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This post was last updated on March 1, 2026
Smite is a powerful weapon enchantment in Minecraft that helps you slay undead enemies with ease. This enchantment increases the damage dealt to undead creatures and is one of the most powerful damage buffs in the game.
This article is the ultimate guide to Smite in Minecraft. You’ll get an in-depth explanation of how Smite works and some detailed statistics on how it affects your weapon’s damage.
No need to be scared of those lethal undead mobs anymore!
What Does Smite Do In Minecraft
Smite is a weapon enchantment in Minecraft. The Smite enchantment increases the amount of damage inflicted on undead creatures (see the list below). Note that Smite can only be applied to swords and axes, and isn’t available for ranged weapons.
The maximum level of the Smite enchantment is 5 – the higher your level, the more damage you’ll hit undead foes with. Extra Smite levels increase the damage of each hit by 2.5 (1.25 hearts).
At high levels, on a quality weapon like a diamond enchanted sword, Smite can kill undead mobs with one hit.
Smite cannot be combined with the following enchantments: Sharpness, Cleaving, or Bane of Arthropods. You can only choose one enchantment for your weapon from this list.
Undead Mobs in Minecraft Affected By The Smite Enchantment
This list shows all the undead mobs which take extra damage from the smite buff.
- Husks
- Phantoms
- Skeleton Horses
- Strays
- Skeletons
- The Drowned
- Wither
- Wither Skeletons
- Zoglins
- Zombies
- Zombie Horses
- Zombified Piglins
- Zombie Villagers
Mobs that aren’t on this list won’t be affected by the extra damage.
Smite Damage Tables
These tables show the level of damage increased for each level of Smite in Minecraft (on undead mobs).
The numbers in brackets show the damage for a critical hit.
Swords
| Weapon | Basic Damage | Smite I | Smite II | Smite III | Smite IV | Smite V |
| Wooden Sword | 4 (6) | 6.5 (8.5) | 9 (11) | 11.5 (13.5) | 14 (16) | 16.5 (18.5) |
| Gold Sword | 4 (6) | 6.5 (8.5) | 9 (11) | 11.5 (13.5) | 14 (16) | 16.5 (18.5) |
| Stone Sword | 5 (7.5) | 7.5 (10) | 10 (12.5) | 12.5 (15) | 15 (17.5) | 17.5 (20) |
| Iron Sword | 6 (9) | 8.5 (11.5) | 11 (14) | 13.5 (16.5) | 16 (19) | 18.5 (21.5) |
| Diamond Sword | 7 (10.5) | 9.5 (13) | 12 (15.5) | 14.5 (18) | 17 (20.5) | 19.5 (23) |
| Netherite Sword | 8 (12) | 10.5 (14.5) | 13 (17) | 15.5 (19.5) | 18 (22) | 20.5 (24.5) |
Axes
| Weapon | Basic Damage | Smite I | Smite II | Smite III | Smite IV | Smite V |
| Wooden Axe | 7 (10.5) | 9.5 (13) | 12 (15.5) | 14.5 (18) | 17 (20.5) | 19.5 (23) |
| Gold Axe | 7 (10.5) | 9.5 (13) | 12 (15.5) | 14.5 (18) | 17 (20.5) | 19.5 (23) |
| Stone Axe | 9.5 (13.5) | 11.5 (16) | 14 (18.5) | 16.5 (21) | 19 (23.5) | 21.5 (26) |
| Iron Axe | 9.5 (13.5) | 11.5 (16) | 14 (18.5) | 16.5 (21) | 19 (23.5) | 21.5 (26) |
| Diamond Axe | 9.5 (13.5) | 11.5 (16) | 14 (18.5) | 16.5 (21) | 19 (23.5) | 21.5 (26) |
| Netherite Axe | 10 (15) | 12.5 (17.5) | 15 (20) | 17.5 (22.5) | 20 (25) | 22.5 (27.5) |
How to Use Smite in Minecraft
This section shows you the process for enchanting weapons with Smite.
To power up a weapon with Smite, you’re going to need an enchantment table. You can make an enchanting table out of a book, 2 diamonds, and 4 obsidian blocks. You’ll need a bunch of XP points too, which are collected from killing mobs.
This image shows the recipe to build an enchanting table on your crafting bench.
The last component is Lapis Lazuli. The Lapis Lazuli requirement is equal to the level of enchanting you plan on using.
To get higher enchantment levels you should place some bookshelves around your enchanting table. For the max levels, you will need a total of 15 bookshelves in a complete bookshelf boundary.
Right-click the enchantment table to open the enchanting screen.
- Use Lapis Lazuli to power up the enchanting table.
- Drag in the sword or axe you want to enchant.
- Mouse over the three enchantment options to see if any have a Smite option.
- Select an enchantment option with Smite to apply Smite.
Note – If smite doesn’t appear in the above menu, you might need to find an enchanted book that has smite as an imbued attachment.
You will need to have a higher XP level than the enchantment level, and enough lapis lazuli for each level.
Sharpness vs Smite – Which is Better?
Because Smite and Sharpness enchantments are mutually exclusive, you might be facing the decision of which one to use. This section compares the two buffs and assesses which might be more effective.
In essence, Smite-powered weapons give more damage per enchantment level than Sharpness. However, only against undead foes.
At max level, sharpness adds 3 points of damage, whereas Smite adds 10! The catch is that the extra damage from Smite is only active against undead mobs, whereas Sharpness works on anything. Smite weapons will work just like a normal sword or axe against non-undead mobs in Minecraft.
Both of these enchantments are great, and the choice ultimately lies in what kind of enemies you’re going to be facing. Perhaps you could have two weapons, one for each buff.
Conclusion
Now you’ll no longer be wondering ‘what does Smite do in Minecraft?’! Using this enchantment you’ll be able to effortlessly tackle any undead mob!
FAQs
What is Smite Good Against?
The Smite Minecraft enchantment is good against any undead mob. This increases the damage done against enemies like skeletons, zombies, zombie horses, wither skeletons, zombie villagers, and more. See the full list in the guide above!
Is Smite Better or Sharpness?
Smite is better than sharpness, but only when you are fighting an undead mob. Sharpness gives a damage boost against any mob – so it’s better for multi-purpose combat. But Smite deals a huge amount of damage to undead monsters.
What’s Better: Smite 5 or Sharpness 3?
The better buff between Smite 5 and Sharpness 3 depends on the enemies you are fighting. If they are undead, then Smite 5 deals an extra 12 points of damage. However, it has no effect against standard creatures. Sharpness 3, on the other hand, deals an extra 2 points of damage to any enemies.
