Overview
Impaling is the trident's damage enchantment, and the scope of what counts as a valid target is broader than the name suggests. Guardians, elder guardians, drowned, squid, dolphins, turtles and fish all take the bonus, and so does any mob standing in water or caught in the rain — which means a thunderstorm turns Impaling into a general-purpose damage enchantment for as long as the weather lasts. That single clause is why an Impaling V trident is a serious weapon rather than a monument-clearing specialist. It is at its most obviously useful where you would expect: an ocean monument, where every guardian is by definition in water, and a drowned farm, where the mobs stand in it while queueing to die. Against a dry mob on a clear day it contributes nothing, so it is a second weapon rather than a replacement for a sword. Build the trident deliberately, because the enchantments fight each other: Loyalty and Channeling both conflict with Riptide, and Impaling sits alongside any of them. The standard ocean build is Impaling V, Loyalty III, Unbreaking III and Mending.
Monument clearing and drowned farms, plus any fight that happens in the rain — the bonus applies to every mob standing in water, not just to aquatic ones.
Adds damage against aquatic mobs — and, since 1.13, against any mob standing in water or in the rain. Best paired with a drowned farm.
The highest level of Impaling is V. It is standard, so it sits in the enchanting table's own offer pool.
It carries a weight of 2, which is roughly 13% of everything a table can roll for gear that takes it — so that is about how often you should expect to see it.
How to get it
Enchant a Trident at a table with 15 bookshelves, or apply books; 2 level IV books make level V on an anvil, which adds 12.5 damage against valid targets on top of the trident's own 9.
Tips
- Rain counts, so a storm turns an Impaling trident into a general weapon for the length of the weather.
- Pair it with Loyalty III rather than Riptide, which conflicts with the return enchantments.
- It stacks with Channeling, which is how a storm-weather trident build comes together.
- Tridents are the bottleneck rather than the books; farm drowned in a river biome for a reliable supply.
What each level does
Level by level, this is what you get. Most of the gain is in reaching V, and two IV books on an anvil make one V.
Impaling V adds 12.5 damage to aquatic targets.
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| I | +2.5 damage against mobs standing in water or in rain |
| II | +5 damage against mobs standing in water or in rain |
| III | +7.5 damage against mobs standing in water or in rain |
| IV | +10 damage against mobs standing in water or in rain |
| V | +12.5 damage against mobs standing in water or in rain |
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 (13%)
- Incompatible enchantments
- Bane of Arthropods, Breach, Density, Sharpness, Smite
What it can be applied to
Impaling can be applied to Trident.
- Trident
Gear it goes on
Incompatible enchantments
Impaling cannot share an item with Bane of Arthropods, Breach, Density, Sharpness, and Smite.
Try it on an anvil and the clashing enchantment is quietly dropped while the levels are still spent, so check the pair before committing a rare book.
How to get it
Enchanting table 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
With cheats on, the first command applies Impaling V to whatever you are holding; the second hands you an item that already has it. Since 1.20.5 the item form uses the "enchantments" component rather than the old NBT tag.
Apply it
/enchant @s minecraft:impaling 5Give an enchanted item
/give @s trident[enchantments={levels:{"minecraft:impaling":5}}]Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum level of Impaling?
Impaling goes up to level 5. Impaling V adds 12.5 damage to aquatic targets.
How do you get Impaling in Minecraft?
Enchanting table or an enchanted book.
What does Impaling conflict with?
Impaling cannot be combined with Bane of Arthropods, Breach, Density, Sharpness, and Smite.
What does Impaling V do?
Impaling V +12.5 damage against mobs standing in water or in rain.
