Table of Contents
Who this is for: Minecraft players looking to maintain their bows and preserve valuable enchantments.
Ready to jump in? Play minecraft games and put these bow repair techniques to the test!
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Crafting Table Method
The simplest way to repair your bow is by combining two damaged bows in a crafting table. Place both bows anywhere in the 3×3 grid, and you’ll get one bow with combined durability plus a 5% bonus. This method works great for basic bows but has a major downside – you’ll lose all enchantments from both bows.
Anvil Repair with Materials
For a more precise repair that preserves enchantments, use an anvil with bow repair materials. Place your damaged bow in the left slot and add sticks, strings, or another bow in the right slot. Each stick repairs about 25% durability, while string gives roughly 25% as well. This method costs experience levels but keeps your precious enchantments intact.
Combining Enchanted Bows
When you have two enchanted bows, the anvil becomes your best friend. Put the bow you want to keep in the left slot and the sacrifice bow on the right. The result combines durability and can even merge compatible enchantments like Power I + Power I = Power II. However, each anvil use increases the “prior work penalty,” making future repairs more expensive.
Mending Enchantment Strategy
The ultimate long-term solution is getting Mending on your bow. This enchantment automatically repairs your bow using experience orbs you collect. You can find Mending through fishing, trading with librarian villagers, or discovering it in treasure chests. Once you have Mending, your bow essentially becomes self-repairing during normal gameplay.
Cost Management Tips
Anvil repairs can become prohibitively expensive due to Minecraft’s “Too Expensive” limit of 39 levels. To avoid this, repair your bow before it gets too damaged, and consider using a grindstone to reset the prior work penalty (though this removes all enchantments). Smart players often keep multiple bows in rotation or prioritize getting Mending early.
Whether you’re crafting basic bows or maintaining legendary weapons, these repair methods will keep your archery game strong throughout your adventures.
TL;DR
Repair bows using crafting tables (loses enchantments), anvils with sticks/string (keeps enchantments), or get Mending enchantment for automatic repairs using XP orbs.
