Minecraft Curse Guide: All Curses & Effects

Enchanting in Minecraft server hosting is often seen as a blessing, a way to supercharge your gear and gain the upper hand in combat, mining, or exploration. But not all enchantments are created equal. Hidden within the arcane possibilities of the enchanting table and loot drops lies a shadowy class of enchantments known as curses.

These “negative enchantments” can sneak into your items when you least expect it, binding your gear with ominous consequences. But while curses are generally feared and avoided, some players have learned to wield them as tools in their own right, or at least mitigate their effects through clever strategies.

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What Are Minecraft Curses?

Curses are a special category of enchantments that generally inflict some form of restriction or penalty on the item they’re applied to. Unlike beneficial enchantments like Protection or Efficiency, curses don't boost your stats - they make gameplay harder.

You won’t find these on the enchanting table (with one exception), but they can appear on loot from End cities, bastions, or dungeon chests, and sometimes sneak into gear from villagers or even through the anvil if you’re careless with mixing enchanted books.

Currently, the game features two official curses in both Java and Bedrock Editions:

• Curse of Binding

• Curse of Vanishing

NOTE

Some mods (like those used on CurseForge or in modpacks) expand the curse system with even more brutal effects, but we’ll focus here on the core vanilla mechanics

Curse of Binding in Minecraft

Ever worn a pumpkin on your head and couldn’t take it off? That’s Curse of Binding at work.

What It Does:

Once a piece of armor with Curse of Binding is equipped, it cannot be removed unless the item breaks, or you die (in Survival or Adventure mode).

How to Get Curse of Binding

Only through loot (chests, fishing, etc.), villager trades, or combining enchanted books. You can’t get it from a normal enchanting table.

When It’s Dangerous:

• Accidentally equip a cursed carved pumpkin or leather armor in hardcore mode? You’re stuck with it forever - no resets.

• PvP servers often see players troll one another with cursed gear as a practical joke (or psychological warfare).

• In minigames or adventure maps, mapmakers may use this to force players into specific roles or difficulties.

Can It Be Useful?

Oddly, yes. In multiplayer games, Curse of Binding can be used intentionally to ensure no one removes their team-colored armor. Some players also exploit it in challenge runs to force themselves into creative constraints.

Curse of Vanishing in Minecraft

This is the more subtle, but no less frustrating, curse in the game.

What It Does:

When the player dies, any item with Curse of Vanishing disappears permanently instead of dropping to the ground.

How to Get Curse of Vanishing

Same sources as Curse of Binding, dungeon loot, fishing, trades, or combining books.

Why It’s Risky:

• You find a god-tier sword with Sharpness V and Looting III… but it has Curse of Vanishing. Die once, and it’s gone for good.

• Makes death feel real in survival mode - there’s no going back.

Strategic Use Cases:

• PvP players sometimes apply this curse to prevent enemies from looting their custom gear if they’re killed.

• In roleplay or lore-heavy servers, it can be used to reinforce ideas of “legendary” items that vanish when lost in battle.

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How to Remove Curses in Minecraft

Short answer: No, not through conventional means.

• Grindstones remove all non-curse enchantments.

• Combining with another item won’t erase a curse.

• Mods and commands can remove curses in creative or custom setups.

• Breaking the item (intentionally wearing it down) or dying (for Binding) is your only in-game path to freedom.

So, if you get cursed gear, weigh your options carefully. Sometimes it's better to use it until it breaks, or turn it into a twisted trophy on your wall.

How to Avoid Getting Cursed

• Don’t blindly equip loot, especially in high-tier structures like Bastions or End Cities.

• Use grindstones immediately to strip any surprise enchantments, but remember: curses stay!

• Check enchanted books before combining. That “Protection IV” might have a hidden cost.

Result

Curse of Binding and Curse of Vanishing are two rare Minecraft enchantments that you can find in loot chests, via fishing, or by trading with villagers. Curse of Binding locks armor on players until they die, and Curse of Vanishing makes stuff disappear when they die. Both can be used tactically in PvP or roleplay, but players should verify enchanted gear before using it and can manage them by breaking the item or using game rules like keepInventory.

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