The best pickaxe enchantments in Minecraft are Efficiency V, Fortune III (or Silk Touch), Unbreaking III, and Mending. This combination gives you the fastest mining speed, maximum resource drops, extended durability, and the ability to repair your pickaxe indefinitely using experience orbs.
For players who want the absolute best mining tool, you'll want two pickaxes: one with Fortune III for ores and one with Silk Touch for specific blocks like glass and ice.
The Essential Pickaxe Enchantments
These are the must-have enchantments that every serious Minecraft player should have on their pickaxe.
1. Efficiency V
What it does: Dramatically increases mining speed
Why it's essential: Efficiency V makes you mine blocks significantly faster, saving hours of gameplay time. The difference between an unenchanted pickaxe and Efficiency V is night and day.
Max Level: V (5)
Mining Speed Boost:
- Efficiency I: +30% speed
- Efficiency II: +60% speed
- Efficiency III: +90% speed
- Efficiency IV: +120% speed
- Efficiency V: +150% speed
At max level, you'll break stone almost instantly with a diamond or Netherite pickaxe.
2. Fortune III
What it does: Increases drops from certain ores
Why it's essential: Fortune III can multiply your resource gathering, giving you up to 4x more diamonds, lapis lazuli, redstone, coal, emeralds, and copper.
Max Level: III (3)
What Fortune Affects:
- Diamonds: 1-4 per ore (average 2.2)
- Coal: 1-4 per ore
- Redstone: 4-5 dust per ore
- Lapis Lazuli: 4-9 per ore
- Emeralds: 1-4 per ore
- Copper: 2-5 raw copper per ore
- Nether Quartz: 1-4 per ore
- Amethyst shards: More drops per cluster
What Fortune Doesn't Affect:
- Ancient Debris (always 1)
- Iron ore (always 1 raw iron)
- Gold ore (always 1 raw gold)
- Nether Gold ore (use Fortune on this though, it does increase nugget drops)
3. Silk Touch I
What it does: Mines blocks in their original form instead of their drop form
Why you need it: Silk Touch is essential for collecting specific blocks like glass, ice, grass blocks, mycelium, and ores in their block form.
Max Level: I (1)
Important Note: Silk Touch and Fortune are mutually exclusive—you can't have both on the same pickaxe. Most players keep two pickaxes: one with Fortune III and one with Silk Touch.
What Silk Touch Is Used For:
- Glass blocks (normally break into nothing)
- Ice and packed ice (normally break into water)
- Grass blocks and mycelium
- Stone (get stone blocks instead of cobblestone)
- Ores in block form (for decoration or moving to Fortune pickaxe later)
- Enderchests (retrieve them when moving)
- Bee nests with bees inside
- Melons (get the whole block instead of slices)
4. Unbreaking III
What it does: Extends the durability of your pickaxe by reducing the chance it takes damage
Why it's essential: Unbreaking III makes your pickaxe last approximately 4x longer, drastically reducing repair costs and material consumption.
Max Level: III (3)
Durability Increase:
- Unbreaking I: Average 2x durability
- Unbreaking II: Average 3x durability
- Unbreaking III: Average 4x durability
Combined with Mending, Unbreaking III means your pickaxe will essentially last forever.
5. Mending
What it does: Repairs your pickaxe using experience orbs you collect
Why it's essential: Mending makes your pickaxe practically indestructible. As long as you're gaining XP (from mining, killing mobs, or smelting), your pickaxe repairs itself.
Max Level: I (1)
How to Get It: Mending is a treasure enchantment that cannot be obtained from an enchanting table. You must find it through:
- Trading with librarian villagers (best method)
- Fishing with Luck of the Sea
- Dungeon, temple, and fortress chests
- Ancient city chests
With Mending, you'll never need to craft another pickaxe once you have your perfect one.
