enchantment
Thorns in Minecraft | MinecraftBible
Thorns is a level 1-3 armor enchantment in Minecraft 1.21.4. 1 to 4 damage reflected at attackers at level II, +1 damage per level after. 15% chance per level to trigger, capped at 100%. Costs extra durability per hit. 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 Thorns do?
Thorns is a Minecraft enchantment in the Armor category with a Very Rare rarity. It scales up to level 3. It is available from the enchanting table with sufficient bookshelves. Villager librarians can trade enchanted books of this enchantment.
Effect: 1 to 4 damage reflected at attackers at level II, +1 damage per level after. 15% chance per level to trigger, capped at 100%. Costs extra durability per hit.
Priority: Optional. Great on chestplate for AFK farms, wasteful on all four pieces.
How to get Thorns
- 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 Thorns book appears. Expected price: 22–62 emeralds at profession level 4+.
XP cost by level for Thorns
| Level | Min cost | Max cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 60 |
| 2 | 30 | 80 |
| 3 | 50 | 100 |
Secondary-compatible items
Items that accept Thorns through broader tags (durability, vanishing, equippable):
- Turtle Shell
- Leather Cap
- Leather Tunic
- Leather Pants
- Leather Boots
- Chainmail Helmet
- Chainmail Chestplate
- Chainmail Leggings
- Chainmail Boots
- Iron Helmet
- Iron Chestplate
- Iron Leggings
- Iron Boots
- Diamond Helmet
- Diamond Chestplate
- Diamond Leggings
- Diamond Boots
- Golden Helmet
- Golden Chestplate
- Golden Leggings
- Golden Boots
- Netherite Helmet
- Netherite Chestplate
- Netherite Leggings
Compatible items
- Turtle Shell
- Leather Cap
- Leather Tunic
- Leather Pants
- Leather Boots
- Chainmail Helmet
- Chainmail Chestplate
- Chainmail Leggings
- Chainmail Boots
- Iron Helmet
- Iron Chestplate
- Iron Leggings
- Iron Boots
- Diamond Helmet
- Diamond Chestplate
- Diamond Leggings
- Diamond Boots
- Golden Helmet
- Golden Chestplate
- Golden Leggings
- Golden Boots
- Netherite Helmet
- Netherite Chestplate
- Netherite Leggings
Synergy enchantments with Thorns
These enchantments stack productively on the same item:
Enchantment properties
- Category: Armor
- Rarity: Very Rare
- Max level: 3
- Weight: 1
- Min cost formula: 20 × level + -10
- Max cost formula: 20 × level + 40
- Anvil item cost / level: 8×
- Anvil book cost / level: 4×
- Treasure only: No
- Tradeable: Yes
- Discoverable via enchanting table: Yes
- Curse: No
Practical Guide
Thorns is an enchantment in Minecraft 1.21.4 with a maximum level of 3, usable on 24+ real item types. 1 to 4 damage reflected at attackers at level II, +1 damage per level after. 15% chance per level to trigger, capped at 100%. Costs extra durability per hit.
Practical Steps
- Effect: 1 to 4 damage reflected at attackers at level II, +1 damage per level after. 15% chance per level to trigger, capped at 100%. Costs extra durability per hit.
- Obtainable from: Enchanting table; Librarian villager trades; Dungeon chests.
- Level 3 enchanting-table cost lands between 50 and 100 XP — budget your levels before committing.
- Apply to compatible gear such as Turtle Shell, Leather Cap, Leather Tunic. 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 22-62 emeralds at profession level 4+.
Pro Tips
- Priority: Optional. Great on chestplate for AFK farms, wasteful on all four pieces.
- 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 Thorns do in Minecraft?
1 to 4 damage reflected at attackers at level II, +1 damage per level after. 15% chance per level to trigger, capped at 100%. Costs extra durability per hit. Max level is 3.
What is the max level of Thorns?
Thorns caps at level 3. At max level the enchanting-table cost formula lands between 50 and 100 XP.
How do I get Thorns?
Thorns can be obtained from: Enchanting table; Librarian villager trades; Dungeon chests. A librarian villager at profession level 4+ can sell an enchanted book of it for 22-62 emeralds.
Can I trade for Thorns 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 Thorns book. Expected price is 22-62 emeralds and requires villager level 4+.
Does Thorns conflict with other enchantments?
Thorns has no incompatible enchantments and can be freely combined with others.
What is the anvil cost for Thorns?
Applying Thorns to a target from an enchanted book costs 4× per level in anvil work units, or 8× per level when combining from another enchanted item. Every anvil use also doubles the prior-work penalty on the target.