Overview
The mace already converts a fall into damage; Density decides the exchange rate. Each level adds to the bonus you earn per block dropped, so a player who fights from height gains more from this than from any weapon enchantment in the game — and unlike a sword's flat bonus, it scales with how far you were willing to fall. That gives the mace a strategy rather than a stat line: build a pillar, carry a wind charge or a bucket of water, drop on the target, and the damage is a function of your planning rather than your gear tier. The interaction with Wind Burst is where the weapon becomes genuinely absurd, since the rebound from a smash attack gives you the height for the next one, and Density scales every hit in the chain. Against a target that is already unarmoured, Density is the correct pick and Breach is not, which covers almost everything in a survival world. It cannot share the mace with Breach, Sharpness, Smite, Bane of Arthropods or Impaling, so the mace build is short: Density, Wind Burst, Unbreaking, Mending.
Maximising the fall-damage bonus a Mace earns against unarmoured mobs, which covers nearly everything you meet in a normal survival world, the wither and the ender dragon included.
Increases the mace's bonus damage per block fallen. Added with the Mace in 1.21, it turns a well-timed drop attack into the highest single hit in the game.
The highest level of Density is V. It is standard, so it sits in the enchanting table's own offer pool.
At weight 5 it takes up about 21% of the offer pool for an item that accepts it; the larger that share, the less rerolling a level-30 table costs you.
How to get it
Trial chamber loot or an enchanted book on an anvil. Level V is the maximum, and 2 level IV books combine to reach it, so plan several chamber runs — vaults are the reliable source rather than table rolls.
Tips
- It scales with how far you fell, so a wind charge or a water bucket for the drop is part of the build.
- Wind Burst chains smash attacks by rebounding you upward, and Density scales every hit in the chain.
- Never drink Slow Falling before a smash — it cancels the fall bonus entirely.
- Density and Breach conflict; for survival play Density is nearly always the right side of that choice.
What each level does
The table below is the per-level effect. Going from I to V is where the real difference is, and an anvil turns two IV books into a V.
Density V adds 2.5 extra damage per block fallen.
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| I | +0.5 smash damage per block fallen |
| II | +1 smash damage per block fallen |
| III | +1.5 smash damage per block fallen |
| IV | +2 smash damage per block fallen |
| V | +2.5 smash damage per block fallen |
Properties
A table offers it as it stands, and a librarian's book is usually the cheaper route, with a lectern reroll to get the offer.
- Weight
- 5 (21%)
- Incompatible enchantments
- Bane of Arthropods, Breach, Impaling, Sharpness, Smite
What it can be applied to
Density can be applied to Mace.
- Mace
Gear it goes on
Incompatible enchantments
Density cannot share an item with Bane of Arthropods, Breach, Impaling, Sharpness, and Smite.
The anvil does not warn you. It leaves the conflicting enchantment off, keeps the cost, and hands the item back, so plan the order before you spend the book.
How to get it
Trial chamber loot or an enchanted book.
The level-30 slot at a fifteen-bookshelf table is where to look; a smaller ring means lower levels and a thinner offer pool.
Command
Cheats on: the first command enchants what is in your hand with Density V, 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:density 5Give an enchanted item
/give @s mace[enchantments={levels:{"minecraft:density":5}}]Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum level of Density?
Density goes up to level 5. Density V adds 2.5 extra damage per block fallen.
How do you get Density in Minecraft?
Trial chamber loot or an enchanted book.
What does Density conflict with?
Density cannot be combined with Bane of Arthropods, Breach, Impaling, Sharpness, and Smite.
What does Density V do?
Density V +2.5 smash damage per block fallen.
