enchantment
Bane of Arthropods in Minecraft | MinecraftBible
Bane of Arthropods is a level 1-5 weapon enchantment in Minecraft 1.21.4. Adds 2.5 extra damage per level and applies Slowness IV to spiders, silverfish, endermites, and bees. Useless on everything else. This enchantment page includes real crafting data, contextual links, and related Minecraft references, with version-aware coverage mapped across the last 11 major updates (1.21, 1.20, 1.19, 1.18, 1.17, 1.16, 1.15, 1.14, 1.13, 1.12, 1.11).
What does Bane of Arthropods do?
Bane of Arthropods is a Minecraft enchantment in the Weapon category with a Uncommon rarity. It scales up to level 5. It is available from the enchanting table with sufficient bookshelves. Villager librarians can trade enchanted books of this enchantment.
Effect: Adds 2.5 extra damage per level and applies Slowness IV to spiders, silverfish, endermites, and bees. Useless on everything else.
Priority: Niche. Only for stronghold silverfish runs and cave spider spawner farms.
How to get Bane of Arthropods
- Enchanting table
- Librarian villager trades
- Dungeon chests
Librarian trade: Cure or trap a villager, place a lectern to convert them to a librarian, then break and re-place the lectern to reroll trades until a Bane of Arthropods book appears. Expected price: 8–32 emeralds at profession level 2+.
XP cost by level for Bane of Arthropods
| Level | Min cost | Max cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 25 |
| 2 | 13 | 33 |
| 3 | 21 | 41 |
| 4 | 29 | 49 |
| 5 | 37 | 57 |
Primary items for Bane of Arthropods
Items whose native enchantment category matches "Weapon":
Synergy enchantments with Bane of Arthropods
These enchantments stack productively on the same item:
Conflicts with
Enchantment properties
- Category: Weapon
- Rarity: Uncommon
- Max level: 5
- Weight: 5
- Min cost formula: 8 × level + -3
- Max cost formula: 8 × level + 17
- Anvil item cost / level: 2×
- Anvil book cost / level: 1×
- Treasure only: No
- Tradeable: Yes
- Discoverable via enchanting table: Yes
- Curse: No
Practical Guide
Bane of Arthropods is an enchantment in Minecraft 1.21.4 with a maximum level of 5, usable on 13+ real item types. Adds 2.5 extra damage per level and applies Slowness IV to spiders, silverfish, endermites, and bees. Useless on everything else.
Practical Steps
- Effect: Adds 2.5 extra damage per level and applies Slowness IV to spiders, silverfish, endermites, and bees. Useless on everything else.
- Obtainable from: Enchanting table; Librarian villager trades; Dungeon chests.
- Level 5 enchanting-table cost lands between 37 and 57 XP — budget your levels before committing.
- Apply to compatible gear such as Wooden Sword, Wooden Axe, Stone Sword. See the Primary Items section for the full list.
- Librarian route: cure or trap a villager, place a lectern, and reroll trades by breaking + replacing the lectern until you see the book. Expect 8-32 emeralds at profession level 2+.
Pro Tips
- Priority: Niche. Only for stronghold silverfish runs and cave spider spawner farms.
- Use a grindstone to safely strip this enchantment and reclaim a small XP refund.
- Before an anvil merge, confirm the two enchantments aren't in each other's exclusive list — conflicts turn the merge red and waste XP.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Bane of Arthropods do in Minecraft?
Adds 2.5 extra damage per level and applies Slowness IV to spiders, silverfish, endermites, and bees. Useless on everything else. Max level is 5.
What is the max level of Bane of Arthropods?
Bane of Arthropods caps at level 5. At max level the enchanting-table cost formula lands between 37 and 57 XP.
How do I get Bane of Arthropods?
Bane of Arthropods can be obtained from: Enchanting table; Librarian villager trades; Dungeon chests. A librarian villager at profession level 2+ can sell an enchanted book of it for 8-32 emeralds.
Can I trade for Bane of Arthropods with a villager?
Yes — cure a zombie villager or trap a fresh villager, place a lectern to convert them to a librarian, then break and replace the lectern until they roll a Bane of Arthropods book. Expected price is 8-32 emeralds and requires villager level 2+.
What enchantments conflict with Bane of Arthropods?
Bane of Arthropods cannot be combined with: Breach, Density, Impaling, Sharpness, Smite.
What is the anvil cost for Bane of Arthropods?
Applying Bane of Arthropods to a target from an enchanted book costs 1× per level in anvil work units, or 2× per level when combining from another enchanted item. Every anvil use also doubles the prior-work penalty on the target.