TL;DR

The mace is a fall-damage weapon added in Minecraft 1.21 — the further you fall before hitting, the more damage you deal.
Best PvE build: Density V, Wind Burst III, Unbreaking III, Mending, Fire Aspect II.
Best PvP build: Breach IV, Wind Burst III, Unbreaking III, Mending, Fire Aspect II.
Density, Breach, Smite, and Bane of Arthropods are mutually exclusive — you can only pick one.
Wind Burst launches you into the air after a smash attack so you can chain aerial hits repeatedly.
Wind Burst cannot be obtained from an enchanting table — only from Ominous Vaults in Trial Chambers.
A fully enchanted mace with Density V dropped from height can one-shot the Warden.

Best Mace Enchantments in Minecraft matter more than on almost any other weapon because the mace is built around a unique mechanic that enchantments directly amplify. Introduced in the 1.21 Tricky Trials update, the mace deals extra damage based on how far you fall before hitting your target. The further the drop, the harder the hit. The right enchantments turn this already powerful weapon into the single highest burst-damage tool in the game. This guide covers every mace enchantment, ranks them clearly, and gives you the best builds for every situation.

Table of Contents

What Is the Mace in Minecraft

The mace is a slow, heavy melee weapon with a base damage of 5 — on par with a sword. What makes it special is the smash attack mechanic. When you fall at least 1.5 blocks before hitting a mob or player, you trigger a smash attack that:

Deals bonus damage based on fall distance — the first 3 blocks add 4 damage each, the next 5 blocks add 2 each, and every block beyond that adds 1
Completely negates your fall damage — land the hit and you take zero fall damage no matter the height
Sends nearby mobs flying with heavy knockback in a small radius
Has no damage cap — theoretically you can one-shot anything in the game from enough height, including a Warden or a player in full Netherite armour

The mace cannot be crafted from basic materials. It requires a Heavy Core (from Ominous Vaults in Trial Chambers) placed above a Breeze Rod (dropped by Breeze mobs) in a crafting table. See our guides on how to find Trial Chambers and how to trigger Ominous Trials to collect the materials.

The Critical Mutual Exclusion — Choose One Damage Enchantment

The mace has four damage enchantments and they are all mutually exclusive. You can only have one on a single mace:

Density — adds bonus fall damage per block fallen per level. Best for PvE and general use.
Breach — reduces the effectiveness of the target’s armour. Best for PvP against armoured players.
Smite — bonus damage against undead mobs only. Niche, rarely recommended.
Bane of Arthropods — bonus damage against spiders and silverfish only. Almost never worth it on a mace.

For most players the choice is between Density V for PvE and Breach IV for PvP. Everything else on the mace works the same regardless of which you pick.

All Mace Enchantments Ranked

1. Wind Burst III — The most fun and powerful mace enchantment

Wind Burst is a mace-exclusive enchantment and arguably the most impactful one in the set. When you land a smash attack after falling at least two blocks, Wind Burst triggers a wind explosion at the point of impact that launches you upward. The height you travel depends on the level:

Wind Burst I — launches you approximately 7 blocks upward
Wind Burst II — launches you approximately 14 blocks upward
Wind Burst III — launches you approximately 21 blocks upward

This creates an incredibly powerful loop. You smash down, deal massive fall damage, Wind Burst launches you back up, you fall again, smash again, and repeat. You can chain aerial smash attacks continuously as long as you keep hitting targets. Each chain attack deals full fall-height bonus damage.

Wind Burst also deals knockback to nearby mobs on impact, making it excellent for crowd clearing. Combined with Density V, each hit in the chain deals more damage than a standard sword could hope for.

The catch: Wind Burst cannot come from an enchanting table. You must get it from Ominous Vaults inside Trial Chambers. This makes it rarer than most enchantments, but it is absolutely worth hunting for. See our Ominous Trial guide for how to unlock Ominous Vaults.

Maximum level: III
Mace exclusive
How to get: Ominous Vaults in Trial Chambers only — not from enchanting table

2. Density V — Best damage enchantment for PvE

Density is the mace’s equivalent of Sharpness for a sword. It adds extra fall damage per block fallen per level. At level V, it adds 2.5 bonus damage for every block you fall before the smash attack connects. This compounds on top of the mace’s base fall damage formula, making every drop significantly more deadly.

