Overview
A fully charged sword swing hits every mob in a small arc around the target, not just the one you clicked on, and Sweeping Edge decides how much damage that arc carries. Unenchanted, the sweep is a light tap; at level III it lands three quarters of the main hit on everything caught in it. Against a crowd — a cave full of zombies, a raid wave, a mob farm queue — that is a straight multiplication of your damage output, and it is the reason a sword remains competitive with an axe despite the axe's higher single-target numbers. Two things make it work in practice. The swing must be fully charged, so patience with the attack cooldown is what unlocks it, and you must be standing rather than falling or sprinting into the hit. Since 1.21 the sweep damage is also scaled by Sharpness, Smite and Bane of Arthropods, so the enchantments compound rather than sitting side by side. This enchantment is very much still in Java Edition 1.21.4 at level III — no version has removed it, despite a persistent rumour to the contrary that circulated after the 1.21.2 attribute changes.
Fighting crowds with a sword — cave corridors, raid waves and farm queues — where hitting three mobs per swing is worth more than hitting one of them harder.
Increases the damage of the sweeping attack that hits every mob around you when you swing a fully charged sword. It is still in the game in 1.21.4 — no version has ever removed it — and since 1.21 the sweep hit is also scaled by Sharpness, Smite and Bane of Arthropods.
The highest level of Sweeping Edge is III. It is standard, so it sits in the enchanting table's own offer pool.
It carries a weight of 2, which is roughly 6% 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 sword at a table with 15 bookshelves, buy the book from a librarian, or combine 2 level II books for level III. Weight 2 makes it an uncommon offer, and level III raises sweep damage to 75% of the main hit.
Tips
- The sweep only fires on a fully charged swing, so respect the attack cooldown rather than clicking fast.
- Since 1.21 Sharpness scales the sweep too, so the two compound on the same sword.
- Sprinting cancels the sweep attack, which is the commonest reason players think the enchantment is broken.
- Axes cannot take it at all, which is the clearest reason to keep a sword for crowds.
Version notes
Sweeping Edge exists in Java Edition 1.21.4 at maximum level III and has never been removed in any release. The 1.21.2 attribute pass renamed the attribute the enchantment writes to, which is the origin of the widespread but incorrect claim that the enchantment was cut.
What each level does
Level by level, this is what you get. Most of the gain is in reaching III, and two II books on an anvil make one III.
Sweeping Edge III raises sweep damage to 75% of the main hit, against 50% at level I and 67% at level II.
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| I | sweep attacks deal 50% of the main hit instead of 1 damage |
| II | sweep attacks deal 67% of the main hit instead of 1 damage |
| III | sweep attacks deal 75% of the main hit instead of 1 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
- III
- Type
- Standard
- From enchanting table
- Yes
- Villager trading
- Yes
- Weight
- 2 (6%)
What it can be applied to
Sweeping Edge can be applied to Sword.
- Sword
Gear it goes on
How to get it
Enchanting table, an enchanted book on an anvil, or librarian 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 Sweeping Edge III 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:sweeping_edge 3Give an enchanted item
/give @s wooden_sword[enchantments={levels:{"minecraft:sweeping_edge":3}}]Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum level of Sweeping Edge?
Sweeping Edge goes up to level 3. Sweeping Edge III raises sweep damage to 75% of the main hit, against 50% at level I and 67% at level II.
How do you get Sweeping Edge in Minecraft?
Enchanting table, an enchanted book on an anvil, or librarian trading.
What does Sweeping Edge III do?
Sweeping Edge III sweep attacks deal 75% of the main hit instead of 1 damage.
