What Does Smite Do in Minecraft? Damage, Mobs & Tips

Smite is a sword and axe enchantment in Minecraft that adds 2.5 extra damage per level (1.25 hearts) against undead mobs, up to 12.5 extra damage at Smite V. It only affects undead creatures — zombies, skeletons, wither skeletons, phantoms, and the Wither — and does nothing against living mobs like creepers or spiders. Because of that narrow target list, it deals far more damage than Sharpness against undead, but zero bonus damage against everything else.

Smite Damage Numbers by Level

Smite bonus damage is exact, not random:

The listed total uses a diamond sword's base damage of 7. With a netherite sword (base 8), Smite V reaches 20.5 damage — enough to one-shot most zombies and skeletons, since a zombie has 20 health. Applied to an axe, which already has higher base damage, a Smite V netherite axe hits roughly 24.5 damage against undead targets — enough to kill a wither skeleton (20 health) in a single strike.

Against the Wither boss, sustained Smite damage shortens the fight dramatically because the boss counts as undead. Many players craft a dedicated Smite sword just for that battle and never use it elsewhere.

Which Mobs Does Smite Affect?

Smite works on every undead mob in the game:

• Zombie, Zombie Villager, Husk, Drowned, Zombified Piglin
• Skeleton, Stray, Bogged
• Wither Skeleton
• Phantom
• Zoglin and Zombie Horse
• Wither (boss)
• Skeleton Horse and Zombie Horse

It does not affect living mobs: creepers, spiders, endermen, piglins, blazes, villagers, wardens, players, or anything else outside the undead family. That is the core trade-off of the enchantment — a list worth memorizing before you commit an anvil combination.

The practical pattern: in everyday survival you will meet undead far more often than any other hostile type. Zombies, skeletons, drowned, and phantoms cover most nighttime and underground encounters. On a per-encounter basis, Smite V is active against the majority of mobs you actually fight, even though the mob list looks narrow.

Smite vs Sharpness vs Bane of Arthropods

Smite belongs to a group of three mutually exclusive damage enchantments. You cannot have Smite and Sharpness on the same weapon — the anvil will refuse the combination, and an enchanting table will never roll both on one item.

Bane of Arthropods also applies Slowness IV to its targets, and Smite grants no such side effect — but Smite's target list is dramatically more useful, which is why the community ranks it well above Bane.

When Smite Beats Sharpness

• Zombie/skeleton-heavy situations: mob farms, night surface travel, mining at low Y levels where drowned and zombies spawn constantly
• The Wither fight: the Wither counts as undead, so Smite V works on all three phases — this is the single best weapon enchantment for that boss
• One-shot thresholds: Smite V pushes a netherite sword past the 20-damage mark, killing common undead in one hit instead of two, which halves the effective danger of a zombie horde

When Sharpness Is the Better Choice

Sharpness V adds less raw damage against undead (+3 on Java with the base bump), but it applies to every target. For general exploration, PvP, and mixed fights — where you cannot predict what you will face — Sharpness is the safer pick. A common setup is a Sharpness V "all-purpose" sword plus a dedicated Smite V weapon for undead farms and the Wither. For a full breakdown of sword options, see best sword enchantments in Minecraft.

Note: the Smite/Bane/Sharpness exclusivity applies to both swords and axes in Java Edition. In Bedrock Edition the same rule holds, though Sharpness damage scaling differs slightly between editions.

How to Get Smite

Smite is a standard (non-treasure) enchantment, so every normal acquisition route works:

1. Enchanting table: place a sword or axe in the table with 1–3 lapis lazuli; Smite I–V can appear on any tier. Surrounding the table with 15 bookshelves unlocks level 30 rolls, where higher Smite levels are common — the setup is covered in how many bookshelves you need for max enchanting.
2. Enchanted books: combine Smite books with your weapon on an anvil. Two Smite IV books combine into Smite V.
3. Villager trading: a librarian can sell Smite books; break and replace the lectern to reroll trades until Smite appears.
4. Loot and fishing: chest loot in dungeons, temples, and other structures, plus fishing, can yield Smite books.
5. Grindstone: if your weapon rolls Sharpness or Bane instead, grind it to remove the enchantment and reroll at the table.

Anvil costs grow with each use, so apply Smite before lower-priority enchantments and keep anvil operations to a minimum — the ordering strategy in our full enchanting guide explains how to keep costs down.

Best Smite Builds and Pairings

Smite combines freely with the following sword enchantments: Looting, Fire Aspect, Knockback, Sweeping Edge (Java), Unbreaking, and Mending. A typical undead-farm sword looks like:

• Smite V
• Looting III
• Fire Aspect II
• Sweeping Edge III (Java)
• Unbreaking III
• Mending

With Fire Aspect, note one edge case: it ignites undead that are immune to fire damage-wise but will still set regular zombies and skeletons burning, adding chip damage on top of the Smite bonus. Cooked drops are a bonus — zombies killed while burning can drop cooked food, making the combo economically useful too.

For axes, Smite V pairs with Efficiency, Unbreaking, and Mending for a hybrid tool-weapon. Axes deal more per-hit damage but swing slower, so they suit one-shot farm kills rather than prolonged fights.

Smite in Mob Farms

A zombie or skeleton farm with a drop shaft that leaves mobs at half a heart is the classic Smite showcase: a single hit finishes each mob, and with Looting III attached the same sword multiplies the drop yield. If your farm design funnels mobs into a 1×1 kill chamber, Smite V + Looting III turns it into a fully automated XP and loot source.

Drowned Farms and Ocean Combat

Drowned deserve a special mention because they are simultaneously one of the most annoying and most rewarding undead kills. A drowned farm built around a river or ocean ruin produces tridents and nautilus shells, and a Smite V sword clears the spawn platform faster than any alternative — drowned have 20 health underwater where bow aim is sluggish, so the 20.5-damage one-shot threshold matters even more. The same logic applies to phantom nights: if you have not slept, a Smite weapon deletes each diving phantom (20 HP) before it can circle back for another attack.

Smite on Swords vs Axes: Which to Enchant?

Both weapons accept Smite, and the answer depends on combat rhythm:

• Sword — faster swing, works with Sweeping Edge and Knockback; the right host for a farm sword where many weak mobs die in sequence
• Axe — higher single-hit damage and shield-breaking in Java PvP; the right host for a Wither-fight weapon where every landed hit counts

The exclusive three enchantments apply identically to both weapon types, so nothing stops a Smite V axe from existing — netherite axe + Smite V + Fire Aspect II is a popular Wither-killer. If you only craft one undead weapon, make it the sword for versatility; add the axe later once a second netherite ingot is available.

Things to Watch Out For

• Irreversible choice: once a weapon has Smite, only a grindstone removes it — and that wipes all enchantments. Decide between Smite and Sharpness before committing resources.
• Creeper rooms and mixed raids: keep a second weapon for fights where undead are the minority, such as raids, woodland mansions, or the End.
• Bedrock vs Java sweeping: Java's Sweeping Edge boosts the sweep attack that also benefits from Smite; Bedrock sweeps deal full enchantment damage differently, so measured output varies slightly between editions.