Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Bane of Arthropods Enchantment in Minecraft: What It Does
Bane of Arthropods adds 2.5 damage per level against arthropods (spiders, cave spiders, silverfish, endermites and bees) and slows them with Slowness IV for a moment. It cannot be on the same weapon as Sharpness or Smite, so it is rarely the best pick.
Bane of Arthropods at a glance
| Max level | V |
| Goes on | Swords, axes, maces and spears |
| Cannot combine with | Sharpness, Smite, and on maces Density and Breach. |
| Where to get it | Enchanting tables, librarians, fishing and loot. |
Get enchantments from an enchanting table with bookshelves, from enchanted books on an anvil, from librarian villagers, or as loot (a few, like Wind Burst, only come from special loot such as ominous vaults); see enchanting and anvils.
What does Bane of Arthropods do?
Each hit on an arthropod also gives it Slowness IV for 1 to 1.5 seconds at level I, longer at higher levels. More: spiders.
More about Bane of Arthropods
Cave spiders in mineshafts and silverfish in strongholds are the main arthropods you meet, and both are small enough that Sharpness already kills them quickly.
Enchanting tables use lapis lazuli and experience levels, anvils combine books and gear, and librarians sell books. Treasure enchantments only come from loot, trading and fishing, never the table, and higher levels cost more experience to apply and repair.
An enchanted book combines with an item of the right type at an anvil, and two books or items with the same enchantment at the same level merge into the next level up. Each anvil use raises the item's repair cost, so plan the order of your combinations and add Mending early.
Tips for Bane of Arthropods
Use it only for a dedicated spider farm sword; otherwise Sharpness is better. Every enchantment: every enchantment.
Does ArtemisPvP have custom enchants too?
Frequently asked questions
Which mobs does Bane of Arthropods affect?
Spiders, cave spiders, silverfish, endermites and bees.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.