchantment increases the damage protection of each armor part (Image via Mojang)
The Protection enchantment increases the damage protection of each armor part (Image via Mojang)

Protection is another brilliant powerup that can be applied to any armor part in Minecraft. As its name implies, this armor enchantment increases the general damage protection of any armor part.

Though there are several other protection enchantments, they all focus on certain types of damage only. This enchantment, on the other hand, increases protection against all kinds of damage.


3) Unbreaking

The Unbreaking enchantment prolongs the life of armor parts (Image via Mojang)
The Unbreaking enchantment prolongs the life of armor parts (Image via Mojang)

Unbreaking is one of the most commonly used powerups on armor and other gear in Minecraft.

All tools, armor, and weapons have limited durability. If players use them too much, they will eventually break and vanish. This armor enchantment increases their durability to prolong their life span.


4) Respiration

The Respiration enchantment allows players to breathe longer underwater (Image via Mojang)
The Respiration enchantment allows players to breathe longer underwater (Image via Mojang)

Players frequently dive underwater to explore aquatic life and loot different structures in Minecraft. However, they always have to resurface in order to regain breath. This can be quite annoying, as swimming back to the surface takes time.

Players can apply the Respiration enchantment to their helmets to increase their breathing time. This will help them stay underwater for a longer period of time.


5) Feather Falling

The Feather Falling enchantment in Minecraft decreases the fall damage effects (Image via Mojang)
The Feather Falling enchantment in Minecraft decreases the fall damage effects (Image via Mojang)

There are several instances where players can fall from a great height and take fall damage or even die.

Players can use the Feather Falling enchantment on their boots to reduce the fall damage effects. Remember, this will not reduce the speed of the fall but will only reduce the damage taken from the fall.


6) Depth Strider

The Depth Strider enchantment enables players to swim faster (Image via Mojang)
The Depth Strider enchantment enables players to swim faster (Image via Mojang)

As mentioned above, players spend a lot of time exploring vast oceans and diving deep into them to discover hidden structures and treasures.

Though the swimming speed might feel normal at first, players will greatly benefit after using the Depth Strider enchantment. This powerup essentially decreases the friction between the water blocks and the player's character, resulting in an increase in swimming speed.


7) Swift Sneak

The Swift Sneak enchantment allows players to walk faster while in sneak mode (Image via Mojang)
The Swift Sneak enchantment allows players to walk faster while in sneak mode (Image via Mojang)

Swift Sneak is a new armor enchantment added to Minecraft with the 1.19 update. When players traverse through the Deep Dark biome, they need to be extremely quiet and sneaky. However, their walking speed can be extremely slow when in sneak mode.

This enchantment can be used on leggings to increase the walking speed while sneaking.


8) Aqua Affinity

Aqua Affinity can make building and mining underwater in Minecraft much easier (Image via Waifu Simulator 27/YouTube)
Aqua Affinity can make building and mining underwater in Minecraft much easier (Image via Waifu Simulator 27/YouTube)

If Minecraft fans are tired of slowly mining blocks underwater, Aqua Affinity might be worth a look. Typically, mining a block underwater takes five times as long as it would have on land, but Aqua Affinity is a helmet enchantment that implements a five times improvement to mining speed underwater with each rank.

This armor enchantment is fantastic for clearing out unwanted blocks for future aquatic builds or simply collecting hidden ore blocks submerged beneath lakes and oceans. Either way, it’s far from the worst helmet enchantment that players can look to.


9) Thorns

Thorns can help bring a little extra pain to enemies in Minecraft combat (Image via Mojang)
Thorns can help bring a little extra pain to enemies in Minecraft combat (Image via Mojang)

While protecting one’s self from Minecraft’s various damage forms is one thing, sometimes players want to get a little revenge as well. This is where the Thorns enchantment comes in. After being placed on any armor piece, Thorns will activate when players take damage from an enemy attack. More Thorns enchantments on multiple armor pieces also mean higher chances of the effect triggering and more damage being inflicted on attackers.

Thorns will activate regardless of whether players are hit by a melee or ranged attack, and certain other projectiles can even trigger the Thorns effect as well.


10) Frost Walker

Frost Walker has one outlined use and a few niche ones in Minecraft (Image via Machiru/Reddit)
Frost Walker has one outlined use and a few niche ones in Minecraft (Image via Machiru/Reddit)

A boot enchantment in Minecraft, Frost Walker does just about exactly what the name implies. The frosty magic of the enchantment allows players to walk across the water, turning it into ice as they stride. Obviously, this makes the enchantment great for traversing bodies of water, but can also be quite useful in other respects.

For example, Frost Walker can create ice surfaces that can be built upon. The ice created by Frost Walker can even be mined and collected if players have a Silk Touch-enchanted tool, and an armor stand block equipped with Frost Walker boots can also be used to create ice farms.


11) Blast Protection

Blast Protection can be a lifesaver when dealing with explosives in Minecraft (Image via Mcspotlights/YouTube)
Blast Protection can be a lifesaver when dealing with explosives in Minecraft (Image via Mcspotlights/YouTube)

Although Protection is certainly the better all-around defensive Minecraft armor enchantment, sometimes players need to specify the damage they’re safeguarding themselves from. This is where an enchantment like Blast Protection can be incredibly useful, as it reduces the damage of explosions and fireworks by 8% per level.

If players are working quite a bit with TNT blocks, firework rockets, or mobs with explosive projectiles, adding Blast Protection to their armor isn’t a bad call.


12) Soul Speed

Soul Speed is particularly helpful within the Nether (Image via Mojang)
Soul Speed is particularly helpful within the Nether (Image via Mojang)

Getting caught in soul sand in Minecraft can be a real pain, which is something the Soul Speed enchantment fixes in a flash. Once enchanted onto boots, Soul Speed vastly improves the movement speed on soul sand/soil blocks, with Soul Speed III providing a maximum increase of 61.5%. Players with strong enough Soul Speed enchantments on their boots can even convert soul sand/soil into a road where they can move faster than their traditional movement speed.

Although Soul Speed is admittedly a niche armor enchantment that doesn’t exactly perform all that well when roaming the Overworld or the End, it can be an invaluable aid when traversing the Nether.


13) Projectile Protection

Projectile Protection keeps Minecraft players safe from pesky projectiles (Image via Edluz +/YouTube)
Projectile Protection keeps Minecraft players safe from pesky projectiles (Image via Edluz +/YouTube)

Tired of taking damage from skeleton bows or pillager crossbows in Minecraft? Then Projectile Protection might be worth a look. Much like other specialized protection enchantments, Projectile Protection reduces the damage of incoming projectiles like arrows, thrown tridents, llama spit, blaze fireballs, by 8% per level. Although the standard Protection enchantment can also protect from projectiles, this enchantment shouldn’t be overlooked if obtained.

Keep in mind, however, that like other protection enchantments, Projectile Protection is incompatible with its counterparts unless commands are used to bypass the enchanting restrictions.


14) Fire Protection

Fire Protection keeps Minecraft players safe when flames rage out of control (Image via Mojang)
Fire Protection keeps Minecraft players safe when flames rage out of control (Image via Mojang)

Catching on fire in Minecraft is best avoided, but if it can’t be helped, players may want to have the Fire Protection enchantment on their side. Like other protection variants, Fire Protection reduces incoming damage from fire, lava, and magma by 8% per level. It will effectively reduce any fire damage that would ordinarily be ignored by standard in-game armor values.

This is a bit of a niche armor enchantment compared to other protection enchantments, but it does have a significant amount of utility when navigating lava pools underground or adventuring through the Nether where some mobs can catch players aflame.


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Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh
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