Too Expensive! in the Anvil

Why it happens

Every time an item goes through an anvil (combining or repairing; in Java a rename on its own doesn't count), its prior work penalty grows: 0 → 1 → 3 → 7 → 15 → 31 → 63. Both slots add their penalty to the cost. After five uses the penalty alone is 31 levels, so only cheap books still fit. After six it is 63, so every further step is too expensive.

How to fix it

• Merge books first. Combine books with each other in pairs, then put one finished book on the item. The calculator finds the cheapest order automatically.
• Start from fresh gear. A new item has no penalty. Use the calculator's "already enchanted" option to compare.
• Use a grindstone to strip an item of its enchantments and penalty, then enchant it again in a good order. See the grindstone.
• Name it in the last book step. Renaming during a combine adds just 1 level; a separate rename costs the whole penalty plus 1.

Repairs

Repairing with materials (like diamonds) or another item also adds a use. With Mending you never need to repair on an anvil.

A worked example

Say you add five books to a fresh sword one at a time. The sword's penalty climbs 0, 1, 3, 7, 15 as it goes through the anvil five times, so the last book alone costs 15 levels before its own enchantment. Merge the books in pairs first instead, and the sword only goes through the anvil once or twice. The calculator does exactly this for every possible order and picks the cheapest.

Try it on the sword enchant order page, or use the prior work penalty calculator to check a single step.

How the anvil adds up the cost

Every anvil step has up to four parts. Once you know them, you can predict any cost before you click.

• The left item's penalty: 0, 1, 3, 7, 15, 31 and so on, based on how many times it has been through an anvil.
• The right item's penalty: the same rule. A book that came from merging two books already has a penalty of 1.
• The enchantments you bring in: each enchantment's final level times its multiplier. Books use half the multiplier, with a minimum of 1.
• Extras: 1 level for a rename, 1 for each enchantment that conflicts with one already on the item, and the cost of any repair.

In Java, the anvil charges the full final level of every enchantment on the right item, not only the increase. So putting Sharpness V on a sword that already has Sharpness IV still charges for all five levels.

Multipliers of common enchantments

Notice the gap between books and items. A Silk Touch book costs 4 levels, but taking Silk Touch from another pickaxe costs 8. Because of this, always move enchantments with books when you can. The full list sits on each enchantment page.

Worked example: a max sword, two ways

Take a fresh netherite sword and seven books: Sharpness V, Looting III, Sweeping Edge III, Fire Aspect II, Knockback II, Unbreaking III, Mending. First, the common way: put each book on the sword one by one.

The total would be 148 levels, but you never get there. Step 7 costs 65 levels, so the anvil refuses it. That is the trap: the early steps look cheap, so it feels fine until the last book.

Now the smart way. Merge books into pairs first, and put the pairs on the sword. The sword only goes through the anvil a few times, and the books share the penalty.

This order costs 49 levels in total, and the most expensive single step is only 14. Same books, same sword, and no Too Expensive at all. The sword enchant order page shows this with pictures, and the calculator does the same for any item and any set of books.

Rescuing an item that is already expensive

Sometimes the damage is done: you have a sword with five anvil uses and you want to add one more book. Here is what still fits.

• After 4 uses the penalty is 15, leaving 24 levels of room. All 41 non-curse enchantments still fit at max level from a fresh book.
• After 5 uses the penalty is 31, leaving only 8 levels. A single cheap book, such as Unbreaking III (3 levels) or Mending (2), still fits. 37 of the 41 fit at max level.
• After 6 uses the penalty is 63. Nothing fits any more, ever.

If you have several books left, merge them into one book first. That book will carry a small penalty of its own, but the item only takes one more anvil trip. If even that is too much, you have three choices. First, keep the item as it is and repair it with Mending. Second, run it through a grindstone, which removes the enchantments and the penalty, and start again. Third, enchant a new item in the right order.

Repairs raise the penalty too

Repairing on an anvil counts as a use, just like adding a book. Each unit of the repair material, like a diamond for diamond gear, restores a quarter of the item's durability. Combining two damaged items of the same kind also works, but the right item brings its own penalty along.

So a diamond pickaxe that you repair every few days climbs the penalty ladder fast. After four or five repairs, you can't add another book. This is the main reason Too Expensive shows up on old gear. The fix is Mending: once an item has it, you never need the anvil for repairs again. If you don't have Mending yet, repair your gear with a grindstone instead when you don't care about its enchantments, or simply craft a new tool.

Habits that prevent Too Expensive

• Plan every book before the first step. Collect all the books, then combine them in one session in the right order.
• Put expensive books on early. Heavy books like Swift Sneak, Soul Speed and Thorns should land while the penalty is still low.
• Keep the item out of the right slot. Sacrificing a whole enchanted item uses the full multipliers instead of half, and adds that item's penalty.
• Rename in the last step, or not at all. During your last book step a rename adds just 1 level, while a separate rename later costs the whole penalty plus 1. The anvil color names tool helps you plan a colored name.
• Don't stack junk. Leave out enchantments you don't need. Knockback on a sword, for example, adds cost and often gets in the way.
• Check before you commit. The anvil shows the cost before you take the result, so read it every time.

For armor, the boots are the hardest piece because they take the most books. The chestplate, leggings and helmet pages show their own cheapest orders.

Why merging in pairs works

The penalty depends on how many anvil trips an item has made, not on how many enchantments it has. So the trick is to keep every item's trip count low. Merging books into pairs, then pairs into bigger books, gives a tree with few levels. Each item only goes through the anvil a handful of times.

Even a small build shows the gap. A pickaxe with Efficiency V, Fortune III, Unbreaking III, Mending costs 27 levels one by one (5, 7, 6, 9). In the best order it costs 23, and the largest step is 8. The difference grows fast with more books. At seven books it decides whether the build is possible at all.

The best order also puts the expensive books where the penalty is lowest. That is why the calculator often starts with the priciest book straight onto the item, then adds merged pairs of cheaper books.

Reading the anvil screen

The anvil shows the cost under the result slot before you take anything. If you have enough levels, the cost shows in green. If you don't, it shows in red and you can't take the result. When the cost reaches 40 or more, the text changes to Too Expensive! instead.

No result at all means something else. Either the two items don't combine, like a sword and a pickaxe, or the book has nothing the item can take. Check can you put pages for common questions like this, and the conflict list for enchantments that exclude each other.

Too Expensive on armor

Armor runs into the limit more often than tools, because every piece takes Protection, Unbreaking, Mending and often Thorns. Boots are the worst case with seven books. Plan each piece as a whole: collect all its books, then follow its order page in one go. If you already put three or four books on a piece one at a time, check its penalty before you buy more books for it.