Which is the most useful curse in Minecraft?

Currently within Minecraft, there are two curses that impose negative effects on players, and even though those effects are inconvenient, they aren't without applications.

Minecraft's two curses are enchantments known as Curse of Binding and Curse of Vanishing. The former "binds" a piece of gear to the player, rendering them unable to remove it by conventional means like unequipping it.

The latter makes the enchantable item vanish upon the player's death, keeping them from being able to reclaim it as a dropped item. These two curses are mostly used to trick unaware players or make things more difficult for those who want a challenge.

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Minecraft: Which curse is better for players?

Curse of Vanishing can be maddening when it's applied to valuable items (Image via Mojang)

Between both of Minecraft's curses, comparisons are a little difficult. Aside from being inconvenient for players regardless, there isn't a lot to like. However, these curses do still have some uses, malicious as they might be.

In this light, players are likely to get more enjoyment out of using Curse of Binding over Curse of Vanishing. Curse of Binding can be used for pranks of sorts, and while Curse of Vanishing can do the same, it doesn't quite land as well as binding a piece of gear to a player.

What kind of pranks can players play with Curse of Binding? They can always apply it to an undesirable armor piece like a jack-o-lantern and watch as their friend puts it on, hopefully, unaware of the curse's mark.

Once a player slaps on that jack-o-lantern, they won't be able to take it off easily, looking a bit silly for an extended period of time.

Curse of Binding doesn't stop at Minecraft's jack-o-lanterns either. Players could place the curse on a piece of leather armor and convince their friend to equip it. Now the player is at a disadvantage for their armor compared to what they could equip. In PvP situations, this can be incredibly helpful at getting a leg up over an opponent, though this is highly situational.

Curse of Binding pranks don't always work and they can get old kind of fast, but Curse of Vanishing pranks usually just amount to an item being destroyed instead of dropping on death. That comes off as less of a prank and more like grieving, meaning the Curse of Binding has a little more use when it comes to having a laugh.

Note: The article reflects the views of the writer.