Overview
Power is the bow's damage enchantment and it scales generously — by level V a fully charged shot hits for well over twice what an unenchanted bow manages, which is enough to kill most common hostile mobs outright at any range. That one-shot threshold is the whole point. A skeleton that dies to a single arrow never returns fire, a creeper that dies at twenty blocks never reaches you, and a phantom that drops on the first hit never gets a second dive. Fighting at range stops being attrition and becomes a sequence of single shots. It is the first enchantment to put on any bow, and it stacks with everything else the bow can take — Punch, Flame, Infinity and Mending all coexist with it without conflict. The one thing worth understanding is the charge mechanic: the bonus applies to the shot's damage, and a partially drawn bow does far less, so Power rewards patience with the draw. Its weight of 10 makes it one of the easiest strong enchantments to roll at a table, and two level IV books combine into level V, which is usually cheaper than gambling for the top level directly.
Killing common hostile mobs in one fully charged shot, which is what turns ranged combat from a war of attrition into a sequence of single, decisive arrows.
Adds percentage damage to every arrow fired from the bow. A Power V bow kills most mobs in one fully charged shot.
Power goes up to V. It is a standard enchantment, so an enchanting table can roll it directly.
Its weight of 10 is about 50% of what an enchanting table can roll for an item that accepts it, which is roughly how often a level-30 table will put it in front of you.
How to get it
Enchant a Bow at a table with 15 bookshelves for 3 levels and 3 lapis, or combine 2 level IV books for level V. Weight 10 makes it among the commonest offers, and level V adds 150% arrow damage.
Tips
- Draw the bow fully; a partial draw loses most of the damage the enchantment is multiplying.
- It conflicts with nothing on a bow, so Power V, Punch II, Flame and Infinity all fit together.
- Two level IV books on an anvil are usually cheaper than rerolling a table for level V directly.
- Against the ender dragon a Power V bow is the standard tool for the crystals; see how to beat the ender dragon.
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.
Power V adds 150% arrow damage.
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| I | +50% arrow damage |
| II | +75% arrow damage |
| III | +100% arrow damage |
| IV | +125% arrow damage |
| V | +150% arrow damage |
Properties
It sits in the table's own offer pool, and a librarian will trade the book for it, so reroll the lectern until that offer comes up.
- Maximum level
- V
- Type
- Standard
- From enchanting table
- Yes
- Villager trading
- Yes
- Weight
- 10 (50%)
What it can be applied to
Power can be applied to Bow.
- Bow
Gear it goes on
How to get it
Enchanting table, anvil or villager trading.
Build the full fifteen-bookshelf ring and take the level-30 slot: below 30 the pool is smaller and the levels are lower.
Command
With cheats enabled the first line puts Power V on the held item, and the second gives you one that is already enchanted. From 1.20.5 onward the item syntax uses the "enchantments" component.
Apply it
/enchant @s minecraft:power 5Give an enchanted item
/give @s bow[enchantments={levels:{"minecraft:power":5}}]Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum level of Power?
Power goes up to level 5. Power V adds 150% arrow damage.
How do you get Power in Minecraft?
Enchanting table, anvil or villager trading.
What does Power V do?
Power V +150% arrow damage.
