Finding the right enchantment for your Minecraft sword is crucial to winning in fights. For the damage enchantments, we have Sharpness and Smite as options.
Each comes with its own set of strengths, so a combination of both might have been great. But Minecraft has deemed these two incompatible, so you will have to choose one between Minecraft Smite vs Sharpness.
Between the two, the former is better to use when playing in Easy or Normal mode, and the latter when playing in Hard Mode. However, it’s even better to use Sharpness on your main sword and get a Smite-enchanted sword, later on, to keep along for certain situations.
This article will talk in detail about these sword enchantments and how and when you should use them.
What is the difference between Smite and Sharpness?
Sharpness and Smite are both sword enchantments used to build a sword that will deal more damage. However, that’s where the similarities end. The main difference lies in where these enchantments will cause extra damage.
For a sword that is enchanted with Smite, the extra damage will only occur to undead mobs. In other words, the damage won’t be much when you use them on a regular mob or player. Here is a list of mobs your Smite-enchanted sword can win over:
- Phantoms
- Skeleton horses
- Husks
- Skeletons
- Strays
- Drowned
- Withers
- Wither Skeletons
- Zombie Horses
- Zombie Villagers
- Zombiefied Piglins
- Zombies
- Zoglins
- Chicken Jockey
So a Smite sword can be used to defeat these hostile creatures easily with extra damage. It is quite rare and not easy to collect.
On the other hand, a Sharpness enchanted sword will add damage to every mob. And that includes both an undead mob and a regular one.
It is much easier to collect in comparison to Smite as it’s more common. A great tip is to use an axe with this enchantment because that works the best.
you may be interested to read How to Change Sensitivity Minecraft.
Which one is more powerful Smite and Sharpness?
One can fight only undead mobs, the other can fight everything. So you might be thinking that the answer is obvious. However, the drawback is that Smite is comparatively more powerful than Sharpness, despite its limitations.
There are five levels of both enchantments. For Smite, with every level, the damage power increases by 2.5. So let’s see a calculation for every level on Java and Bedrock.
- Smite l: Adds 2.5 bonus damage.
- Smite ll: Adds 5 bonus damage.
- Smite lll: Adds 7.5 bonus damage.
- Smite IV: Adds 10 bonus damage.
- Smite V: Adds 12.5 bonus damage.
So for Smite, the attack power increases from +2.5 to +12.5 once you have upgraded it to the fullest.
In the case of Sharpness, there are also five levels. The damaged power is different for Java and Bedrock editions.
For the Java edition, the damage will be equal to 0.5*level+0.5. So the addition will look like this:
- Sharpness l: Adds 1 bonus damage.
- Sharpness ll: Adds 1.5 bonus damage.
- Sharpness lll: Adds 2 bonus damage.
- Sharpness lV: Adds 2.5 bonus damage.
- Sharpness V: Adds 3 bonus damage.
For the Bedrock edition, the attack power increases a bit more.
- Sharpness l: Adds 1.25 bonus damage.
- Sharpness ll: Adds 2.5 bonus damage.
- Sharpness lll: Adds 3.75 bonus damage.
- Sharpness lV: Adds 5 bonus damage.
- Sharpness V: Adds 6.25 bonus damage.
However, even in the Bedrock edition, the maximum damage power of the Sharpness sword is almost half as less than Smite’s maximum damage power. So in conclusion, Smite can only cause damage in a specific situation, but the damage it causes is much more.
Minecraft Smite vs Sharpness: Which one should you use?
If you ask anyone which one between Smite and Sharpness is better, they’ll say it’s difficult to answer. Because while one is more powerful, the other is not limited to a specific mob.
Think of it like this. If you’re fighting a Zombie, you can kill it with 2 strikes using a Smite sword. But with a Sharpness sword, it might need 3 or 4 strikes.
If you’re fighting another player, you can’t use your Smite sword, you can only use the Sharpness one.
So in a general sense, owning a Sharpness is better, since the difference isn’t a lot. But when it comes to strong creatures, it will be hard to defeat them with Sharpness.
But strong creatures are for later. For beginners, Sharpness is preferred. Even that aside, it’s easy to decide which enchantment you should use. Depending on whichever situation you get into, choose your sword enchantment.
For example, if you are more into playing PvP, then having Smite will be of no use. You must go for the Sharpness enchantment then.
But if you’re a hardcore player and want to take on playing in hard mode or tackle undead creatures, a Smite weapon will be ideal for you.
There are usually some scenarios where you can’t go without a Smite weapon. These are:
- The wither and Ender Dragon is the strongest of the undead mob. Without the additional damage of a Smite, it’s no less than impossible to defeat it.
- If you want to collect loots from your Zombie, Skeleton, or Zombie Piglins farm, you’ll have to fight hundreds of them. Without a Smite, you’ll be overwhelmed by the number.
