Minecraft: Best Armor Enchantments In 2024, Ranked (2024)

Armor is essential to survival in hostile games of Minecraft. There are plenty of mobs to cause the player grief and pain. From the explosive creeper to the eagle-eyed skeleton. With the best armor in Minecraft, one can enhance their performance further with the best armor enchantments, with some enchantments acting differently on the alternate versions of Minecraft.

Players will need an Enchantment Table to actually enchant their armor. Or, they can use enchanted books, or combine the same armor pieces to make one grand piece. Players must go into their game with the best enchantments in Minecraft so that not even the dangerous Wardens can be a threat.

Updated on July 1, 2024, by Jake Fillery: Reaching past the halfway mark of 2024, it's time to look back at every armor enchantment in Minecraft and assess which offers players the best protection for their worlds. Whether it's against hostile mobs or a dangerous environment, the best enchantments in Minecraft can offer players layers of protection and advantages that can create an easier path for adventure. Compiled below is every Minecraft armor enchantment, along with the necessary stats to aid players' conquest for crafting the ultimate armor to take with them to The End and beyond.

How To Make Armor In Minecraft

Armor is essential to survival in Minecraft, and players can craft Helmets, Chestplates, Leggings and Boots to create a full set of armor that offers great protection. Here's how players can create them.

• Helmet: x5 Leather / Gold Ingots / Iron Ingots / Diamonds placed on the middle row of a Crafting Table and the bottom left and bottom right.
• Chestplate: x8 Leather / Gold Ingots / Iron Ingots / Diamonds placed in the entire Crafting Table except the top middle row.
• Leggings: x7 Leather / Gold Ingots / Iron Ingots / Diamonds placed everywhere in the Crafting Table except the middle of the middle and bottom row.
• Boots: x4 Leather / Gold Ingots / Iron Ingots / Diamonds placed on the left and right columns of the middle and bottom row.

All Armor Defense Points Stats

All Armor Durability Stats

14 Projectile Protection

Reduce Incoming Damage From Projectiles

• Incompatible with Fire Protection, Protection, and Blast Protection
• Equipped on: Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots

Projectile Protection certainly has usefulness, as it will be able to reduce incoming damage caused by all these projectiles:

• Arrows
• Tridents
• Shulker Blasts
• Llama Spit
• Blaze Fireballs
• Ghast Fireballs
• Wither Skulls

Now, Projectile Protection suffers from the modern meta, in which shields can easily negate the damage from all of the dangers seen above. As such, this isn't an enchantment players will want, as the damage is reduced only 32% with Projectile Protection 4, and players will not be able to use other superior enchantments like Protection which can stack a multitude of advantages.

13 Frost Walker

Turn Water Into Ice By Walking Over It

• Incompatible with Depth Strider
• Equipped on: Boots

With Frost Walker equipped on any pair of boots, players will be able to walk on water, creating ice where there would once be an ocean. Whilst this may sound cool, it's more of a gimmick, as running on water can often be unreliable, especially when players might want to take a dive in the water to search for chest loot.

Frost Walker isn't necessarily a bad enchantment, but it will make players incompatible with Depth Strider, which is arguably the superior enchantment for boots considering its potential for underwater adventures. Either way, Frost Walker is only good for creating ice, avoiding damage from campfires and magma blocks, and keeping out of water.

12 Soul Speed

Walk Faster On Soul Sand & Soul Soil

• Equipped on: Boots

The Nether is a cruel place, and it seems that everything in this backward dimension is out to kill the player. Bringing in some necessary enchantments is a must, but one that could further enhance survival is Soul Speed, which is an enchantment for the boots that allows players to walk faster on soul sand and soul soil, two blocks found in abundance within the Nether.

These blocks without Soul Speed will slow players down to a walking pace, which can easily get them killed if they are being chased. Soul Speed is great for traversing the Nether, but players will first need to barter with Piglins in the hopes that they receive a book with the Soul Speed enchantment or a nice pair of iron boots with them already attached.

11 Blast Protection

Reduce Damage & Knockback From Explosions

• Incompatible with Fire Protection, Protection, and Projectile Protection
• Equipped on: Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots

There is nothing scarier than hearing a faint hiss as players explore dark caves, mining for treasures. By the time players turn around, it's already too late, and a Creeper would have exploded, either killing or critically injuring a player, and scaring the life out of them. That's where Blast Protection comes in, an enchantment that reduces that pesky explosive damage.

Whether players are attacked by TNT, Fireworks, Creepers, and even beds in the Nether, Blast Protection can absorb around 32% of the damage, which is incredible for players who are way too paranoid about keeping their back turned for long, but the normal version of Protection is still better suited for overall use.

10 Fire Protection

Reduce Damage Dealt By Fire

• Incompatible with Protection, Projectile Protection, and Blast Protection
• Equipped on: Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots

Fire can come in a variety of different sources in the game, and whether that's falling into lava, battling Blazes and Magma Cubes, or even walking over a lit campfire; it's never great to be set on fire. Fire can greatly increase the chance of a player dying thanks to the damage dealt over time, and with no water source around to put it out, death is assured.

Luckily, Fire Protection can be upgraded to level 4, and doing so will grant around a 32% reduction in fire damage, and it even reduces burn time when players are set on fire. If players are struggling with this heated element, then it's a great use, but if not, then don't worry about it, as it is incompatible with Protection, the better enchantment.

9 Aqua Affinity

A Helmet Enchantment That Increases Mining Speed Underwater

• Equipped on: Helmet

When mining underwater, it can take up to 5 times longer than normal, and that's even with a great-efficiency pickaxe. To counter this, players can try their luck at the enchantment table to get teh Aqua Affinity enchantment, which will greatly reduce this reduction time to the point where it will feel like players are mining on land. However, players still need to be cautious of the dreaded oxygen levels that will see them drown upon expiration.

