Mending, Fortune, Sharpness, Protection, Luck of the Sea. These are only some of the enchantments that are available in the Minecraft realm. From powerful, game-changing ones to others that some players would consider useless. However, to access this exciting and complicated world of enchanting, you’d have to learn how to use an enchanting table- or even how to make one. Here’s everything you need to know to help you start on this journey!

How To Craft an Enchanting Table

For an enchanting table, you will need 1 book, 2 diamonds and 4 obsidian. Open the crafting table. On its crafting grid, place the book at the middle slot of the top row. The two diamonds go in the first and third slot of the middle row. Fill in the rest of the two bottom rows with the four obsidian block.

How To Acquire Materials

Acquiring Diamonds

To find diamonds, you can either explore caves, go strip-mining, loot chests in shipwrecks and bastion remnants or trade with villagers. However, mining in the lower levels are generally preferred, as diamond ores spawn at level 15 and lower. To be able to mine the ores, you will need an iron pickaxe or better (diamond, netherite).

Acquiring Obsidian

Obsidian can be found in every dimension of Minecraft. Ruined portals in the Overworld and the Nether spawns with obsidian blocks as part of its structure. The End has large obsidian pillars on the main island, surrounding the End Dragon. Alternatively, you can also make obsidian by finding lava pools and pouring a bucket of water over it. To mine obsidian, you will need a diamond pickaxe or better (netherite).

Acquiring a Book

To craft books, you will need three paper and one leather. You can place any of the items in any of the slots, as the crafting recipe for a book is shapeless (doesn’t require a specific arrangement). You can also find books in chests/bookshelves in villages, Stronghold libraries, shipwrecks or an ancient city.

How to Use an Enchanting Table

To enchant items, you’re going to need the item that you want to enchant, one to three lapis lazuli and experience levels. In the first of two slots under the book icon, place the item you want to enchant. Lapis lazuli will go in the second slot.

On the right, there are three rectangular slots. These will show three enchantment options, randomised based on the arrangement and number of bookshelves placed around the table, the item’s material and the item’s enchantability.

The enchantments shown are tiered- with the top slot being a Tier One enchantment while the middle slot is Tier Two and the bottom slot is Tier Three. Each enchantment also comes with a bonus enchantment, which you won’t be able to see until you are done enchanting. To be able to unlock all the tiers, you will need to put in three lapis lazuli. This is because each tier will cost you a certain amount of lapis lazuli and enchantment level, with the maximum amount being three.

• Tier 1 = 1 lapis lazuli, 1 enchantment level.
• Tier 2 = 2 lapis lazuli, 2 enchantment levels.
• Tier 3 = 3 lapis lazuli, 3 enchantment levels.

*Enchantment levels = the experience levels that an enchantment will take from you.

As previously mentioned, the number of bookshelves and the way they are arranged will affect the enchantments generated. Without bookshelves, the experience level for an enchantment will never exceed 8 levels. Thus, the enchantments generated are mainly low-level enchantments. To unlock high-level enchantments, you would need a maximum of 15 bookshelves. One of the arrangements that you can do is to place it around the enchanting table, leaving a block gap in between.

However, with this setup, some tiers may be locked for you if you do not have higher-level experience. To unlock all tiers, your experience levels need to be at level 30. You can gain experience levels by killing mobs, trading with villagers, mining and many more activities.

From here, you can choose which enchantments to place on your item, with Tier Three generally being the best option of all. Once you have chosen an enchantment, the item will appear to have a glowing effect. When you hover over the item, it will show all of the enchantments and improvements that it has made to the item.