What Does Smite Do in Minecraft?

Minecraft enchantments are essential to surviving the game’s various challenges, whether exploring the world at night or fearlessly delving into deep caves. We have already covered the best Minecraft enchantments you should have by your side, but there’s one enchantment that can help make your weapons more powerful and reliable. Called Smite, this enchantment can easily help you take down hostile mobs in the game. But what does smite do in Minecraft, and how exactly do you get it? Let’s find out in this detailed guide.

What is Smite Enchantment in Minecraft?

Smite is one of the best axe and sword enchantments that allows you to increase the damage you deal to the undead mobs. You can get a maximum of five levels of smite enchantment, each level significantly increasing the amount of damage. But using smite on a sword gives a huge advantage to the players who don’t want to switch between weapons while fighting.

How Smite Increases Damage

In the five levels of Smite and in the Java Edition, each level adds +2.5 HP (1.25 hearts) of extra damage per hit to the undead mobs. Whereas in the Bedrock, this value is rounded down to +2HP (1 heart) of extra damage added to each level. This makes the Smite enchantment slightly weaker in Bedrock. Now, let’s take a close look at the damage tables for Smite in both versions

Java Edition

Here’s what the Smite enchantment damage looks like in Minecraft Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition

Here’s what the Smite enchantment damage looks like in Minecraft Bedrock Edition:

As you might notice, the axes of the Java edition are much more powerful than its swords. Meanwhile, the swords are the superior weapon in the Bedrock edition.

How to Get Smite Enchantment: Tables, Trading, and Anvils

There are two main ways to obtain enchantments in Minecraft:

• Enchanted Books: Available for Smite on axes with Java edition
• Enchanting Table: Applicable for Smite on axes with Bedrock edition and on swords with both editions.

Using the Enchanting Table

Unfortunately, there are no fixed locations to find an enchanted book for the Smite enchantment. However, you can use our guide to learn how to find and use enchanted books in Minecraft to make your search simpler. Having said that, here’s how to apply Smite using the Enchanting Table:

• First, make an Enchanting Table in Minecraft and place it on a solid surface.
• Then, upgrade the table by placing various bookshelves around it. This will allow you to get higher levels of the Smite enchantment in-game.
• Next, right-click or use your secondary action key to open the Enchanting table.

• Then, place your sword in the cell on the left side of the enchanting table with a lapis lazuli in the cell next to it. After that, the table will show three available enchantments on the right side.

• Next, you have to hover over each option on the right panel of the Enchanting table to find the Smite enchantment.
• When you find the Smite enchantment, click to apply it to your sword (or even axe in the Bedrock edition). If it doesn’t show up, replace the weapon or the table and then try again.

Librarian Villager Trading

The next most reliable method is by trading with the librarian villagers. Consider heading to an igloo with a basement, and there, you would most likely find a zombie villager along with a curing station. Use the potion of weakness to cure the zombie villager, and you will get a decent discount.

Place the lectern beside the unemployed villager to make them a librarian. Then, you can try trading with the librarian to increase its level and increase the chances of getting a higher-level Smite enchantment. You can also consider breaking and replacing the Lectern block until the Smite enchantment book appears.

Once it does, lock the trade with the required cost, which is mostly emeralds. This method allows you to find Smite enchantment books faster than the enchanting table. Later, you can use an anvil to apply the Smite enchantment on your sword or axe.

Every Undead Mob Affected by Smite (2026 Update)

The undead mobs in Minecraft appear “dead” in appearance, and most of them are generally hostile toward the players. Moreover, all these mobs are immune to drowning but transform when trapped underwater (zombie to drowned zombie). Not to forget, the Potion of Healing in Minecraft damages these mobs, but the Potion of Harming ironically heals them.

With that said, here are all the undead mobs that are affected by the Smite enchantment:

• Chicken Jockey
• Husk
• Drowned
• Zombie
• Phantom
• Skeleton
• Skeleton Horse
• Stray
• Spider Jockey
• Skeleton Horseman
• Stray
• Wither
• Zoglin
• Wither Skeleton
• Zombie Villager
• Zombie Horse
• Zombified Piglin

New Undead Mobs: The Parched, Bogged, and Camel Husks

The recent updates in Minecraft have increased the diversity of the undead mobs in the game. And, therefore, the following new undead mobs will also be affected by the Smite enchantment:

• Bogged
• Camel Husk
• Parched
• Zombie Nautilus

Smite vs. Sharpness: Which is Actually Better?

Since Smite improves the damage output of your sword and axe against a particular group of mobs in Minecraft, you should keep another sword or axe with the Sharpness on it. Sharpness enchanted weapons will be useful in general applications like striking down hostile mobs, of course, and killing cows and sheep for food in the minimum strikes possible.

The best endgame weapon enchantment combination includes using Smite on an Axe and Sharpness on the Sword. Moreover, if you’re going on a Nether Fortress exploration, farming the Wither boss, or going into the ocean to kill some zombie nautilus, the Smite V can greatly enhance your damage output.

Why Smite is Essential for the Wither Fight

On the other hand, the Smite enchantment will be highly beneficial in stages where you’re building a wither farm or any undead mob farm that includes zombies or spiders. In such cases, the sword or axe with Smite enchantment will deal more damage than the Sharpness one. Therefore, you can efficiently deal with the undead mobs in a short duration.

Incompatible Enchantments to Watch Out For

When it comes to drawbacks, the Smite enchantment is incompatible with the following enchantments:

• Bane of Arthropods
• Sharpness, and
• Cleaving

So, you can’t apply the Smite enchantment on an item that already has one of the three incompatible enchantments.

How to Use Smite Enchantment in Minecraft

Now that your new Smite enchanted weapon is ready, let’s take it for a spin:

• First, look for an undead mob because they are the only ones affected by this enchantment (find the list above). The easiest one to find is a zombie, which spawns in the Overworld in dark places.
• Then, simply walk up to the undead mob and attack it with your Smite-enchanted weapon. Compared to any non-enchanted tool, your Smite axe or sword will kill the mob much faster.

With that, you are now ready to step into your next fight and completely annihilate all the undead mobs of Minecraft. But don’t become too reliant on your weapons. While your axe and sword might be powerful, they can’t deal with swarms of enemies. So, make sure that you also have a bunch of the best Minecraft armor enchantments for protection. So, what is your preference, going with the Smite enchanted sword or the one with Sharpness on it? Let us know in the comments below.