Power Enchantment in Minecraft: Bow Damage by Level

Power increases the damage of arrows fired from a bow. Each level adds 25% × (level + 1), so Power I is +50% and Power V is +150%. A fully charged Power V shot deals 15 damage, two and a half times what a plain bow does.

Damage table

Level	Bonus	No charge	Full charge	Critical (full charge)
None	0%	1	6	6–11
I	+50%	2	9	9–16
II	+75%	2	11	11–19
III	+100%	2	12	12–20
IV	+125%	3	14	14–23
V	+150%	3	15	15–25

These are maximums at normal arrow speed; arrow damage also depends on how fast the arrow is moving when it hits. Damage rounds up to the nearest half-heart. Critical shots happen when the bow is fully drawn (the arrow shows particles).

Look at the no-charge column before you blame the enchantment. A quick tap shot from a Power V bow does 3 damage, half of what a fully drawn plain bow does. Power multiplies whatever the draw gives it, so hold the bow for the full second it takes to charge.

A critical Power V arrow can one-shot a creeper or skeleton (20 health) on a good roll, and two normal full-charge shots always will. In the End, a strong bow makes quick work of the end crystals on top of the obsidian pillars.

Getting Power V

Power is the most common bow enchantment on the enchanting table. Its weight is 10, against 2 for Flame and Punch and 1 for Infinity, so a level 30 table offers it on most bows, and it can roll Power V straight away. Books come from fishing, monster rooms, other chests and librarians. Two Power IV books merge into V on an anvil. Under the experimental Villager Trade Rebalance, jungle librarians sell it.

Because Power is so easy to roll, it’s rarely worth spending books on. Enchant the bow at the table until you get Power IV or V, then use enchanted books on an anvil for the rarer enchantments like Mending or Infinity.

What goes with it

Power doesn’t conflict with anything. A finished bow usually has Power V, Punch II or no Punch, Flame, Unbreaking III and either Infinity or Mending. Our best bow enchantments ranks them.

Power and Flame stack well: Flame adds its fire damage after the hit, so it matters most against mobs that survive the first arrow. Punch is the one to think about. It pushes mobs back, which can put them out of range for your follow-up shot.

Mistakes to avoid

• Merging in the wrong order. Every anvil job raises the bow’s repair cost for the next one, and on Java the anvil refuses jobs that would cost 40 levels or more in survival. Add the books you care about most first.
• Expecting it on a crossbow. In survival, Power only goes on bows. Crossbows have their own set; see best crossbow enchantments.
• Planning to repair a non-Mending bow forever. Anvil repairs get more expensive each time, so on Java an Infinity bow eventually hits the “Too Expensive!” limit. Power is cheap to roll again on a fresh bow, so treat that bow as replaceable.