What does Smite do in Minecraft?

Aakrit Sharma
Uses of Smite in Minecraft

If you’re a Minecraft player, you may be wondering about which enchantment you should choose between the Sharpness and Smite. Both enchantments provide unique benefits, so here’s everything to know about the benefits and viability of Smite.

Progressing in Minecraft is impossible without upgrading your armor, tools, and weapons. To do so, the game has a mechanic called enchantments that either improves an item’s existing capabilities or adds new abilities. If you’re into cosmetics and fine details, enchanted items also have a special animation.

Smite is an enchantment in Minecraft that can be applied to swords and axes (only swords in the Java edition). Here’s why you should use it while taking on enemies.

Minecraft enchantment book
You need an enchantment table to enchant your gear in Minecraft.

Uses of Smite in Minecraft

Long story short, Smite in Minecraft helps in increasing the damage output against Undead mobs.

There are five Smite levels that you can unlock in Minecraft. With each level, the damage against Undead Mobs increases by 2.5 points. Hence, Smite V can grant 12.5 extra damage.

Here’s a list of Undead mobs in Minecraft:

  • Zombie
    • Chicken Jockey
    • Drowned
    • Husk
    • Zoglin
    • Zombie
    • Zombie Horse
    • Zombie Villager
    • Zombified Pigin
  • Skeleton
    • Wither Skeleton
    • Wither
    • Stray
    • Spider Jockey
    • Skeleton Horseman
    • Skeleton Horse
  • Phantom

These enemies are usually hostile and have unusual characteristics like getting damaged by healing potions and getting healed by harming potions. Undead mobs are immune to drowning (except husks and zombies) as well as poison damage.

The Smite enchantment is incompatible with Sharpness, which could lead to you getting skeptical about its functionality.

How to get the Smite enchantment in Minecraft

In Minecraft Java, the only way to get Smite is by finding an enchanted book imbued with the enchantment. Minecraft Bedrock, however, allows you to use an enchanting table and Lapis Lazuli to enchant your swords and axes with Smite.

How much damage does Smite deal with Axes in Minecraft?

Here’s how the Smite enchantment affects the damage output in Axes in Minecraft:

Axe VariantDamage (Base)Damage (Smite I)Damage (Smite II)Damage (Smite III)Damage (Smite IV)Damage (Smite V)
Wooden Axe7 (10.5)9.5 (13)12 (15.5)14.5 (18)17 (20.5)19.5 (23)
Gold Axe7 (10.5)9.5 (13)12 (15.5)14.5 (18)17 (20.5)19.5 (23)
Stone Axe9 (13.5)11.5 (16)14 (18.5)16.5 (21)19 (23.5)21.5 (26)
Iron Axe9 (13.5)11.5 (16)14 (18.5)16.5 (21)19 (23.5)21.5 (26)
Diamond Axe9 (13.5)11.5 (16)14 (18.5)16.5 (21)19 (23.5)21.5 (26)
Netherite Axe10 (15)12.5 (17.5)15 (20)17.5 (22.5)20 (25)22.5 (27.5)

How much damage does Smite deal with Swords in Minecraft?

Here’s how the Smite enchantment affects the damage output in Swords in Minecraft:

Sword VariantDamage (Base)Damage (Smite I)Damage (Smite II)Damage (Smite III)Damage (Smite IV)Damage (Smite V)
Wooden Sword4 (6)6.5 (8.5)9 (11)11.5 (13.5)14 (16)16.5 (18.5)
Gold Sword4 (6)6.5 (8.5)9 (11)11.5 (13.5)14 (16)16.5 (18.5)
Stone Sword5 (7.5)7.5 (10)10 (12.5)12.5 (15)15 (17.5)17.5 (20)
Iron Sword6 (9)8.5 (11.5)11 (14)13.5 (16.5)16 (19)18.5 (21.5)
Diamond Sword7 (10.5)9.5 (13)12 (15.5)14.5 (18)17 (20.5)19.5 (23)
Netherite Sword8 (12)10.5 (14.5)13 (17)15.5 (19.5)18 (22)20.5 (24.5)

Smite vs Sharpness: Which is the better Enchantment in Minecraft?

While Smite buffs the damage against Undead mobs, Sharpness offers the same effect against all enemies. Sharpness V grants 10 extra damage points to a weapon and is less powerful than Smite. However, Sharpness is a universal effect and Smite has an edge only in certain situations.

Hence, when fighting the Wither, choosing Smite over Sharpness is a no-brainer. On the other end of the Spectrum, Sharpness is more beneficial generally.

Undead Wither boss in Minecraft
The Wither is one of the strongest mobs in Minecraft.

Can you use Smite against the Wither?

Yes, you can use Smite against the Wither. This is because the Wither is an undead mob, which means that you can potentially deal 22.5 damage with every hit if you’re using a Netherite Axe enchanted with Smite V.

That was everything you need to know about what Smite does in Minecraft. For similar content on the sandbox title, make sure to check out the articles below:

Where to find Diamonds in Minecraft | How to get a blue Axolotl in Minecraft | How to make a Night Vision potion in Minecraft | How to get a Goat Horn in Minecraft | How to find an Ancient City in Minecraft | How to change your skin in Minecraft | How to breed frogs in Minecraft

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About The Author

Aakrit is a games writer with over 2000 published articles for EssentiallySports, Sportskeeda, FortniteINTEL, and CharlieINTEL. Currently, he writes guides on Minecraft, Roblox, Pokemon games, Genshin Impact, and Brawlhalla. Aakrit loves playing shooter games and in his free time, you can find him queued up in Valorant, Fortnite, Apex Legends, or Halo Infinite. You can contact Aakrit at [email protected].