What does the Smite enchantment do in Minecraft?

Who this is for: Minecraft players wanting to optimize their weapons for fighting undead mobs and understanding enchantment mechanics.


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Smite Enchantment Overview

The Smite enchantment in Minecraft is a weapon enchantment that increases damage dealt specifically to undead mobs. When applied to swords or axes, Smite provides bonus damage that only affects undead creatures, making it incredibly effective against certain hostile mobs but useless against living entities.

Which Mobs Are Affected by Smite

Smite works exclusively on undead mobs, which include:

  • Zombies – Regular zombies, baby zombies, and zombie villagers
  • Skeletons – Including strays and wither skeletons
  • Zombie Pigmen/Zombified Piglins – Found in the Nether
  • Wither – The boss mob
  • Phantoms – Flying undead mobs that spawn when you don’t sleep
  • Drowned – Underwater zombie variants
  • Husks – Desert zombie variants

Smite Damage Levels

Smite has five levels (I through V), with each level adding 2.5 hearts of damage against undead mobs:

Level Extra Damage Total Bonus
Smite I +2.5 hearts +2.5 hearts
Smite II +2.5 hearts +5 hearts
Smite III +2.5 hearts +7.5 hearts
Smite IV +2.5 hearts +10 hearts
Smite V +2.5 hearts +12.5 hearts

Smite vs Sharpness: Which Should You Choose?

You cannot have both Smite and Sharpness on the same weapon since they’re mutually exclusive. Sharpness increases damage against all mobs by a smaller amount, while Smite provides massive damage boosts but only against undead creatures.

Choose Smite if you frequently fight in areas with lots of undead mobs, like caves, the Nether, or during nighttime surface exploration. Choose Sharpness for general-purpose weapons since it works against all hostile mobs, animals, and players.

How to Get Smite Enchantment

You can obtain Smite through several methods:

  • Enchanting Table – Use an enchanting table with lapis lazuli and experience levels
  • Anvil – Combine your weapon with a Smite enchanted book
  • Trading – Purchase enchanted books from librarian villagers
  • Loot – Find enchanted weapons in dungeon chests or other structures

For players who enjoy exploring dangerous areas filled with undead creatures, understanding how Smite works can make survival significantly easier and help you tackle challenging Minecraft adventures with confidence.

TL;DR

Smite enchantment increases damage against undead mobs like zombies, skeletons, and phantoms by up to 12.5 hearts at level V, but doesn’t affect living creatures.

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Joyst1ck

Gaming Writer & HTML5 Developer

Answering gaming questions—from Roblox and Minecraft to the latest indie hits. I write developer‑focused HTML5 articles and share practical tips on game design, monetisation, and scripting.

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