Overview
Breach answers the one thing the mace cannot do on its own: hurt something that is heavily armoured. It reduces how much of the target's armour counts, so each level strips away a share of the defence in front of them, and at level IV it ignores 60% of the target's armour outright. Against an unarmoured mob it does nothing worth having — a zombie in no helmet was never being saved by armour points — which makes the choice between Breach and Density a genuine fork rather than a ranking. Density multiplies the fall bonus and is the right pick for a player who fights mobs from height in an ordinary survival world. Breach is the right pick for PvP and for the armoured mobs the game does have: piglin brutes, ravagers, and other players in netherite. The two cannot share a mace, and neither conflicts with Wind Burst, so the standard build is one of Breach or Density plus Wind Burst to chain the smash attacks. Both come from trial chambers, which is where the mace itself comes from.
PvP and armoured targets — other players in full netherite, piglin brutes and ravagers — where stripping armour effectiveness is worth more than multiplying a fall bonus.
Reduces the effectiveness of the target's armour, so the mace hits armoured mobs and players far harder.
Breach goes up to IV. It is a standard enchantment, so an enchanting table can roll it directly.
Weight 2 gives it roughly 8% of the pool a table draws from for an item in its slot, and that share is about how often a level-30 table puts it in front of you.
How to get it
Trial chamber loot, or an enchanted book on an anvil applied to a Mace. Level IV is the maximum, reached by combining 2 level III books, and it never rolls on a mace at an enchanting table alongside Density.
Tips
- Against unarmoured mobs it does almost nothing; Density is the better survival-world choice.
- It stacks freely with Wind Burst, which is how a mace chains one smash attack into the next.
- The mace and its books both come from trial chambers — see trial chambers, the Mace and the Heavy Core.
- Breach and Density conflict, so decide before you spend anvil levels rather than after.
What each level does
What each level actually gives you. The jump from I to IV is where most of the value sits, and an anvil can combine two III books into one IV.
Breach IV ignores 60% of the target's armour.
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| I | armour effectiveness reduced by 15% on the hit |
| II | armour effectiveness reduced by 30% on the hit |
| III | armour effectiveness reduced by 45% on the hit |
| IV | armour effectiveness reduced by 60% on the hit |
Properties
An enchanting table can offer it directly, and a librarian villager will sell it as a book — rerolling a librarian's trade by breaking and replacing their lectern is the cheapest route to it.
- Weight
- 2 (8%)
- Incompatible enchantments
- Bane of Arthropods, Density, Impaling, Sharpness, Smite
What it can be applied to
Breach can be applied to Mace.
- Mace
Gear it goes on
Incompatible enchantments
Breach cannot share an item with Bane of Arthropods, Density, Impaling, Sharpness, and Smite.
Combining them costs levels and still leaves you with only one of the two. Decide which you actually want before the book goes on the anvil.
How to get it
Trial chamber loot or an enchanted book.
Fifteen bookshelves and the level-30 slot is the fastest route; anything less lowers both the level and the pool you draw from.
Command
Cheats on: the first command enchants what is in your hand with Breach IV, and the second spawns the finished item. The component syntax below replaced the old NBT tag in 1.20.5.
Apply it
/enchant @s minecraft:breach 4Give an enchanted item
/give @s mace[enchantments={levels:{"minecraft:breach":4}}]Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum level of Breach?
Breach goes up to level 4. Breach IV ignores 60% of the target's armour.
How do you get Breach in Minecraft?
Trial chamber loot or an enchanted book.
What does Breach conflict with?
Breach cannot be combined with Bane of Arthropods, Density, Impaling, Sharpness, and Smite.
What does Breach IV do?
Breach IV armour effectiveness reduced by 60% on the hit.
