What Does Bane of Arthropods Do in Minecraft 1.21+

TL;DR

Bane of Arthropods is a weapon enchantment for swords, axes, and maces that makes them hit much harder against arthropod mobs only. Each level adds 2.5 damage points (1.25 hearts), up to +12.5 damage at Bane of Arthropods V, and also applies Slowness IV for up to 3.5 seconds, so spiders, cave spiders, bees, silverfish, and endermites go down very quickly.

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Weapon Enchantments Minecraft

Enchantments are what turn a basic sword, axe, or mace into a real boss killer in Minecraft server hosting. Most players grab Sharpness or Smite and never look back, but there is one very specific weapon enchantment made just for bug-type mobs: Bane of Arthropods. If your world is full of spiders, cave spiders, and other creepy crawlies, this enchantment can outdamage more universal options.

In this guide we explain what Bane of Arthropods does in Minecraft 1.21+, which mobs count as arthropods in both Java and Bedrock editions, how much extra damage you actually get at each level, and when it’s worth putting this enchantment on your main weapon.

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Understanding Arthropods

In real life, arthropods are a huge group of invertebrate animals with segmented bodies and exoskeletons. Minecraft simplifies this idea and uses arthropods as a special mob category for one enchantment only. In-game, arthropod mobs are:

• spiders and cave spiders
• silverfish and endermites
• bees

These mobs all take bonus damage from the Bane of Arthropods enchantment and get hit with a short Slowness IV effect when you strike them. Naturally hostile arthropods such as spiders, cave spiders, silverfish, and endermites also have a unique death animation: when you kill them, their body flips a full 180 degrees instead of the usual 90 degrees, which is an easy way to see that the enchantment is working.

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Deciphering the Bane of Arthropods

The bane of many adventurers' aspirations lies in the quest to secure optimal enchantments for dispatching hostile mobs. While Sharpness reigns supreme for its versatility, the Bane of Arthropods excels in a specialized niche, delivering devastating power against specific adversaries. Chief among these are spiders and their cave-dwelling kin, though others are susceptible as well. If your goal is to efficiently eradicate these creatures, Bane of Arthropods emerges as a formidable ally, surpassing Sharpness in effectiveness. Whether obtained through enchanting tables or applied via enchanted books, this enchantment is both accessible and potent for the task at hand.

Targeted Mobs

In current Minecraft versions there are five mobs affected by Bane of Arthropods:

• Spiders – common night spawns on the surface and in dark caves.

• Cave spiders – smaller, poisonous spiders that spawn from spawners in abandoned mineshafts.
• Silverfish – tiny mobs that pop out of infested stone blocks, often around strongholds.
• Endermites – rare mobs that sometimes spawn when you throw an ender pearl.
• Bees – neutral flying mobs that live in nests and hives.

If you spend a lot of time in abandoned mineshafts, near spider spawners, strongholds, or bee farms, a sword or axe with Bane of Arthropods can clear these mobs extremely fast. The enchantment is less impressive in open-world exploration where you meet many different enemy types, but in spider-heavy areas it is noticeably stronger than Sharpness at the same level.

On modded servers, there are often extra spider-type mobs and dungeon structures, which makes a dedicated Bane of Arthropods weapon even more valuable and worth hosting on a powerful modded Minecraft server.

Combat Capabilities

Bane of Arthropods is a very focused enchantment, so it shines when you build around its strengths instead of using it as a general-purpose upgrade.

How much extra damage do you get?

Against non-arthropod mobs, your weapon behaves as if it had no enchantment at all. But against spiders, cave spiders, bees, silverfish, and endermites, each level of Bane adds 2.5 damage. A fully charged netherite sword with Bane of Arthropods V can deal more than 20 damage to an unarmored arthropod in a single swing, which is enough to delete most of them instantly. The Slowness IV debuff also keeps surviving mobs locked in place, letting you reposition or finish them safely.

How to get Bane of Arthropods

You can obtain the Bane of Arthropods enchantment in several standard ways:

• Enchanting table. Place a sword, axe, or mace in the enchanting table. With enough experience levels and bookshelves you have a chance to roll Bane of Arthropods I–V.
• Enchanted books. Bane of Arthropods books can appear in loot chests inside structures like dungeons, mineshafts, temples, or strongholds, as well as in some raid rewards in Bedrock Edition.
• Librarian villagers. Trading with a librarian villager can eventually unlock a Bane of Arthropods enchanted book offer. In late game this is the most reliable way to get a specific enchantment at high level.
• Fishing. Enchanted books from fishing loot also have a chance to roll Bane of Arthropods.

Once you have the book, combine it with your chosen weapon on an anvil to move the enchantment across.

The easiest way to get a high-level Bane of Arthropods book is usually through a librarian villager, so knowing how villager professions, restocks, and discounts work pays off when you are hunting for perfect enchantments.

Incompatible enchantments

Bane of Arthropods is mutually exclusive with several other damage enchantments:

• Sharpness
• Smite
• Density
• Breach
• Cleaving (in Java combat test snapshots)

On a mace, Bane of Arthropods also competes with Density, Breach, and Smite, and you can only pick one of them. In normal gameplay, you cannot combine any of these on the same weapon. With commands, it is possible to stack them, but that is outside standard survival play.

Because of this, Bane of Arthropods is usually reserved for specialist weapons: a sword or axe dedicated to spider farms, mineshaft clearing, or stronghold runs, while your main combat weapon keeps Sharpness or Smite for broader use.

FAQ

Is Bane of Arthropods better than Sharpness?

Against arthropod mobs only, yes. At the same enchantment level, Bane of Arthropods deals more extra damage than Sharpness, but it does nothing against other enemy types.

Does Bane of Arthropods work on armor?

No. It only applies to weapons like swords, axes, and maces. Wearing armor with the enchantment has no effect.

Is Bane of Arthropods worth using in survival?

It is worth it if you regularly fight spiders, cave spiders, or silverfish, especially around spawners or farms. For general survival or PvP, most players still prefer Sharpness or Smite on their main weapon and keep Bane of Arthropods on a dedicated side weapon.

Conclusion

Bane of Arthropods is a niche enchantment in Minecraft, but in the right situation it is incredibly strong. Whenever your run involves mineshafts, strongholds, or spider spawner farms, a dedicated Bane of Arthropods weapon will clear those areas much faster than a standard Sharpness sword. Use it as a specialist tool rather than your only weapon, and you get the best of both worlds: fast arthropod clearing and a separate all-round weapon for everything else.

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