Top 10 Minecraft Helmet Enchantments for Ultimate Protection

Equipping your helmet with the right enchantments is key to surviving well in Minecraft. Our Minecraft helmet enchanting guide will explain all of the available helmet enchantments, how to get them, and when you should use each one.

11 Best Minecraft Helmet Enchantments, Ranked

This list ranks every Minecraft helmet enchantment from least to most useful.

11 – Curse of Binding

Where to find: Fishing, structure chests, trading with Librarians, raid loot (Bedrock only)

The Curse of Binding is a single-level enchantment that prevents a piece of armor from being removed until it breaks or the player dies. After death, the item will be dropped on the ground unless the world has the keepInventory command activated. This is the worst helmet enchantment for PvP and Survival players because it will prevent you from upgrading your helmet to one with other materials while making it impossible to add other enchantments or repair the helmet.

10 – Blast Protection IV

Where to find: Enchantment table, fishing, structure chests, trading with Librarians, raid loot (Bedrock only)

Blast Protection reduces the damage and knockback players take from explosive sources like Creepers and TNT. This is the least useful Protection enchantment in most circumstances, especially in PvP since other players will likely attack you with methods better covered by Projectile Protection or Protection. Similarly, it will only be useful in very rare circumstances in regular survival mode. Unless you are planning to craft armor specifically to fight the Wither or want extra protection against Ghasts, Blast Protection can be skipped entirely.

Enchantment Level	Enchantment Effect
Blast Protection I	Reduces damage from explosions by 8%.Reduces knockback from explosions by 15%.
Blast Protection II	Reduces damage from explosions by 16%.Reduces knockback from explosions by 30%.
Blast Protection III	Reduces damage from explosions by 24%.Reduces knockback from explosions by 45%.
Blast Protection IV	Reduces damage from explosions by 32%.Reduces knockback from explosions by 60%.

9 – Curse of Vanishing

Where to find: Fishing, structure chests, trading with Librarians, raid loot (Bedrock only)

While the Curse of Vanishing is useless in basic Minecraft survival, it can be quite handy in PvP. This is because an item enchanted with the Curse of Vanishing will disappear entirely from the world if the player wearing it is defeated. It’s a great way to ensure that anyone who fights you will not use your strong gear after your death.

8 – Fire Protection IV

Where to find: Enchantment table, fishing, structure chests, trading with Librarians, raid loot (Bedrock only)

Fire Protection is one of the most situational helmet enchantments. An item enchanted with it will decrease the damage done by fiery sources while also reducing the amount of time a player burns after catching on fire. This will mainly be useful for armor you’re planning on wearing in the Nether since it’s relatively rare to catch on fire in the Overworld. I would also not recommend it over Projectile Protection or regular Protection for PvP because you’re more likely to take damage from melee or ranged weapons than from catching on fire.

Enchantment Level	Enchantment Effect
Fire Protection I	Reduces fire damage by 8%.Reduces time spent burning by 15%.
Fire Protection II	Reduces fire damage by 16%.Reduces time spent burning by 30%.
Fire Protection III	Reduces fire damage by 24%.Reduces time spent burning by 45%.
Fire Protection IV	Reduces fire damage by 32%.Reduces time spent burning by 60%.

7 – Thorns III

Where to find: Enchanting Table (Bedrock only), fishing, structure chests, trading with Librarians, raid loot (Bedrock only)

The Thorns enchantment inflicts damage on players or mobs that attack the player. This enchantment will potentially deal between half a heart and two hearts of damage, with the chance of dealing this damage increasing as the enchantment’s level increases. Additionally, wearing multiple items with this enchantment will increase the chance of dealing damage. It can be a very useful enchantment for PvP since the extra damage could be the difference between life and death. However, its drawback is that it does a lot of damage to an item’s durability. Thorns III will reduce an item’s durability by 2 points after damaging an attacker. Thankfully, it will only damage one random piece of armor if you’re wearing multiple items enchanted with Thorns. The best way to use it is to pair it with Unbreaking and Mending to make your armor last as long as possible.

Enchantment Level	Enchantment Effect
Thorns I	15% chance of damaging an attacker.
Thorns II	30% chance of damaging an attacker.
Thorns III	45% chance of damaging an attacker.

