Smite enchantment in Minecraft
Smite adds 2.5 damage per level against undead mobs, so Smite V adds 12.5 damage per hit, more than six hearts. Against every other mob it adds nothing, which makes it a specialist pick for a second weapon rather than your everyday sword.
Smite at a glance
- Max level
- V
- Works on
- Spear, Sword, Axe and Mace
- Enchanting table
- Yes
- Incompatible with
- Sharpness, Bane of Arthropods, Impaling, Density, Breach
- Rarity
- Uncommon (weight 5)
- Anvil cost
- ×2 on an item, ×1 on a book
What does Smite do?
Adds 2.5 damage per level against undead mobs: zombies, skeletons, the Wither, phantoms, drowned…
Smite ISmite IISmite IIISmite IVSmite V How to get Smite
Best wayEnchanting tableAppears on the table for spear and sword. The level depends on the XP you spend and your bookshelves.
RandomLibrarian villagersLibrarians can sell a Smite book. Reset an unemployed villager’s lectern until the trade appears.
RandomChests and fishingEnchanted books in structure chests, and fishing treasure, can carry Smite.
CombineAnvilCombine a Smite book with the item on an anvil.
Items that take Smite
Primary items show up on the enchanting table; the others only get it through an anvil.
Combining Smite
Can’t combine withSharpnessMutually exclusive: an item can only carry one of them.
Can’t combine withBane of ArthropodsMutually exclusive: an item can only carry one of them.
Can’t combine withImpalingMutually exclusive: an item can only carry one of them.
Can’t combine withDensityMutually exclusive: an item can only carry one of them.
Can’t combine withBreachMutually exclusive: an item can only carry one of them.
Commands
/enchant @s minecraft:smite 5/give @s minecraft:enchanted_book[stored_enchantments={"minecraft:smite":5}]Which mobs does Smite affect?
Smite works on every undead mob: zombies and their relatives (husks, drowned, zombie villagers, zombified piglins), skeletons and theirs (strays, bogged, wither skeletons), plus zoglins, phantoms, zombie and skeleton horses and the Wither. Spiders, creepers, endermen and illagers get no bonus at all.
Smite or Sharpness?
Smite sits in the same exclusive group as Sharpness, Bane of Arthropods, Impaling, Density and Breach, so a weapon can carry only one of them. Against the undead, Smite V hits much harder than Sharpness V: +12.5 against +3. Against anything else it is dead weight. The usual answer is two weapons: Sharpness on your main sword, Smite on a second one for the jobs where undead dominate.
Where a Smite weapon pays off
- The Wither fight: the boss and the skeletons around it are all undead.
- A Nether fortress, packed with wither skeletons.
- Zombie and skeleton farms, or a long night in the open.
Swords and spears can get Smite from the enchanting table; an axe or a mace needs a book on an anvil. The best sword enchantments page lists Smite V as the swap for Sharpness V.
✓ Checked in Java Edition 26.3 · updated 1 November 2026
Smite — FAQ
Does Smite work on drowned?
Yes. Drowned are zombies, so Smite adds its full bonus against them. In Java Edition, Impaling does not, because drowned are not in the aquatic mob group.
How much damage does Smite V add?
+12.5 damage per hit against undead mobs, and nothing against the rest.
Is Smite good against the Wither?
Yes. The Wither and the wither skeletons are all undead, so a Smite V weapon is one of the best tools for that fight.
Can you get Smite from an enchanting table?
Yes. Smite can appear on the enchanting table for spear and sword.
What is the max level of Smite?
Smite goes up to level V.