There's also a greater penalty for mining whilst floating in the water, and this is reduced even more so with Aqua Affinity, which could even save a player's life who finds themselves trapped and lost in the dark oceans. Nevertheless, this is an enchantment that's only useful if players find themselves on a sea-faring adventure, and won't exactly protect from a mace attack.

8 Thorns

Damages Attackers When They Hit The Wearer

• Equipped on: Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots

Towards the bottom of the ranking is Thorns. Thorns can be placed on each piece of armor and are the worst on the ranking for a reason. Thorns consume extra durability, which isn’t great, considering players will want all the durability they can get so they will not have to replace their armor often, and explore the many biomes in Minecraft, especially if it is a rare source like netherite or diamonds.

The advantage of Thorns is that it is essentially an added protection, as whoever deals damage to the wearer of Thorns armor will take damage themselves. This enchantment also affects ranged attacks, but the fact it may kill a mob the player didn’t want dead can be a burden.

7 Depth Strider

Increase Underwater Movement Speed

• Incompatible with Frost Walker
• Equipped on: Boots

Depth Strider is a boot enchantment in Minecraft that will enhance and increase the underwater movement speed of the wearer. This is a great enchantment for players who want to go on an underwater adventure or seem to run into more water than they would like during their travels.

Water will constantly slow and push the player back, but with Depth Strider 3, players will be able to fight against the elements and battle the current to be just as quick in the water as they are on land. It’s an effective enchantment for travel.

6 Respiration

Extend Breathing Time Underwater

• Equipped on: Helmet

Another great underwater enchantment is for the helmet. Respiration 3 will extend the amount of time that a player can breathe while they are underwater. The reason that Respiration’s third tier is the best is that it will allow the player to survive underwater for 60 seconds, an entire minute of ocean exploring, rather than the measly 15 seconds without it.

There are many underwater adventures to be had in Minecraft, and many secrets that lay on the ocean floor, so Respiration 3 is a pretty decent enchantment that players will want to utilize to get the most out of their armor and the world that they are inhabiting.

5 Swift Sneak 3

Walk Quicker While Sneaking

• Equipped on: Leggings

Swift Sneak is a leggings enchantment with one major risk: it can only be found in loot chests within ancient cities. Ancient cities are extremely rare and dangerous, as they are where Wardens reside. Players that want Swift Sneak 3 will need to be very quiet, and crouch walk while placing blocks of wool to snuff out their sounds.

The risk is worth the reward, as Swift Sneak will allow players to walk more quickly when they are sneaking. Sneaking is useful for carefully navigating long falls, and Swift Sneak will make it so that the player feels like they are jogging. Perhaps the new Minecraft update will add more unique enchantments like this.

4 Feather Falling 4

Reduce Fall Damage

• Equipped on: Boots

Fall damage is a burden to all, and it can get a great number of players killed unjustly. However, with the boots enchantment, Feather Falling 4, players will have their fall damage reduced greatly, and Feather Falling 4 will reduce fall damage by approximately 48%, just under half the damage they would originally take.

Feather Falling 4 will certainly open the player to more risky moves when it comes to fall damage, as it will feel like the ground is one giant pillow to land on. Death is still a risk, so players will need to be careful, but Feather Falling 4 is a great safety net.

3 Mending

Trade XP For Durability

• Equipped on: Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots

In exchange for experience, players can ensure that their armor will never lose durability. Experience points drop from many sources, whether it's from killing mobs, breeding mobs, cooking, or mining. This makes it easier for Mending to have a great effect, as this experience will convert to durability. Mending can be placed on every piece of armor, meaning a player will never have to repair equipment again.

Mending is a rather rare enchantment, and it cannot be found with the mysterious Enchantment Table. Players will need to look for other sources, like Mending books from treasure chests in jungle temples, strongholds, and ancient cities. The easiest way to get Mending in Minecraft is through trading with a librarian villager.

2 Unbreaking 3

Increase Item Durability

• Equipped on: Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots

Leather Armor Stats

Gold Armor Stats

Iron Armor Stats

​​​​Diamond Armor Stats

​​​​​Netherite Armor Stats

Durability is essential to armor in Minecraft. Without a decent amount of durability, players can expect their armor to weaken and break faster than normal, which can come at the worst times if players are fighting off hostile mobs or one of Minecraft’s bosses. With Unbreaking 3, durability will never be a worry again.

Unbreaking 3 can be placed on every piece of armor, from the helmet to the boots. With Unbreaking 3, the durability is increased, and players have an extended chance to avoid durability even being used when to hit, thus ensuring their armor will stay pristine for longer.

1 Protection 4

Bonus Damage Reduction

• Incompatible with Fire Protection, Projectile Protection, and Blast Protection
• Equipped on: Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots

Perhaps the best armor enchantment in Minecraft is Protection 4. This is the maximum level that Protection can get to, and it can be applied to every piece of armor for an increase in damage reduction. With all pieces of an armor set with Protection 4, players are looking at a 64% total reduction of damage to their armor.

Players will truly feel this buff and feel like a walking tank thanks to Protection 4. They might not need Protection 4 for Sniffers, but skeleton arrows, lava, and other sources of damage will feel like nothing as long as players have Protection 4. The damage reduction is a great way to stay on top of the hostilities in Minecraft.

Minecraft

Platform(s)

PS4 , PS3 , PS Vita , Xbox One , Xbox 360 , Switch , 3DS , PC , Android , iOS , Nintendo Wii U

Released

November 18, 2011

Developer(s)

Mojang

Genre(s)

Sandbox , Survival