6 – Projectile Protection IV

Where to find: Enchantment table, fishing, structure chests, trading with Librarians, raid loot (Bedrock only)

Projectile Protection is the second most useful Protection-type enchantment for various situations. It reduces damage from many sources, including Shulker bullets, Blaze fireballs, arrows, and thrown tridents. However, it will not reduce damage from splash potions, the Warden’s sonic booms, the Ender Dragon’s fireballs, and fireworks. It will always work well for survival players since every dimension in Minecraft is home to ranged enemies. It’s also pretty helpful for PvP since it will reduce the damage you take from players using ranged weapons while you move into range to attack them.

Enchantment Level	Enchantment Effect
Projectile Protection I	Reduces damage from projectiles by 8%
Projectile Protection II	Reduces damage from projectiles by 16%
Projectile Protection III	Reduces damage from projectiles by 24%
Projectile Protection IV	Reduces damage from projectiles by 32%

5 – Mending

Where to find: Fishing, structure chests, trading with Librarians, raid loot (Bedrock only)

Mending is a single-level enchantment that allows players to restore the durability of their equipment by gathering experience. Combine this enchantment with Unbreaking III to create tools and armor that will never be destroyed as long as you replenish them with plenty of experience orbs. The three easiest ways to gather these orbs are fighting hostile mobs, mining Sculk in the Deep Dark, and using experience bottles obtained from master-level Cleric villagers. To use Mending, hold the helmet you want to restore in your left hand and gather the orbs with your right to repair its durability. Since it’s easiest to repair items while holding them, you should avoid combining Mending with the Curse of Binding at all costs.

4 – Unbreaking III

Where to find: Enchantment table, fishing, structure chests, trading with Librarians, raid loot (Bedrock only)

Unbreaking is one of the most important Minecraft enchantments, especially when combined with Mending. It increases your helmet’s durability by giving it a chance to avoid losing durability while protecting you from enemy attacks and other forms of damage. The odds of avoiding durability loss increase with every enchantment level, so you’ll want to put Unbreaking III on everything you own for the best effect.

Enchantment Level	Enchantment Effect
Unbreaking I	Enchanted item has a 50% chance of avoiding losing durability when used.(Item lasts twice as long)
Unbreaking II	Enchanted item has a 66% chance of avoiding losing durability when used.(Item lasts three times as long)
Unbreaking III	Enchanted item has a 75% chance of avoiding losing durability when used.(Item lasts four times as long)

3 – Protection IV

Where to find: Enchantment table, fishing, structure chests, trading with Librarians, raid loot (Bedrock only)

Protection IV is the best and most adaptable of the four Protection-type enchantments available. The damage it mitigates includes fall damage, but it will not protect you from hunger damage or the Warden’s sonic boom attack. While enchanting, please keep in mind that you can only have one of the four types of Protection on a single piece of armor. So long as you are not fighting specifically ranged enemies or heading into the Nether, I would choose Protection IV over the other options available.

Enchantment Level	Enchantment Effect
Protection I	Reduces an additional 4% of damage taken.
Protection II	Reduces an additional 8% of damage taken.
Protection III	Reduces an additional 12% of damage taken.
Protection IV	Reduces an additional 16% of damage taken.

2 – Aqua Affinity

Where to find: Enchantment table, fishing, structure chests, trading with Librarians, raid loot (Bedrock only)

A helmet enchanted with Aqua Affinity allows you to mine as quickly underwater as you do on land. It makes it easy to gather special underwater blocks like Prismarine and Coral, making it an indispensable survival enchantment. It could also be practical for PvP players if they plan to escape underwater by creating tunnels.

1 – Respiration III

Where to find: Enchantment table, fishing, structure chests, trading with Librarians, raid loot (Bedrock only)

The Respiration enchantment increases the time a player can breathe underwater by 15 seconds per enchantment level. Additionally, a Respiration helmet gives players a chance to avoid taking drowning damage after running out of air. This chance increases with the enchantment’s level, so you’ll want Respiration III for the best effect. Respiration is perfect for exploring underwater structures in Minecraft, including Ocean Monuments, shipwrecks, and Warm Ocean Ruins. It’s also helpful in PvP since players can hide longer within water sources while fighting or regaining health.