The Perfect Pickaxe Enchantment Setup
Most experienced players use a two-pickaxe system:
Main Pickaxe (Fortune):
- Efficiency V - Maximum mining speed
- Fortune III - Maximum ore drops
- Unbreaking III - Extended durability
- Mending - Infinite repairs
Use for: Mining diamonds, coal, redstone, lapis, emeralds, copper, and Nether quartz
Secondary Pickaxe (Silk Touch):
- Efficiency V - Maximum mining speed
- Silk Touch I - Collect blocks intact
- Unbreaking III - Extended durability
- Mending - Infinite repairs
Use for: Glass, ice, grass blocks, ores you want to move, stone, and special blocks
How to Get These Enchantments
Enchanting Table Method
- Build an enchanting table surrounded by 15 bookshelves
- Use a diamond or Netherite pickaxe
- Enchant at level 30 for the best results
- You'll get random enchantments (may need multiple tries)
This method won't give you Mending, which must be found elsewhere.
Villager Trading (Best Method)
- Find or create librarian villagers
- Check their trades for enchanted books
- Reset their trades by breaking and replacing their lectern
- Once you find good enchantments, lock them in by trading
- Buy the enchanted books and combine them using an anvil
This method gives you complete control over which enchantments you get.
Combining Enchantments
Use an anvil to combine enchanted books with your pickaxe. To minimize XP costs:
- Combine similar enchantment books together first (e.g., Efficiency I + Efficiency I = Efficiency II)
- Add enchantments to your pickaxe in order from most expensive to least expensive
Enchantment Priority Order
If you're on a budget or just starting out, add enchantments in this order:
Priority 1: Efficiency - The speed boost is immediately noticeable and saves massive amounts of time
Priority 2: Unbreaking - Makes your expensive pickaxe last much longer
Priority 3: Mending - Once you have this, your pickaxe is permanent
Priority 4: Fortune or Silk Touch - Choose based on your current needs
Other Pickaxe Enchantments (Lower Priority)
Curse of Vanishing
What it does: Pickaxe disappears when you die instead of dropping
Should you use it? No, unless you're in a specific scenario where you don't want other players to get your items. Generally considered a curse you want to avoid.
Fortune vs Silk Touch: Which Should You Get First?
Get Fortune III first if you:
- Need diamonds, coal, and other resources
- Want to maximize your mining efficiency
- Are building up your resource stockpile
Get Silk Touch first if you:
- Need to move ice, grass blocks, or glass
- Want to stockpile ores to mine with Fortune later
- Are doing a lot of building with delicate blocks
Most players prioritize Fortune III for resource gathering, then add a Silk Touch pickaxe later.
Want to mine with friends on your own server? Check out Minecraft Server Hosting for reliable multiplayer gameplay.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best enchantment for a pickaxe in Minecraft?
The best overall enchantment is Efficiency V, which dramatically increases mining speed. However, the ideal pickaxe has Efficiency V, Fortune III (or Silk Touch), Unbreaking III, and Mending for maximum performance.
Can you have Fortune and Silk Touch on the same pickaxe?
No, Fortune and Silk Touch are mutually exclusive enchantments. You cannot have both on the same pickaxe. Most players keep two pickaxes—one with Fortune for ores and one with Silk Touch for special blocks.
Is Fortune III better than Silk Touch?
For resource gathering, Fortune III is better because it multiplies ore drops (especially diamonds). However, Silk Touch is essential for collecting specific blocks like glass, ice, and ores in block form. You need both on separate pickaxes.
How do you get Mending on a pickaxe?
Mending cannot be obtained from an enchanting table. The best way is to trade with librarian villagers who offer Mending enchanted books. You can also find it rarely through fishing, dungeon chests, or ancient cities.
Does Fortune work on Ancient Debris?
No, Fortune does not increase Ancient Debris drops. Ancient Debris always drops exactly one piece, regardless of enchantments. You don't need Fortune for Netherite mining.
What does Efficiency V do on a pickaxe?
Efficiency V increases mining speed by 150%, allowing you to break blocks much faster. With a Netherite pickaxe and Efficiency V, you can mine stone almost instantly and significantly speed up all mining operations.
Should I put Unbreaking on a pickaxe with Mending?
Yes, absolutely. Unbreaking III combined with Mending means you'll collect more XP orbs before your pickaxe needs repair, making it last indefinitely with minimal XP requirements.
Can you mine obsidian faster with enchantments?
Yes, Efficiency V significantly speeds up obsidian mining. However, obsidian still takes several seconds even with the best enchantments. Only diamond and Netherite pickaxes can mine obsidian.
