If you’ve ever stumbled into a mineshaft at midnight and found yourself swarmed by cave spiders that take way too many hits to kill, you’ve probably wondered if there’s a better way to deal with these buggy pests. Most players default to Sharpness on all their weapons, but there’s a niche enchantment built specifically for taking down arthropod mobs faster. If you’ve asked what does Bane of Arthropods do in Minecraft, you’re in the right place to learn all the details of this underrated enchantment, including when it’s worth using and how to get the highest level version for your loadout. This guide covers everything from base mechanics to common mistakes, so you can stop wasting durability on ineffective hits against bug mobs.
What Does Bane of Arthropods Do in Minecraft, Exactly?
At its core, Bane of Arthropods is a weapon enchantment that adds two key effects when you hit eligible mobs: extra damage and a temporary slowness debuff. Unlike general damage enchants that work on all targets, this one only applies to mobs classified as arthropods in the game’s code. The list of eligible mobs includes regular spiders, cave spiders, silverfish, endermites, and even bees, so it covers most of the small bug-like enemies you’ll run into in all biomes.
Each level of the enchantment increases both the extra damage and the length of the slowness effect. At max level (Level 5), you’ll get an extra 12.5 hit points of damage per hit, which cuts the time to kill a cave spider almost in half compared to an unenchanted sword. The slowness effect at Level 5 lasts for 3.5 seconds, which makes it almost impossible for fast arthropods like silverfish to run away or swarm you mid-fight. It’s important to note this enchantment only works on swords and axes, so don’t waste an enchanted book trying to apply it to a bow, trident, or pickaxe.
If you’re playing on Bedrock Edition, there’s a small extra quirk: the slowness effect applies even if you hit an arthropod with an axe that has the enchantment while you’re not in combat mode. That means you can tap a bee with your enchanted axe to slow it down before it stings you, even if you’re just harvesting honey from a nearby nest. It’s a small perk that makes the enchantment even more useful for casual farming tasks around your base. You don’t have to worry about wasting durability either, since even a few hits with Bane of Arthropods will take down most arthropod mobs before they can get close enough to hit you.
How to Get Bane of Arthropods in Your Survival World
There are four main ways to get Bane of Arthropods in a standard survival world, no mods or cheats required. The most accessible way early game is to use an enchanting table with enough bookshelves to unlock higher level rolls. You’ll need at least 15 bookshelves placed around the enchanting table (with a one-block gap between them and the table) to unlock Level 30 enchants, which is the only way to get Level 4 or 5 Bane of Arthropods directly from the table. Keep in mind enchantment rolls are random, so you might have to cycle through a few low level enchants on junk items before you see it pop up.
If you don’t want to rely on random rolls, librarian villager trades are the most consistent way to get high-level Bane of Arthropods. You can cure a zombie villager to get discounted trades, or break and replace a lectern next to an unemployed villager until it becomes a librarian with the enchantment you want. For just a few emeralds, you can get a Level 5 enchanted book without wasting any lapis lazuli or experience points on random rolls.
You can also find Bane of Arthropods enchanted books in loot chests across the world, including desert temples, mineshaft chests, and stronghold libraries. Fishing is another option, though it’s even more random than the enchanting table, so it’s only worth doing if you’re already fishing for other items like enchanted bows or name tags. If you end up with multiple low level versions of the enchantment, you can combine two Level 2 books in an anvil to make a Level 3, two Level 3 to make a Level 4, and so on, to get the max level without rolling it directly.
Just don’t forget that applying a Level 5 book to a diamond or netherite sword will cost a few experience levels, so make sure you have enough stored up before you head to the anvil. It’s also a good idea to add Unbreaking or Mending to the same weapon, so you don’t burn through durability fast when you’re farming hundreds of spiders for string.
Bane of Arthropods vs Other Damage Enchantments: Which Should You Pick?
Most players just stick Sharpness on all their weapons, but Bane of Arthropods is actually more effective in specific scenarios, so it’s worth keeping a separate enchanted sword for those tasks. The first thing to know is you cannot stack Bane of Arthropods with Sharpness or Smite on the same weapon, so you have to choose which enchantment fits your current goal.
