Best Minecraft Bow Enchantments

In Minecraft, all weapons can be enchanted to improve their effectiveness and damage. In this guide, we'll teach you what enchantments to use to make your bow the best it can be.

Best Enchantments for the Bow in Minecraft

Once the only ranged weapon in Minecraft, the humble bow is often outclassed by Tridents and Crossbows in the modern game. However, a bow can still be one of the best weapons if it is well-enchanted. Of the six enchantments below, two cannot be used on the same weapon, while the rest can be stacked together.

Unbreaking

The Unbreaking enchantment gives bows the chance to avoid using durability when they are fired. In this way, placing Unbreaking III allows it to make four times as many shots as an unenchanted bow before breaking. If you already have Mending or use multiple bows, this enchantment may be useless for you. I find it reassuring to have, as I never have to worry about my weapons breaking during a fight. The enchantment has three levels, which are Unbreaking I, Unbreaking II, and Unbreaking III.

Punch

Punch will increase the knockback effect on mobs and players. However, Punch actually makes it harder to hit mobs, doesn't provide extra damage, and doesn't affect boss monsters like the Warden, Wither, or Ender Dragon. We recommend only using it if you specifically need the utility of knocking things off of high surfaces! Punch has two levels, Punch I and Punch II.

Related: Best Minecraft Trident Enchantments

Power

Power is an enchantment specifically for bows that increases the damage that arrows do. The Power enchantment comes in levels 1 through 5, with level 1 doing an extra 50% damage, level 2 an extra 75%, level 3 an extra 100%, level 4 an extra 125%, and level 5 an extra 150%. It's an enchantment with no downsides, making it a worthwhile addition to your bow.

Flame

Flame is a unique enchantment that adds fire damage to any enemies hit with your arrows when added to your bow. With only a few mobs being immune to fire, it is one of the best enchantments you can add to a bow. It's great to use against mobs, bosses, and even other players. We recommend combining it with Power and Infinity for deadly use in combat.

Infinity

Placing Infinity on a bow means that regular arrows will not deplete when fired. It's perfect for those who can't easily craft arrows or just want to free up some inventory space, as you'll only need a single arrow in your inventory to use the bow continuously. This enchantment cannot be on the same bow as Mending, but it can be combined with any of the previous enchantments.

Related: Best Minecraft Sword Enchantments

Mending

Mending allows your bow to be repaired by gathering experience, making your bow last forever as long as you provide it with experience. Mending is mutually exclusive with Infinity, meaning they cannot be on the same bow. It can be stacked with any of the other enchantments on this list.

Should you use Infinity or Mending on a bow in Minecraft

Since Mending and Infinity cannot be combined, you'll have to decide which of the two should go on your personal bow. From resources to inventory space and combat style, how you play helps determine which you should choose.

Access to resources

Resources are a large part of deciding which bow enchantment is best for you. Namely, the choice revolves around whether it is easier to continue crafting bows to use for repairs or keep producing a steady supply of arrows. If it is easier to craft lots of bows, go for Infinity, so you'll never run out of arrows. In contrast, if you've got plenty of arrows, you may want to go for Mending to prevent your bow from breaking.

Inventory Space

Inventory space is also an issue. If you're a treasure goblin like me and constantly stuff new items in your inventory, an Infinity-enchanted bow would leave you extra space to do that. On the other hand, being more selective with treasure means which enchantment you pick won't really affect you positively or negatively.

Combat-Style

Part of the trade-off comes when deciding whether you're more of a sharpshooter or a rapid-fire fighter. If you fight by constantly firing off arrows, you'll want to choose Infinity, so you don't run out mid-fight. If you tend to shoot carefully and from a distance, Mending is the better choice. Additionally, fighters who stick to special arrows, like poison-tipped arrows, would be better off with Mending since Infinity won't apply to them.

Need more help in Minecraft? Check out our guide on the Best Enchantments in Minecraft here on Pro Game Guides.