- When you’re on an adventure in the Nether Fortress and come across Wither Skeletons, to fight you’ll need a Smite sword.
How to get Smite or Sharpness enchantment on Minecraft?
You will need an enchantment table to enchant your axe or sword with a Smite or Sharpness. This can be received by trading with the villagers or some other method. In addition, you have to place a Lapiz Lazuli and the sword or axe you wish to enchant.
If you already have a book with these enchantments, you only need to use the book to enchant your sword. But if you don’t, then it becomes a bit more complicated.
Once Lapis Lazuli is placed in the table slot, you will have to reveal the enchantment for each magically enchanted member. Counting closest to each number indicates how much experience it takes to unlock it. Keep unlocking all possible ones until the Smite or Sharpness pops up.
This depends on the RNG, so your luck will be a factor here. But generally, it’s way easier to get Sharpness than Smite.
Read also, What is FOV in Minecraft?
When to use a Smite-enchanted weapon?
A Smite-enchanted weapon is best used against undead mobs in Minecraft such as zombies, skeletons, wither skeletons, and zombie villagers. The Smite enchantment increases damage dealt to these mobs, making it easier to defeat them.
It is very useful in situations where you are fighting undead mobs in Minecraft, such as:
Surviving in the Overworld: Undead mobs spawn frequently in the Overworld, especially at night, so having a Smite-enchanted weapon can be useful for survival.
Fighting the Wither boss: The Wither boss is a powerful undead mob that can be challenging to defeat. A Smite-enchanted weapon can increase the damage dealt to the Wither, making it easier to defeat.
Clearing out a dungeon or stronghold: Dungeons and strongholds often contain a large number of undead mobs, including skeletons and zombies. A Smite weapon can help clear out these areas more efficiently.
Defending against a zombie siege: If a village is being attacked by zombies, a Smite-enchanted weapon can be helpful in defending against the siege and defeating the zombies more quickly.
Commands to get them
You can get a Smite-enchanted weapon in Minecraft using the following command:
/give [player] Minecraft:sword 1 0 {Enchantments:[{id:”Minecraft:smite”,lvl:5}]}
Replace [player] with the name of the player you want to give the weapon to and “5” with the desired enchantment level (1 to 5).
This command will give the player a diamond sword with the Smite enchantment at level 5. You can also use this command to enchant other types of weapons, such as an axe or bow, by replacing “Minecraft: sword” with the appropriate item ID.
When to Use Sharpness?
It is best used against mobs that have a lot of health, such as:
Bosses: The ones, such as the Ender Dragon or the Wither, have a lot of health and require a lot of damage to defeat. A Sharpness enchanted weapon can increase the damage dealt to these bosses, making them easier to defeat.
Neutral mobs: Mobs, such as horses, cows, and pigs, have more health than passive mobs and require more damage to defeat. A Sharpness enchanted weapon can increase the damage dealt to these mobs, making it easier to harvest their resources.
Hostile mobs: Zombies, skeletons, and creepers have more health than passive mobs and require more damage to defeat. A Sharpness enchanted weapon can increase the damage dealt to these mobs, making it easier to survive in the game.
Note: The Sharpness enchantment is less effective against armor, so it may not be as useful against armored mobs such as iron golems or players wearing armor.
People Often Ask for More
How to get Sharpness and Smite enchantment using cheat codes?
For Smite enchantment, you can type the code/enchant @p smite 5. For Sharpness enchantment, the code is /enchant @p sharpness 5. In both cases, the sword must be in your hand when you type. You can change the number “5” to the level you want.
Is Smite better on a sword or axe?
In the Bedrock edition, Smite is better suited for a sword, because swords are more powerful against undead mobs. But in the Java edition, it’s better to apply the enchantment to the axe, because they do more damage there.
Is Smite better than Sharpness in Hypixel skyblock?
Smite’s damage power is +40% while Sharpness’ is +25%. Once it’s all added, ultimately the damage difference will look something like +265% vs +250%. So the difference isn’t all that much.
What’s the difference between the sharpness, enchantments and smite in Minecraft?
Sharpness gives additional damage to all targets, but Smite only provides more damage to undead mobs. Sharpness boosts the damage you do against all mobs.
Key Points
- A Sharpness enchanted sword can protect you against all players and mobs including Creepers.
- A Smite-enchanted sword is needed to win against the stronger undead mobs.
- The damaged power of Smite is almost twice as high as its Sharpness.
- Sharpness is usually preferable for newbie players.
Final thoughts
- The ultimate decision of which one is better between Minecraft Smite vs Sharpness depends on what mode you’re playing in, and what situations you want to play in.
- And you don’t even have to go through the trouble of choosing; you can always have both swords with you!