Sharpness adds a smaller amount of extra damage to all mobs, including players, so it’s the best pick for general exploration where you’ll run into a mix of creepers, zombies, spiders, and other enemies. Smite adds extra damage only to undead mobs like zombies, skeletons, and withers, so it’s perfect for clearing nether fortresses or zombie spawner farms. Bane of Arthropods beats both of these when you’re fighting only arthropod mobs: max level Bane deals almost twice as much damage to cave spiders as max level Sharpness, so you’ll kill them in one or two hits instead of three or four.
It’s not just about damage either. The slowness effect from Bane of Arthropods makes it way easier to handle swarms of silverfish that pop out of stone blocks in strongholds, or cave spiders that crawl up walls and attack from unexpected angles. You won’t have to chase down fast moving bugs, because they’ll be too slow to run away after the first hit. If you accidentally hit a creeper with your Bane of Arthropods sword, you’ll notice it takes way longer to kill than it would with a Sharpness weapon, so get in the habit of swapping weapons when you see non-arthropod mobs nearby.
So when is it worth carrying a Bane of Arthropods weapon over a general Sharpness one?
- You are clearing a spider spawner farm for string and spider eyes to make potions
- You are exploring an abandoned mineshaft full of cave spider spawners and hidden silverfish blocks
- You are harvesting honey or moving bee nests near your base and want to avoid getting swarmed by angry bees
- You are farming endermites to get ender pearls without having to fight endermen
If you’re doing any of these tasks, swapping to a Bane of Arthropods sword will cut your work time in half and reduce the risk of taking damage from swarms. For general day to day exploration, stick to Sharpness, but it’s always good to have a Bane enchanted weapon stored in your base for specific jobs. Against arthropod mobs, max level Bane of Arthropods deals 40% more damage than max level Sharpness V, so the extra inventory slot is well worth it for dedicated farming runs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid With Bane of Arthropods
Even though Bane of Arthropods is a pretty straightforward enchantment, there are a few common mistakes new players make that waste resources and make the enchantment less useful. The first mistake is trying to use it against non-arthropod mobs. It gives zero extra damage to zombies, creepers, skeletons, endermen, or other players, so you’re better off switching to a Sharpness weapon if you run into any of these while you’re out farming spiders.
Another common mistake is wasting a max level Bane of Arthropods book on a low durability weapon like a stone or iron sword. If you’re going to spend the time and emeralds to get a Level 5 book, apply it to a diamond or netherite sword that you can add Mending to, so it lasts forever. There’s no point in putting a high level enchantment on a weapon that will break after 100 hits.
A lot of players also assume Bane of Arthropods works on all bug-like mobs, but that’s not the case. Creepers are not classified as arthropods, so the enchantment does nothing to them, even though they look like big bugs. Endermen and phantoms are also not eligible, so don’t waste hits with your Bane sword on those. If you’re playing on a PvP-enabled server, never bring a Bane of Arthropods weapon as your main combat gear, because it will do no extra damage to other players, and you’ll be at a big disadvantage against someone with a Sharpness sword.
Finally, don’t forget to pair Bane of Arthropods with other useful enchants to make it even more effective. Adding Fire Aspect to the same sword will set arthropods on fire for extra damage, and Sweeping Edge will let you hit multiple swarming bugs at once. Mending will let you repair the sword just by gaining experience, so you don’t have to carry extra diamonds or netherite to repair it mid-farm. If you’re using an axe with Bane of Arthropods, adding Efficiency will let you break blocks and fight bugs with the same tool if you’re exploring mineshafts.
Bane of Arthropods might not be the first enchantment you reach for when you’re upgrading your first diamond sword, but it’s an incredibly useful niche tool for specific survival tasks. Whether you’re clearing a mineshaft full of cave spiders, farming string for wool, or harvesting honey from your bee farm, this enchantment makes dealing with arthropod mobs faster and far less risky. Now that you know what does Bane of Arthropods do in Minecraft, you can add it to your enchantment rotation to make your survival runs way smoother. You don’t have to use it for every fight, but keeping a max level version in your Ender Chest for dedicated farming runs will save you a lot of time and health down the line.