(Estimated Read Time: 3 Minutes)

Smite has been around since enchantments were first introduced, yet few put its power to full use. So, today, we answer the question, “What does smite do in Minecraft?”

What Does Smite Do in Minecraft?

Smite enchanted weapons deal an additional 2.5 damage to undead enemies with every hit, increasing by 2.5 damage for each level of the enchantment up to a maximum of level 5. 0.5 damage is 1/4 of a heart.

Is Smite Better Than Sharpness or Density?

The answer is almost always no. However, there are specific circumstances where smite enchanted weapons can shine. For example, smite enchanted weapons are particularly useful when farming wither skeletons or taking on the wither as both are considered undead.

Are Smite Weapons Worth Keeping?

As mentioned previously, smite does have a niche use for farming wither skeletons and killing the wither. For this reason, it is not a bad idea to have a late-game goal of creating a smite dedicated sword, axe, or mace. Such a weapon should never be a priority over your first general purpose sharpness weapon, but tucking a few smite swords away for a withery day does not hurt.

Smite Compatible Weapons

• Sword
• Axe
• Mace

In Bedrock Edition, Smite can occur naturally on any of the three weapons above when using the enchanting table. The same is true for swords and maces in Java Editon, but adding smite to axes requires an enchanted book and anvil instead.

Smite Incompatible Enchantments

• Sharpness
• Bane of Arthropods
• Density
• Breach

Smite can not share a weapon with any of the enchantments listed above.

A Question’s End

Hopefully, we have helped explain the smite enchantment today! It may be niche in its uses, but it is at least used against one boss, unlike Bane of Arthropods. That poor enchantment has been thrown away for over a decade. Until Next Time, BisectHosting =)