Enchantment Order Tool

Select enchantments and their desired levels, then calculate the optimal anvil combining order to minimize XP cost.

Plan the best anvil merge order for Minecraft armor, tools, and weapons to reduce XP cost and avoid the Too Expensive limit.

1. Choose your item

Select item

Use current enchantments on your item (optional)

2. Desired Final Enchants

Allow incompatible

Enchantment	Level	Weight?
Blast Protection		2
Fire Protection		1
Projectile Protection		1
Protection		1
Aqua Affinity		2
Curse of Binding		4
Mending		2
Respiration		2
Thorns		4
Unbreaking		1
Curse of Vanishing		4

3. Calculate optimal order

How this Minecraft anvil calculator works

Every anvil operation adds level cost and increases prior-work penalty. This planner evaluates possible merge trees and returns the optimal sequence based on your chosen objective.

How to use this enchantment planner

Choose the item you want to enchant from the selector.
Set your current enchants (optional), then choose your desired final enchant levels.
Choose whether to optimize for least XP or lowest prior-work penalty.
Calculate and follow the optimal step-by-step anvil sequence shown below.

Tips to avoid the Too Expensive anvil limit

Start with high-level books when possible instead of combining lower-level books many times.
Lower prior-work penalties early to prevent expensive final merges.
If your item already has enchants, enter the anvil use count for more accurate results.
Use "Allow incompatible" only for version-specific edge cases or testing.

Enchantment planner FAQ

What does enchantment weight mean?

Weight is the anvil cost multiplier tied to each enchantment. Higher-weight enchantments usually increase level cost more than lower-weight ones.

What is prior-work penalty in an anvil?

Each anvil operation increases an item's prior-work penalty. Future merges become more expensive as this value grows.

Why does Minecraft show "Too Expensive"?

In survival mode, a single anvil operation above 39 levels is blocked. Planning the merge order helps keep each step below this limit.

Should I combine books before using this tool?

For best optimization, start from books that have not been pre-combined in an anvil whenever possible.

Which enchantments cannot be combined on the same item?

Some enchantments are mutually exclusive. On a sword you can use only one of Sharpness, Smite or Bane of Arthropods; armor takes just one of Protection, Blast Protection, Fire Protection or Projectile Protection; and a bow cannot have both Infinity and Mending. The planner only offers enchantments compatible with the item you picked, unless you turn on the incompatible option.

What is the maximum level for each enchantment?

Maximum levels depend on the enchantment. Some reach level 5 (such as Sharpness, Efficiency and Power), others cap at 4 (such as Protection and Feather Falling) or 3 (such as Unbreaking, Fortune and Looting), and a few are single-level only (Mending, Infinity and Silk Touch). The planner limits each enchantment to the highest level the game allows.

How is the anvil XP cost calculated?

Each anvil merge costs experience levels from the enchantments being added (their level times an enchantment-specific multiplier), plus a prior-work penalty that doubles every time an item has been used in an anvil (1, 3, 7, 15, and so on), plus any rename cost. The planner adds these up for every possible merge order and returns the sequence with the lowest total.

Does the order I combine items in change the total cost?

Yes. Because the prior-work penalty grows each time an item passes through the anvil, the order you combine books and items in can change the total XP dramatically. Sometimes it is the difference between an affordable result and 'Too Expensive', so finding the cheapest order is exactly what this planner does for you.