What Smite does
| Level | Effect | Book cost |
|---|---|---|
| I | +2.5 damage against undead | 1 |
| II | +5 damage against undead | 2 |
| III | +7.5 damage against undead | 3 |
| IV | +10 damage against undead | 4 |
| V | +12.5 damage against undead | 5 |
Book cost is the anvil cost of putting that book on a fresh item. However, already-used items add their prior work penalty: work it out in the calculator.
Which mobs count as undead
Smite works on every undead mob: zombies, husks, drowned, zombie villagers, skeletons, strays, bogged, wither skeletons, phantoms, zombified piglins, zoglins, skeleton and zombie horses, and the wither itself. Against anything else it adds nothing.
That list covers a large share of what you fight at night and in the Nether. Still, creepers, spiders, endermen, piglins, illagers and players all take no extra damage.
How strong it is
Each level adds 2.5 damage against undead, so Smite V adds 12.5. In Bedrock it is still twice what Sharpness V adds against undead.
Where Smite is worth it
- The wither fight. The wither is undead and has a lot of health, so Smite cuts the fight down a lot.
- Wither skeleton farms, where you also want Looting III for skulls.
- Zombie, skeleton and drowned farms and spawner rooms.
- Trial chambers, where many spawners hold zombies, husks, skeletons, strays and bogged.
Smite on a mace or an axe
Smite also fits on the mace and the axe, but only from a book. On the mace it adds to every smash attack against undead. It excludes Density and Breach, though, so a Smite mace gives up the fall damage bonus. For the wither fight a Smite mace can still be the strongest pick. See Smite on a mace and Smite on an axe.
Smite by level
Each level adds the same 2.5 damage against undead, so level V is the one to aim for. The book is ×1 per level, so it is cheap to upgrade.
Smite and the warden
The warden is not undead, so Smite adds nothing against it. For the warden, a Sharpness weapon or a Density mace is the better choice, if you fight it at all.
Common mistakes
- Using a Smite sword as your only sword. Keep Sharpness on your main weapon and a Smite weapon as a second.
- Expecting Smite to help against piglins. Only zombified piglins are undead.
- Bringing Smite to the Ender Dragon fight. The dragon is not undead.
Which items take Smite
Smite goes on 4 kinds of gear in the calculator: sword, axe, spear, mace. An enchanting table can roll it on the sword, spear. On axe, mace the table never offers it, so there it only comes from a book.
It can't share an item with Sharpness, Bane of Arthropods, Impaling, Density or Breach. If an item already has one of those, the anvil skips the Smite book.
Anvil cost of Smite
Smite has an anvil multiplier of 2 from another item and 1 from a book. So a Smite V book costs 5 levels on a fresh item, and each lower level costs 1 less. Two fresh Smite IV books merge into Smite V for 1 level. Building it from scratch takes 16 level I books and 15 merges, 49 levels in all. That is as cheap as books get, so it rarely decides the order.
Bedrock only charges for the levels a book adds. So upgrading a lower level costs only the difference. Every step also adds the prior work penalty of both items. The enchantment calculator finds the cheapest order for your whole set of books.
Builds, questions and guides
Smite can go on 4 items: best sword enchantments, best axe enchantments, best spear enchantments, best mace enchantments. To put it on in the cheapest order, see the sword enchant order, axe enchant order, spear enchant order, mace enchant order.
Common questions: can you put Smite on an axe?, can you put Smite on a mace?
More reading: Getting books from librarians, How to enchant in Minecraft, Every max enchantment level. You can make a Smite book with the command generator. The librarian price list shows what villagers charge for it.
How to get Smite
- Enchanting table It can appear when you enchant a supported item at an enchanting table. However, higher levels need more bookshelves and a level 30 enchant.
- Librarian villagers Librarians can sell it as an enchanted book.
- Ominous vaults (trial chambers) One of the places it reliably shows up, the same as in Java.
- Random enchanted books It is also in the pool for the random enchanted books and gear in many chests and in fishing loot.
Smite is an uncommon roll at the enchanting table on swords and spears, and it often appears instead of Sharpness. Ominous vaults in trial chambers can also give it. For an axe or a mace you need a Smite book from a librarian or from loot.
Tips
- Smite V adds 12.5 damage against undead, twice what Sharpness V adds in Bedrock.
- A Smite sword or mace is the classic choice for the wither fight.
Commands
Hold the item and run this command in Bedrock 26.60 with cheats on. Bedrock's /enchant only goes up to the max level. Its /give command can't add enchantments.
/enchant @s smite 5Questions
Is Smite better than Sharpness?
Only against undead mobs. Against everything else it adds nothing, so most players keep it on a second weapon.
Does Smite work on the wither?
Yes. The wither is undead, so Smite adds its full bonus to every hit. A Smite V sword or mace is the classic wither weapon.
Does Smite work on phantoms and drowned?
Yes. Phantoms and drowned are both undead.
Can you put Smite and Sharpness on the same sword?
No. Sharpness, Smite and Bane of Arthropods exclude each other.
What is the max level of Smite?
Smite V. It adds 12.5 damage against undead mobs.
Does Smite work on piglins?
No. Piglins and piglin brutes are not undead. Only zombified piglins and zoglins count.