7 best helmet enchantments in Minecraft 1.19 update

Helmets are one of four Minecraft armor types players can equip. Like other armor pieces, they can be enchanted with various benefits (as well as a few detrimental curses).

Overall, vanilla Minecraft possesses 11 enchantments that can be applied to helmets. These enchantments come from different sources. Some are applicable from the enchantment table, while others can be found via enchanted books.

Regardless, some enchantments are better than others. Below, Minecraft players can find some of the top helmet enchantments currently available in version 1.19.

Note: This article reflects the opinions of the writer

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Protection, Aqua Affinity and other top helmet enchantments in Minecraft 1.19

1) Respiration

Respiration assists aquatic explorers (Image via Mojang)

Underwater exploration in Minecraft is tricky due to the limited amount of air a player has.

Respiration is a huge help in this regard as it extends a player's breathing time underwater. This enchantment can assist players in exploring structures like ocean monuments, underwater ruins and shipwrecks.

It won't make players completely immune to suffocation, but it's an invaluable asset for underwater exploration.

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2) Unbreaking

Unbreaking keeps a player's armor in good condition (Image via Mojang)

A Minecraft enchantment that can be applied to many tools and gear pieces, Unbreaking improves the durability of an enchanted piece of armor.

While durability isn't technically increased, Unbreaking reduces the chances that an enchanted item will lose it when used. In armor terms, this means Unbreaking will reduce the percentage chance that a helmet loses durability when the player takes damage with it equipped.

Players will still need to repair their helmet from time to time, but it's certainly better than utilizing standard durability.

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3) Aqua Affinity

Aqua Affinity pairs very well with Respiration (Image via Mojang)

Much like Respiration, Aqua Affinity is perfect for underwater exploration. This enchantment increases a player's mining speed while submerged in water.

Considering players lose mining speed underwater, especially when dealing with mining fatigue, Aqua Affinity can be the difference between life and death. This is especially true when mining your way out of a structure such as an ocean monument while attempting to avoid guardians and elder guardians.

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4) Thorns

Thorns reflects damage back on attackers (Image via Minecraft Wiki)

Sometimes, protecting yourself with enchantments isn't enough. Thorns deals damage to any entity that attacks the player who has the enchantment equipped.

Granted, Thorns doesn't protect players better than legitimate Protection enchantments. However, it can assist them in their offensive capabilities as it pairs nicely with melee combat.

If players add Protection to their other armor pieces, having one or two pieces of armor with Thorns can be helpful.

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5) Blast Protection

Blast Protection is a great asset against some of Minecraft's worst hazards (Image via Mojang)

There are few things more annoying than being killed by a creeper explosion or an explosion of TNT blocks.

Blast Protection exists specifically to protect players from explosions of any kind. This enchantment severely reduces the damage that explosive sources can do, though there are certainly limits.

Too many explosions will still kill Minecraft players with Blast Protection, but it will take significantly more explosive force and damage to do so.

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6) Protection

Protection is an exceptional way to stay alive enchantment-wise (Image via Mojang)

Protection is the ideal enchantment for general defense. It protects players from most sources of damage, with the most notable exceptions being the /kill command and damage from the void.

The higher the rank, the better the protection, and players can soak up as much as 80% of their overall damage when using the enchantment in totality.

This makes Protection particularly helpful in higher-difficulty situations such as Minecraft Hardcore, where death is essentially permanent.

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7) Mending

Mending keeps players' gear in top shape (Image via Mojang)

When it comes to keeping a player's gear in good condition, Mending is the perfect answer as far as enchantments go.

Compared to Unbreaking, this enchantment repairs a piece of armor instead of reducing the chances it loses durability. By taking in experience orbs, players will notice the durability of their armor increase towards the maximum.

If players have an XP farm built, this essentially means the days of repairing their armor are in the past. As long as they keep taking in XP orbs, their armor can always be restored to perfect condition.