List of Minecraft mobs affected by the Bane of Arthropods enchantment

One of Minecraft's quirkier enchantments, Bane of Arthropods, is an enchantment that increases damage specifically to mobs categorized as Arthropods, a real-world classification that includes animals with no vertebrae, possess exoskeletons, and who have segmented bodies and jointed appendages.

In Minecraft, the list of Arthropods is obviously smaller than the real world, but the creatures appear often enough to warrant using the enchantment in certain situations.

The enchantment is primarily used on swords but can also be applied to axes as a secondary weapon in Java Edition or as a main weapon in Minecraft: Bedrock Edition.

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Minecraft: Mobs that receive increased damage from Bane of Arthropods

Bane of Arthropods is one of many enchantments that can be found in enchanted books (Image via Mojang)

Since it may be unclear to some Minecraft players what exactly constitutes an Arthropod in-game, a little clarification may be in order. The current Arthropods in Minecraft's most recent version can be found below, along with where they can be located:

Spiders

• Spiders are commonly seen throughout Minecraft, spawning in low-light conditions like other hostile mobs such as zombies and skeletons. They scale blocks and attempt to attack the player at night, so finding them should be no difficult task.

Cave Spiders

• Though the name implies that cave spiders appear in caves, it's more appropriate to say that these mobs appear in abandoned mineshafts, structures that appear within caves. These spiders are very similar to their standard kin but have a venomous bite that can deal damage to players over time. These enemies are best kept at a distance in order to avoid their damage over time effects.

Bees

• Found within nests attached to trees in plains, forest, and hill biomes, bees are naturally passive but can become angered if players attack them or attempt to take their honey/honeycombs without pacifying them with smoke first. Players can place objects such as campfires underneath bee nests to calm them and allow the collection of their honey and honeycombs, but they still take increased damage from Bane of Arthropods.

Silverfish

• These strange Minecraft mobs typically appear in strongholds, igloo basements, mountains, and woodland mansions, hiding inside stone-looking blocks. When a player breaks their block, the silverfish will pop out and attempt to attack the player. Silverfish crawl along the ground and don't have much health, meaning Bane of Arthropods can make short work of them.

Endermites

• Created when Minecraft players throw ender pearls, endermites have a small (5%) chance to appear when the pearls are thrown. They are small deep-purple bugs that emit purple particles. They are particularly frail, only having four total hearts similar to silverfish, meaning Bane of Arthropods can take them out easily.