Enchantment Level	Enchantment Effect
Respiration I	Extra 30 seconds of underwater breathing.1/2 chance of not taking drowning damage each second.
Respiration II	Extra 45 seconds of underwater breathing.2/3 chance of not taking drowning damage per second.
Respiration III	Extra 60 seconds of underwater breathing.3/4 chance of not taking drowning damage every second.

Best Minecraft Helmet Builds

Every enchantment works better in some situations than they do in others. These four Minecraft helmet builds will help you use the right enchantments for every situation.

Best Minecraft Helmet enchantments for PvP

The best helmet enchantments for PvP increase the defense and longevity of your armor while dealing damage to anyone who attacks you.

• Unbreaking III: Since you’ll be tanking a lot of hits from enemy players, Unbreaking III will help you avoid losing your helmet during long fights.
• Mending: Mending is just as useful in PvP situations as it is in PvE because defeated players will drop experience orbs to repair your armor with. You can also hunt mobs between battles with other players to replenish your armor for your next fight.
• Protection IV: Of the four Protection-type enchantments, Protection IV is the most versatile and therefore the most useful for PvP. It will reduce the damage dealt by opponents whether they use Fire Aspect enchanted swords, ranged weapons, or regular melee weapons.
• Thorns III: Thorns III is a tricky enchantment because it will greatly reduce your helmet’s durability while battling. However, if you have both Unbreaking III and Mending, the durability loss caused by Thorns will be greatly lessened. Additionally, it has the potential to speed up your fights, therefore reducing the damage your armor will take overall while making it easier to take out enemies.

Best Minecraft Helmet enchantments for underwater exploration

If you’re planning to use a helmet strictly for underwater exploration, I’d recommend crafting a turtle shell. This helmet will automatically give you an extra ten seconds of water breathing while protecting you as much as an iron helmet. When combined with the following list of enchantments, these extra ten seconds of breathing will make you feel like a Minecraft mermaid.

• Respiration III: The third level of Respiration will allow you to breathe underwater for an extra 60 seconds while protecting you from taking drowning damage 75% of the time. If you’re going to explore underwater, this is the very first enchantment you should look for. The extra time it gives you will allow you to spend time finding air pockets in underwater caves instead of forcing you to continuously return to the surface to breathe.
• Aqua Affinity: If you’re planning on breaking any blocks while exploring underwater, Aqua Affinity is a necessary enchantment. It allows you to mine blocks as quickly underwater as you would on land. This makes it perfect for mining submerged ores and combating the mining fatigue players get near Ocean Monuments.
• Protection IV: Every piece of armor should always have one of the four Protection enchantments on it. Since you won’t deal with many explosions, fire damage, or projectiles outside of thrown Tridents while underwater, the original Protection IV enchantment is the way to go.
• Mending: Mending will help you repair this helmet so you can use it repeatedly without fear.
• Unbreaking III: When combined with Mending, Unbreaking III will keep this helmet functional forever as long as you feed it experience orbs.

Best Helmet enchantments for the Nether

The main reasons for traveling into the Nether are gathering drops from Nether-specific mobs, exploring Bastions and Fortresses, and mining Ancient Debris for Netherite. A helmet made for adventuring into the Nether should be enchanted with these things in mind.

• Mending: You’ll likely take a lot of damage while in the Nether, so you’ll want to replenish your armor while you fight. Fighting the many hostile mobs in the area will grant you plenty of experience orbs to help your gear last as long as possible.
• Unbreaking III: The Nether is full of opportunities to take damage from the overflowing lava and constant hostile mobs. Enchanting your helmet with Unbreaking III will ensure that it doesn’t break before you’ve achieved everything.
• Fire Protection IV: Since the Nether is filled with lava and fiery enemies like Blazes and Magma Cubes, you’ll need to enchant at least one piece of armor with Fire Protection IV. The fourth level of Fire Protection will reduce the time you spend on fire by 15% while reducing the damage you take from fire by 8%. If you already have Fire Protection IV on one or two other armor pieces, I’d recommend putting Protection IV on your helmet instead.

Best Helmet enchantments for survival mode in Minecraft

The best helmet enchantments for survival are those that improve your defense while keeping your helmet from breaking. Additionally, there are a few extra enchantments I recommend keeping on hand if you’re planning to explore Ocean Ruins and similar structures.

