Which Protection enchantment is best in Minecraft?

With four different Protection enchantments available in Minecraft, it may be confusing as to which of these armor enchantments is the ideal one to use, and the answer may not be as clear-cut as it seems.

Protection IV being placed on a diamond chestplate using an enchantment book (Image via Mojang Studios)

The four available Protection enchantments in Minecraft are currently Protection, Blast Protection, Fire Protection, and Projectile Protection. Each of these enchantments can be raised to a maximum rank of four (IV), and three of the four enchantments provide specialized protection.

However, the main Protection enchantment increases damage reduction from the armor enchanted with it.

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Enchanting in Minecraft: Which Protection enchantments perform well?

Using the right Protection enchantment for the job matters (Image via Mojang Studios)

When determining which Protection enchantment is the best in Minecraft, it really comes down to what players want protection from. Ordinary Protection IV is hard to beat due to its ability to cut down on most forms of damage, but what if the player is on fire? What if they're being pelted by arrows from hostile mobs or other players? What if creepers and TNT are giving them trouble? This is where specialized enchantments come in.

Minecraft players can find a breakdown of each specialized Protection enchantment below:

Blast Protection

Reduces both the damage and the knockback of explosions. Damage is reduced by 8% per level, and knockback is reduced by 15% per level of the enchantment.

Fire Protection

Reduces all forms of fire damage to the player, which isn't absorbed by armor normally. Every rank provides an additional 8% protection, to a maximum of 32% per armor piece in traditional Survival Mode play. In Minecraft: Java Edition, Fire Protection also reduces the amount of time a player spends on fire by 15% per level.

Projectile Protection

Reduces damage from arrows, thrown tridents, llama spit, shulker bullets, and fireballs fired from blazes. It also reduces damage from projectiles fired by ghasts and the Wither if they make a direct impact on the player. The damage is reduced by 8% per level, much like Fire Protection, capping out at 32% per armor piece.

Although Protection IV is often seen as the best because it provides 8% damage reduction per level, there are damage types that armor on its own won't account for. What makes the specialized Protection enchantments in Minecraft so useful is that they remain situational.

Standard Protection is best for general use, but players will want to match their enchantments to their armor depending on what kind of action they plan on seeing.