If you have ever watched the durability of your beloved Netherite pickaxe hit rock bottom, you might have wondered: what exactly does Mending do, and why do many players consider it one of the most essential enchantments?
Searching for Ancient Debris in the Nether is no easy task, and if your tools need to be replaced after only a few uses, exploration becomes a tedious chore. Mending helps alleviate this frustration. As long as you have a reliable way to gain experience, your gear can continuously restore its durability, significantly extending its lifespan.
What is the Mending Enchantment?
Mending is a "treasure" enchantment in Minecraft. It converts the experience orbs collected by the player into durability, which is then used to repair the item bearing the enchantment.
It is called a treasure enchantment because Mending cannot be obtained through a standard Enchanting Table. Players must find Mending enchanted books in loot chests, through fishing, or via villager trading, and then apply them to their gear using an anvil.
Almost any item with durability can be enchanted with Mending, including pickaxes, axes, swords, shovels, hoes, fishing rods, shears, tridents, crossbows, and Elytra. By applying Mending to your frequently used gear, you can keep them repaired simply by gaining experience, reducing the need to constantly gather materials and craft new tools.
How Mending Works
The way Mending works is straightforward: it prioritizes converting experience orbs into durability to repair the items currently equipped or held by the player.
To repair your gear faster, you need to gain more experience. Defeating zombies in the Overworld, using mob grinders or Enderman farms, mining ores, trading with villagers, and bulk smelting items are all great ways to accumulate experience.
When you are holding a tool with low durability that has Mending, the experience orbs you collect will not immediately go toward your experience bar; instead, they will be used to repair that tool first. Only when all eligible Mending items are fully repaired will the remaining experience be added to your experience bar.
This is the only notable trade-off of Mending. In the early game, experience is scarce. If your gear is heavily damaged, the experience you earn might be consumed to repair your tools, which is why many players prioritize seeking this enchantment only after they have established a stable source of experience.
Mending Repairs Durability Using Experience
The conversion rate for Mending is 2 points of durability for every 1 point of experience gained. This means that various activities you perform—such as defeating zombies, mining diamonds or other ores, trading, smelting items, and collecting orbs from experience farms—will passively repair your gear.
As long as the item is not completely broken, Mending can slowly restore it to full health.
Which Items Can Be Repaired with Mending?
Mending does not repair every item in your inventory that has the enchantment. The game only selects targets from the gear currently equipped or held, specifically:
- Armor currently being worn by the player;
- The item held in the main hand;
- The item equipped in the off-hand.
If you have multiple items with Mending equipped simultaneously, the game will randomly select one that is not at full durability to repair. Items that are already at full durability are skipped, and excess experience will only go to your experience bar once all eligible items are fully repaired.
Therefore, if you want to focus on repairing a specific piece of gear, it is best to temporarily unequip other items with Mending or swap them out for gear without the enchantment.
Mending and Infinity Are Mutually Exclusive
Mending and Infinity are mutually exclusive enchantments for bows; players must choose one or the other.
Mending uses experience orbs to automatically restore the bow's durability, while Infinity allows the bow to fire standard arrows without consuming them. With Infinity, you generally only need to keep one arrow in your inventory to use the bow continuously, provided the bow itself does not break.
Ultimately, the choice between Mending and Infinity depends on your playstyle. If you frequently fight mobs and have a stable source of experience, Mending reduces the hassle of repairing or crafting new bows. If you are more concerned about saving arrows, Infinity is more convenient.
How to Get Mending in Minecraft
As a treasure enchantment, obtaining Mending is usually more involved than standard enchantments. Common methods include:
- Trading with Librarian Villagers: Librarians are one of the most reliable ways to obtain Mending enchanted books. Librarians of various levels have a chance to offer this book.
- Loot Chests: Chests found in Ancient Cities, Strongholds, Desert Temples, Jungle Temples, and Abandoned Mineshafts have a chance to contain Mending enchanted books.
- Fishing: There is a small chance to obtain treasure items while fishing, which can include Mending books. If you are patient, you can try to obtain one through extended fishing sessions.
- Completing Raids: In Minecraft Bedrock Edition, defeating a Pillager Raid can occasionally reward you with a Mending enchanted book.
Mending is best applied to gear that is used frequently and is expensive to craft. Pickaxes, Elytra, Netherite armor, and your most-carried tools should generally be your top priorities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you get Mending from an Enchanting Table?
No. Mending is a treasure enchantment and will not appear as an option when using a standard Enchanting Table on tools or armor.
Which item should I prioritize for Mending?
Generally, you should prioritize your pickaxe, Elytra, Netherite armor, or the tool you use most often. The specific choice depends on your playstyle. If you mine frequently, the pickaxe is more important; if you explore the End often, the Elytra should be your priority.
Can Mending repair items that are already broken?
No. Mending can only repair items that still retain some durability. If an item's durability drops to zero and it breaks completely, it will disappear and cannot be restored by Mending.
