What Knockback does
| Level | Effect | Book cost |
|---|---|---|
| I | +1 knockback strength | 1 |
| II | +2 knockback strength | 2 |
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.
How Knockback works
Every hit pushes the target away from you. Knockback adds to that push: each level adds one more step of knockback strength. A sprinting hit also adds one step, so a sprint hit with Knockback II sends mobs a long way.
Mobs resist it in different ways. Each piece of netherite armor gives 10% knockback resistance, so a full netherite set shrugs off 40% of the push. Iron golems, ravagers and the warden barely move at all. A raised shield also blocks the push.
Where it helps
- Keeping creepers away. A creeper pushed out of range stops its fuse.
- Pushing mobs into lava, water traps, the void or off cliffs.
- Holding a narrow doorway or a bridge against a crowd.
Where it hurts
- Chasing mobs, because each hit throws them out of reach.
- Mob farms, where it pushes mobs away from the kill spot.
- Fights near ledges, where you might want the mob close and safe.
- Sweeping hits with Sweeping Edge, because spread-out mobs are harder to hit together.
That is why many players leave Knockback off their main sword. If the table gives it, the sword is still fine, and you get used to it.
Knockback or Punch?
Knockback is for melee weapons: swords and spears. Punch is the bow version and adds knockback to arrows. Axes can't take Knockback, so see Knockback on an axe if you want to try.
Removing it
A grindstone strips every enchantment except curses, so you can't remove only Knockback. If you hate it on a good sword, it is often cheaper to make a new sword than to start the old one over.
Knockback by level
Level I adds a small extra push, and level II sends mobs much further. With a sprint hit on top, level II can throw a mob several blocks. If you keep Knockback at all, decide whether you like the push before you upgrade to II.
Knockback on a spear
Spears can take Knockback too. A spear already lets you fight from a little further away, so pushing mobs back keeps them out of reach of their own attacks. That makes Knockback more useful on a spear than on a sword for some players.
Knockback and crowd control
In a narrow tunnel or on a bridge, Knockback II lets you hold a whole group back. Each hit sends the front mob into the ones behind it, so they can't reach you all at once. That is the one place where many players miss Knockback once they remove it.
Which items take Knockback
Knockback goes on 2 kinds of gear in the calculator: sword, spear. An enchanting table can roll it on the sword, spear.
Nothing conflicts with Knockback, so it fits next to every other enchantment its items can take.
Knockback from the enchanting table
The level you can roll depends on the item's enchantability. A material with a higher value reaches higher levels from the same level 30 enchant. This table shows the best Knockback each sword can get from a level 30 enchant with 15 bookshelves.
| Item | Enchantability | Best from the table |
|---|---|---|
| Netherite Sword | 15 | II |
| Diamond Sword | 10 | II |
| Iron Sword | 14 | II |
| Golden Sword | 22 | II |
Anything higher has to come from a book instead. Then the enchanting table calculator shows the exact chance for every level.
Anvil cost of Knockback
Knockback has an anvil multiplier of 2 from another item and 1 from a book. So a Knockback II book costs 2 levels on a fresh item, and each lower level costs 1 less. Two fresh Knockback I books merge into Knockback II for 2 levels. That is as cheap as books get, so it rarely decides the order.
Java charges the full resulting level every time, even when the item already has a lower level of it. 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
Knockback is part of the max build for 2 items: best sword enchantments, best spear enchantments. To put it on in the cheapest order, see the sword enchant order, spear enchant order.
Common questions: can you put Knockback on an axe?
More reading: Getting books from librarians, How to enchant in Minecraft, Every max enchantment level. You can make a Knockback book with the command generator. The librarian price list shows what villagers charge for it.
How to get Knockback
- 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. Level I costs 5–19 emeralds plus a book.
- Gear worn by trial chamber mobs This loot table names it directly, so it is one of the most reliable places to look.
- Ominous vaults (trial chambers) This loot table names it directly, so it is one of the most reliable places to look.
- Random enchanted books It is also in the pool for the random enchanted books and gear in many chests and in fishing loot.
Knockback is a common roll at the table on swords and spears, which is why it shows up so often. Librarians also sell it, and trial chamber mobs and ominous vaults can give it.
Enchanting power and librarian prices
| Level | Enchanting power | Librarian price |
|---|---|---|
| I | 5–55 | 5–19 emeralds |
| II | 25–75 | 8–32 emeralds |
The power column is the hidden enchanting value each level needs. A level 30 enchant on a netherite sword reaches power 43 at most. That already includes the enchantability bonus and the random spread. The price column shows what a librarian can ask for each book. Curing a zombie villager or the Hero of the Village effect lowers it.
Tips
- Good for keeping creepers away, bad for chasing mobs or fighting near ledges.
- Many players leave it off a main sword because it pushes mobs out of reach.
Commands
Give yourself a Knockback book or enchant the item in your hand. These work in Java 26.3 once cheats are on.
/give @p enchanted_book[stored_enchantments={knockback:2}]
/enchant @s knockback 2
/give @p netherite_sword[enchantments={knockback:2}]Versions
Knockback is in every Java version from 1.21 (when enchantments became data files) up to 26.3.
- 1.21.9: now goes on copper sword.
- 1.21.11: now goes on diamond spear, stone spear, golden spear, netherite spear, wooden spear, iron spear, copper spear.
Also see the update log for every change, and how this data is checked. Bedrock player? See Knockback on Bedrock.
Questions
Is Knockback good on a sword?
It is a matter of taste. It keeps enemies away but makes combos harder, so PvP players often avoid it.
Is Knockback good for PvP?
It depends on your style. It keeps enemies away from you, but it also pushes them out of reach for follow-up hits, so many PvP players avoid it.
Can you remove only Knockback from a sword?
No. A grindstone removes every enchantment except curses at once.
Can you put Knockback on a spear?
Yes. Spears can take Knockback, and the table can offer it on them.
What is the max level of Knockback?
Knockback II. A sprint hit adds one more step of push on top.