• Unbreaking III: Unbreaking III reduces the chance of your armor losing durability when hit 75% of the time. In this way, it makes your helmet last four times as long as it would usually. This is perfect for conserving materials in survival mode so you can craft and enchant the rest of your armor.
• Mending: Mending will help you repair your armor using experience orbs from common survival activities like fighting mobs and mining ores. Any survival armor you want to keep should be given this enchantment as soon as possible so you never have to remake and re-enchant a set of armor.
• Protection IV: Protection IV is the best enchantment for your survival helmets because it will reduce a percentage of damage taken from any source rather than only limiting damage from specific sources. The only exception is people trying to survive in the Nether. In those cases, you’ll want Fire Protection IV instead.
• Respiration III: While Respiration III is best used as one of the Turtle Shell enchantments for underwater exploration, it’s also pretty handy in survival. You’ll have an easier time gathering ores from underwater caves and exploring ocean ruins for materials you can’t otherwise find in survival.
• Aqua Affinity: Aqua Affinity is similar to Respiration III in that it is helpful but not necessary for Survival mode. It is useful for exploring underwater caves, looting underwater structures, and gathering blocks only found in the ocean, like sponges and prismarine.

How to get an enchanted helmet in Minecraft

If you’re unsure how to enchant helmets in Minecraft, this section will explain how to use an enchanting table and an anvil to create strong enchanted helmets. Additionally, it will cover three ways of getting an enchanted helmet without having to make one yourself.

How to enchant using an Enchanting Table

Before enchanting your helmet with an Enchanting Table, you’ll need to make sure it is set up properly. Start by placing the Enchanting Table in the center of a 5×5 grid. Build a wall of bookshelves around the perimeter of the grid that is two blocks high. Make sure to leave a small gap in one of the walls as a door so you can easily access the table. This layout will ensure that you can do level 30 enchantments, which is the maximum enchantment level available.

Once your enchantment table is set up, you can freely enchant your gear using experience levels and lapis lazuli. Interact with the enchantment table to open its interface, then place the helmet you want to enchant in the first slot on the left.

Placing the helmet will allow you to see which enchantments are currently available as well as their costs.

• The yellow arrow indicates where your helmet should be placed.
• The blue arrow shows where to put lapis lazuli.
• The number showing how many lapis lazuli are required for the enchantment is indicated by the white arrow.
• The red arrow points to the number of experience levels needed to use an enchantment.
• When you hover over an enchantment, a pop-up will appear on the right showing one of the enchantments that will be given by selecting that enchantment. This is indicated by the green arrow.

The pop-up on an enchanted table will only show one of the enchantments given by selecting an enchantment. Selecting that enchantment will potentially give you one or two other enchantments in addition to the original enchantment mentioned. For example, I was given an Unbreaking III enchantment along with the Projectile Protection IV enchantment originally mentioned by the enchantment table.

If you don’t like the enchantments you are given, remove them from the helmet using a Grindstone and re-enchant it on the table until you have the enchantments you want.

How to enchant with an Enchanted Book

Using enchanted books only requires you to have an anvil, an enchanted book, and the item you’d like to enchant. Place the item you want to enchant in the anvil’s first box and the enchanted book in the second box. A box with green text will appear to tell you how many levels the enchantment will cost. The more enchantments your helmet has, the more expensive the cost will become.

One special way to use enchanted books is to upgrade the level of an enchantment on an already enchanted item. For example, if you add a Respiration II enchanted book to a helmet that already has Respiration II on it, you’ll upgrade the helmet’s Respiration II enchantment to Respiration III.

Combining two enchanted helmets

If you already have two enchanted helmets of the same type, you can combine them on an anvil to create one helmet that contains all of their enchantments. This is a great way to make helmets with custom sets of enchantments without using enchanted books.

Additionally, combining two helmets with the same level of an enchantment will create a new helmet with that enchantment at the next level. In the example below, two helmets with Unbreaking II were combined to create a helmet with the Unbreaking III enchantment.