The practical impact is huge. Without Density, one-shotting a Warden requires falling from roughly 200 blocks. With Density V, that same kill only needs a drop of around 100 blocks — cutting the required height in half. Against regular mobs the difference is even more dramatic. Most common overworld mobs die in a single smash from very short drops with Density V active.

Density is available from the enchanting table, making it the easiest top-tier mace enchantment to obtain.

Maximum level: V
Mace exclusive
Conflicts with: Breach, Smite, Bane of Arthropods
Best for: PvE, boss fights, general survival

3. Breach IV — Best damage enchantment for PvP

Breach reduces the effectiveness of the target’s armour when you hit them. Each level ignores 15% of their armour value. At level IV, it bypasses 60% of the target’s armour protection. Against a player in full Netherite armour with Protection IV — some of the strongest defence in the game — Breach IV still deals a massive portion of your full damage through.

This makes Breach IV the dominant choice in PvP environments where players are heavily armoured. In PvE, most mobs do not wear armour, so Breach offers no benefit over Density. The rule is simple: choose Density for survival and mob fights, choose Breach if you specifically play on PvP servers.

Maximum level: IV
Mace exclusive
Conflicts with: Density, Smite, Bane of Arthropods
Best for: PvP against armoured players

4. Mending — Your mace lasts forever

Mending repairs your mace using XP orbs collected during play. The mace loses one durability point per hit, and smash attacks from great heights can wear it down during intense sessions. Mending eliminates this concern entirely — as long as you are killing mobs and collecting XP, your mace passively repairs itself.

Given how hard the Heavy Core is to obtain, losing a mace to durability damage would be painful. Mending makes that impossible. It cannot come from an enchanting table — source it from librarian villager trades, fishing with Luck of the Sea, or loot chests. Check our villager breeding guide to set up a librarian trading hall for easy Mending access.

Maximum level: I
Works with: All other mace enchantments
How to get: Librarian trades, fishing, loot chests — not from enchanting table

5. Unbreaking III — Essential durability buffer

Unbreaking gives each use a chance to not consume durability. At level III it roughly quadruples the effective lifespan of the mace. Combined with Mending, the mace becomes essentially permanent — Unbreaking reduces how often Mending needs to kick in, freeing more XP to go to your level bar.

Always put Unbreaking III on your mace alongside Mending. The two work together perfectly and together cost almost no practical downside.

Maximum level: III
Works with: All other mace enchantments

6. Fire Aspect II — Free burn damage on every hit

Fire Aspect sets the target on fire on hit. At level II the fire deals bonus damage over 4 seconds on top of your smash attack damage. Every hit already deals enormous fall-based damage — Fire Aspect adds more on top for free.

Additional benefits: animals killed while burning drop cooked meat automatically, and Fire Aspect can ignite TNT from a direct hit. In a smash combo using Wind Burst, you are hitting multiple times in quick succession — Fire Aspect stacks burn damage across every single hit in the chain.

Maximum level: II
Works with: All other mace enchantments

7. Smite V — Very niche, skip for most players

Smite adds bonus damage against undead mobs — zombies, skeletons, phantoms, the Wither, and others. It deals more bonus damage per level than Density when hitting undead, but only against undead. For a dedicated undead farm you could make a Smite mace, but the mace’s base fall damage is already so high that Smite rarely makes a meaningful practical difference over Density. Skip it for most builds.

Maximum level: V
Conflicts with: Density, Breach, Bane of Arthropods

8. Bane of Arthropods V — Skip entirely

Bane of Arthropods adds bonus damage against spiders, cave spiders, silverfish, endermites, and bees. These mobs have low health to begin with and the mace’s base damage already handles them easily. There is essentially no situation where Bane of Arthropods on a mace is the correct choice over Density. Skip it completely.

Maximum level: V
Conflicts with: Density, Breach, Smite

Best Mace Build for PvE — God Mace Setup

This is the recommended setup for survival, boss fights, and general mob combat:

Density V — maximum fall damage scaling
Wind Burst III — infinite aerial combo chaining
Unbreaking III — extended durability
Mending — self-repairing from XP
Fire Aspect II — bonus burn damage on every hit

This setup is the most powerful PvE mace possible. Density V amplifies every drop, Wind Burst III keeps you airborne to chain hits, Mending and Unbreaking keep the mace permanent, and Fire Aspect adds ongoing damage between smash attacks. With this combination you can clear Trial Chambers, one-shot most bosses from reasonable heights, and chain aerial kills on groups of mobs.

