Protection

Overview

Protection reduces nearly everything: melee, arrows, fire, explosions, falls, cactus, drowning. That breadth is why it is the default choice on all four armour pieces and why the three specialised protections struggle to justify themselves — a set that is good against everything beats a set that is excellent against one thing you may not meet today. The mechanic underneath is a points system rather than a percentage: each piece contributes a value, the values add, and the total is converted into a reduction that sits on top of what your armour points already stop. There is a ceiling, so the last few points buy far less than the first, which is the real argument against stacking further. In practice a full set of Protection IV on netherite is where almost every survival player ends up, and it is enough that the remaining causes of death are fall damage, lava, the void and the wither — hazards you solve with Feather Falling, potions and care rather than more armour. Because it goes on every piece, this is the enchantment worth spending librarian trades on first: four books, four applications, and the whole set is finished.

General survivability on all four armour pieces — the single best defensive investment in the game, because it applies to almost every damage type you will actually meet.

Reduces most incoming damage — melee, arrows, fire, explosions and falls alike. It is the general-purpose armour enchantment, and because it is mutually exclusive with the three specialised protections, most players simply take it on all four pieces.

The highest level of Protection is IV. It is standard, so it sits in the enchanting table's own offer pool.

At weight 10 it takes up about 29–36% 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

Enchant armour at a table with 15 bookshelves for 3 levels and 3 lapis, or buy books from librarians; 2 level III books make level IV. Weight 10 makes it the commonest armour offer in the game.

Tips

• Four books of it finish a whole set, which is why it is the first librarian trade worth locking in.
• It cannot share a piece with the three specialised protections, so mixing them weakens rather than combines.
• It does not cover the void or hunger, and Feather Falling still handles falls far better.
• Check the totals with the armour calculator before spending anvil levels on a fifth book.

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.

Protection IV on all four pieces is 16 EPF, a 64% reduction on top of whatever your armour points already stop. The 80% enchantment cap needs 20 EPF, which Protection alone cannot reach.

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.

What it can be applied to

Protection can be applied to Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, and Boots.

• Helmet
• Chestplate
• Leggings
• Boots

Gear it goes on

Turtle ShellLeather CapLeather TunicLeather PantsLeather BootsChainmail HelmetChainmail ChestplateChainmail LeggingsChainmail BootsIron HelmetIron ChestplateIron Leggings

Incompatible enchantments

Protection cannot share an item with Blast Protection, Fire Protection, and Projectile Protection.

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.

Blast ProtectionFire ProtectionProjectile Protection

How to get it

Enchanting table, anvil with an enchanted book, or villager trading.

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 Protection IV 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.

Guides and tools that cover this

• GuidesThe Complete Minecraft Enchanting Guide (1.21.4)→
• ToolsEnchantment Order Calculator→

Frequently asked questions

Related pages

Blast ProtectionFire ProtectionProjectile ProtectionThorns