Impaling

Impaling
Maximum level	V
Primary items
Secondary items	None
Enchantment weight	2
Incompatible with	Sharpness; Smite; Bane of Arthropods; Density; Breach; Cleaving;

Impaling is an enchantment applied to tridents that increases damage against aquatic mobs,‌^{[JE only]} or increases damage against entities in water or rain.‌^{[BE only]}

Obtaining

Impaling can be obtained from enchantment tables, drops from mobs that have spawned in a raid,‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]} books obtained by fishing, monster room chests, librarian villagers, and non-village structure loot.

Usage

Each level of Impaling adds 2.5 (HP × 1 ¹⁄₄) extra damage per hit. In Bedrock Edition, the values are rounded down to the nearest whole number. This applies both to the trident projectile and in melee combat.

In Java Edition, only aquatic mobs receive the extra damage. Aquatic mobs include axolotls, dolphins, guardians, elder guardians, squid, glow squid, tadpoles, turtles, and all variants of fish, but not drowned,^[1] as drowned are classified as undead mobs rather than underwater mobs. A thrown trident with Impaling I kills in one hit most of these aquatic mobs (≤10 HP) with the exception of guardians and turtles, of which a thrown trident with Impaling III+ kills in two hits (30 HP), and a thrown trident with Impaling V kills an elder guardian (80 HP) in four hits.

In Bedrock Edition, the damage applies to all mobs and players when in contact with water: underwater, in flowing water, and in rain.^[2]

In the Java Edition Combat Tests, Impaling has both of these effects.

Damage per hit

These tables detail how much damage is done per attack based on the level of enchantment used, assuming the target is not wearing armor and the attack is fully charged.‌^{[Java Edition only]} While both Java Edition and Bedrock Edition add 2.5HP × 1.25 per level, Bedrock Edition rounds down to the nearest whole number which makes Impaling I, Impaling III, and Impaling V weaker than Java Edition.

Impaling extra damage
Edition	I	II	III	IV	V
In Java Edition	2.5HP × 1.25	5HP	7.5HP × 3.75	10HP	12.5HP × 6.25
In Bedrock Edition	2HP	5HP	7HP	10HP	12HP × 6

Java Edition

Type	Base damage	Impaling I	Impaling II	Impaling III	Impaling IV	Impaling V
Melee	9HP	11.5HP × 5.75	14HP × 7	16.5HP × 8.25	19HP × 9.5	21.5HP × 10.75
Melee (critical)	13.5HP × 6.75	16HP × 8	18.5HP × 9.25	21HP × 10.5	23.5HP × 11.75	26HP × 13
Ranged	8HP	10.5HP × 5.25	13HP × 6.5	15.5HP × 7.75	18HP × 9	20.5HP × 10.25

Bedrock Edition

Type	Base damage	Impaling I	Impaling II	Impaling III	Impaling IV	Impaling V
Melee	9HP	11HP × 5.5	14HP × 7	16HP × 8	19HP × 9.5	21HP × 10.5
Melee (critical)	13.5HP × 6.75	16.5HP × 8.25	21HP × 10.5	24HP × 12	28.5HP × 14.25	31.5HP × 15.75
Ranged	8HP	10HP	13HP × 6.5	15HP × 7.5	18HP × 9	20HP × 10

Specific cases

If Impaling is applied to a bow by use of commands or an anvil in Creative, the enchantment affects the weapon's arrows. If Impaling is applied to a crossbow by use of commands or an anvil in Creative, the enchantment affects weapon's arrows but not its firework rockets.

Incompatibilities

Impaling is incompatible with Sharpness, Smite, Bane of Arthropods, Density, Breach, and Cleaving^{[upcoming JE Combat Tests]}, but in Survival these incompatibilities cannot be encountered, as no weapon types have access to both Impaling and one of the other aforementioned enchantments. If commands are used to have two or more of these enchantments on the same item, their effects stack.‌^{[Java Edition only]}

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Translation key
Impaling	`impaling`	`enchantment.minecraft.impaling`

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Translation key
Impaling	`impaling`	`29`	`enchantment.tridentImpaling`

History

Java Edition

Java Edition
1.13	18w07a	Along with the addition of tridents, the Impaling enchantment has now been added.
1.17	20w51a	Impaling now deals extra damage to the axolotls.
1.21.2	24w33a	Drowned can now use the Impaling enchantment.
Java Edition Combat Tests
4		Impaling now deals extra damage to all mobs in water or rain.

Bedrock Edition

Bedrock Edition
1.2.13 Experiment Experimental Gameplay			beta 1.2.13.8				Added the Impaling enchantment as part of Experimental Gameplay, which is able to be applied to the brand-new tridents.
1.4.0			beta 1.2.14.2				The Impaling enchantment has now been fully implemented.

Legacy Console Edition

Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360	Xbox One	PS3	PS4	PS Vita	Wii U	Switch
TU69		1.76	1.76	1.76	Patch 38		Along with the addition of tridents, the Impaling enchantment can now be applied to them.

Issues

Issues relating to "Impaling" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

References

↑ MC-128249 — resolved as "Works As Intended".
↑ MCPE-34025

Notes

↑ This incompatibility cannot be encountered in Survival, as no weapon types have access to both Impaling and Sharpness.
↑ This incompatibility cannot be encountered in Survival, as no weapon types have access to both Impaling and Smite.
↑ This incompatibility cannot be encountered in Survival, as no weapon types have access to both Impaling and Bane of Arthropods.
↑ This incompatibility cannot be encountered in Survival, as no weapon types have access to both Impaling and Density.
↑ This incompatibility cannot be encountered in Survival, as no weapon types have access to both Impaling and Breach.
↑ This incompatibility cannot be encountered in Survival, as no weapon types have access to both Impaling and Cleaving.

Navigation

[7] MC-128249 — resolved as "Works As Intended".

[8] MCPE-34025

[creativeincompatible-1] This incompatibility cannot be encountered in Survival, as no weapon types have access to both Impaling and Sharpness.

[creativeincompatible2-2] This incompatibility cannot be encountered in Survival, as no weapon types have access to both Impaling and Smite.

[creativeincompatible3-3] This incompatibility cannot be encountered in Survival, as no weapon types have access to both Impaling and Bane of Arthropods.

[creativeincompatible5-4] This incompatibility cannot be encountered in Survival, as no weapon types have access to both Impaling and Density.

[creativeincompatible6-5] This incompatibility cannot be encountered in Survival, as no weapon types have access to both Impaling and Breach.

[creativeincompatible4-6] This incompatibility cannot be encountered in Survival, as no weapon types have access to both Impaling and Cleaving.

[note 1]

[note 2]

[note 3]

[note 4]

[note 5]

[note 6]

[1]

[2]

Maximum level	V
Primary items
Secondary items	None
Enchantment weight	2
Incompatible with	Sharpness^{[note 1]} Smite^{[note 2]} Bane of Arthropods^{[note 3]} Density^{[note 4]} Breach^{[note 5]} Cleaving^{[note 6]}