Villager Trading

In both Minecraft Bedrock and Java editions, the only villagers that trade emeralds for enchanted helmets are Master-level Armorers. They will offer an enchanted diamond helmet for around 17 emeralds. However, this cost may be brought down if you trade with them a lot, save their village from a raid, or use the zombie curing method. The only helmet enchantments that cannot be found on these helmets are Mending, the Curse of Vanishing, and the Curse of Binding.

Finding enchanted helmets in chests

When you loot chests in certain Minecraft structures, there is a small chance for them to contain an enchanted helmet. The table below lists which structures may contain these chests and the odds of them having an enchanted helmet.

Structure Name	Type ofEnchanted Helmet	Chance for Enchanted Helmet(Bedrock and Java)
Bastion Remnant (Bridge)	Enchanted Golden Helmet	11.2%
Bastion Remnant (Treasure Room)	Damaged EnchantedDiamond Helmet	16.9%
End City	Enchanted Iron Helmet	13.3%
End City	Enchanted Diamond Helmet	13.3%
Ruined Nether portal	Enchanted Golden Helmet	20.5%
Shipwreck	Enchanted Leather Cap	20.8%

FAQ

If you still have questions about Minecraft helmet enchantments, you’ll find answers to some of the most common ones below.

Can I combine Protection and Fire Protection?

No, you cannot enchant the same helmet with both Protection and Fire Protection. The game will prevent you from adding these enchantments together even if you use enchanted books. This is because a single piece of armor can only have one of the four Protection enchantments attached to it. If you want to use different Protection enchantments, you’ll need to place them on separate armor pieces.

What does Respiration do in Minecraft?

When placed on a helmet, the Respiration enchantment increases the time a player can breathe underwater by 15 seconds multiplied by the enchantment’s level. Additionally, it gives players a chance to avoid taking drowning damage by a percentage determined by dividing the level of the enchantment by the enchantment’s level plus one.

How to get Aqua Affinity in Minecraft

There are three main ways to get Aqua Affinity in Minecraft:

• Enchant a helmet using an enchanting table.
• Combine a helmet with an Aqua Affinity enchanted book on an anvil.
  • Aqua Affinity enchanted books can be found while fishing, from trading with Librarian villagers, as a mob drop in Raids, and as loot in structures.
• Find a helmet enchanted with Aqua Affinity as chest loot in one of Minecraft’s structures.

Is Thorns worth it in Minecraft?

Thorns is not a useful enchantment in most cases because while it does help damage enemies, it does so at the expense of your armor’s durability. . The main situation it could be helpful in is in PvP fights against other players since hey have more health than you can destroy in one or two blows. However, even in those situations it is only truly useful if your armor is also enchanted with Unbreaking III and Mending. This is especially true if you already have a strong weapon as the damage from your weapon will do more than even Thorns III, making the risk of breaking your armor not worth it.

Best Enchantments for a Netherite Helmet

The first two important Netherite Helmet enchantments are Unbreaking III and Mending. Netherite is already a very difficult material to gain, so these enchantments will ensure that all of your Netherite armor lasts forever. You’ll also want to add on one of the Protection enchantments, but which one you add depends on whether you’re planning to live mostly in the Overworld or the Nether.

Best Turtle Shell enchantments

Like all other helmets, you’ll want to equip the Turtle Shell with Unbreaking III and Mending to stop it from being destroyed. Since the Turtle Shell’s specialty is the fact that it increases the time you can breathe underwater by 10 seconds, you’ll want to add Respiration III to add another 60 seconds of underwater breathing time. Next, enchant it with Aqua Affinity so you can mine blocks easier while underwater. Lastly, add Protection IV to keep yourself safe from Drowned and other underwater enemies.

What are treasure enchantments?

Treasure Enchantments are enchantments that cannot be found on an Enchanting Table. Instead, they can be found in chests or by trading with villagers. Most of them can also be found by fishing with the exception of Soul Speed and Swift Sneak. The list of treasure enchantments includes Mending, Frost Walker, Soul Speed, Swift Sneak, Wind Burst, the Curse of Binding, and the Curse of Vanishing.

If you want to learn more about enchanting, check out our guide on the Best Enchantments in Minecraft – Best Armor, Sword, Pickaxe, Trident Enchantments & More! here on Moyens I/O. You can also look through our Minecraft Homepage for more Minecraft tips and tricks.