Best Mace Build for PvP

Swap Density for Breach when fighting well-armoured players:

Breach IV — bypasses 60% of opponent armour
Wind Burst III — aerial combo chaining
Unbreaking III — durability in prolonged fights
Mending — passive repair between rounds
Fire Aspect II — additional damage pressure

In PvP, Breach IV makes the mace deal significant damage even through full Protection IV Netherite armour. Combined with the aerial dive mechanic, it is extremely difficult to defend against.

How to Use the Mace Effectively

Always trigger a smash attack — even a 2-block drop activates the mechanic and negates fall damage. Never swing the mace from ground level if you can help it.
Use Wind Burst III to chain attacks — after each smash, you are launched upward. Immediately aim at the same or a nearby mob and fall back down for another smash. Repeat for chain kills.
Jump from structures in Trial Chambers — the staircase and elevated room layouts are perfect for getting drop height without climbing anything.
Smash attacks negate all fall damage — if you hit the target, you take zero fall damage no matter the height. This means you can dive from extreme heights risk-free as long as you connect.
Pair with a Strength potion for maximum burst. See our potion brewing guide to prepare before boss encounters.
Watch your surroundings — you need open vertical space to smash effectively. Tight caves and enclosed rooms reduce the mace’s power significantly compared to open areas.

Be aware of a few conditions that prevent smash attacks from triggering:

You have not fallen at least 1.5 blocks before the hit
You are actively using an Elytra
You are under the Slow Falling effect

How to Get Wind Burst — The Hardest Enchantment to Find

Wind Burst is the rarest mace enchantment because it only comes from Ominous Vaults inside Trial Chambers. Here is how to get it:

Find a Trial Chamber — use /locate structure minecraft:trial_chambers with cheats on, or explore until you find one. See our Trial Chambers guide.
Trigger an Ominous Trial by entering a Trial Chamber while under the Bad Omen effect. See our Ominous Trial guide for full steps.
Complete the Ominous Trial to unlock Ominous Vaults — the special golden vaults that contain exclusive loot including Wind Burst books.
Use an Ominous Trial Key to open the vault and collect the Wind Burst enchanted book.

Wind Burst books can also occasionally appear as loot in regular Trial Chamber chests, but the Ominous Vault is the most reliable source. Bring your best gear, potions, and armour before attempting an Ominous Trial — the enemies are significantly stronger than normal trials.

Mace Enchantments — Quick Reference

Density — Max V. More fall damage per block fallen. Conflicts with Breach, Smite, Bane of Arthropods.
Breach — Max IV. Bypasses target armour. Conflicts with Density, Smite, Bane of Arthropods.
Wind Burst — Max III. Launches you upward after smash attacks. No conflicts. Ominous Vault only.
Fire Aspect — Max II. Sets targets on fire. No conflicts.
Unbreaking — Max III. Extends durability. No conflicts.
Mending — Max I. Self-repairs using XP. No conflicts.
Smite — Max V. Bonus damage to undead only. Conflicts with Density, Breach, Bane of Arthropods.
Bane of Arthropods — Max V. Bonus damage to arthropods only. Skip on mace.

Wrapping Up

The mace is the most exciting weapon added to Minecraft in years. Its enchantments are built around the aerial smash mechanic and they reward aggressive, high-risk play. Density V combined with Wind Burst III is the definitive PvE setup — chain smash attacks from the air and watch entire mob groups collapse in seconds. Switch to Breach IV for PvP servers where you need armour penetration to deal significant damage through Protection IV Netherite sets.

Getting Wind Burst III from Ominous Vaults is the key unlock. Once you have it the mace goes from powerful to genuinely game-changing. For your complete Minecraft weapon enchantment series, check our guides on best trident enchantments, best bow enchantments, best sword enchantments, and best armour enchantments. You can grab Minecraft on PC or download it on Android to start building your ultimate mace today.