Updated 23 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Trident: How to Get and Use It
Tridents cannot be crafted: you get them from drowned that spawn holding one, or from trial chamber vaults and chests. A trident deals 9 damage in melee, can be thrown, and takes the Loyalty, Riptide, Channeling and Impaling enchantments.
How do you get a trident?
About 6.25% of naturally spawned drowned carry a trident. Killed by a player or tamed wolf, a trident drowned drops it 8.5% of the time on Java (25% on Bedrock), plus 1% per level of Looting. Zombies that turn into drowned never have one. Tridents also appear in trial chamber vaults and chests.
How does a trident work?
In melee a trident deals 9 damage with an attack speed of 1.1 on Java, losing 1 durability per hit. Hold use to charge it and release to throw it like an arrow; it is not slowed by water. A thrown trident sticks in blocks or bounces off what it hits, can be blocked by shields, and loses 1 durability per throw. On Java an unrecovered trident despawns after 60 seconds; on Bedrock it does not.
Which trident enchantments should you use?
| Enchantment | Max | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Loyalty | III | The thrown trident flies back to you |
| Riptide | III | Throwing in water or rain launches you instead |
| Channeling | I | Calls lightning on the target in thunderstorms |
| Impaling | V | More damage (to water mobs on Java) |
Riptide cannot be combined with Loyalty or Channeling.
Trident tips
- Keep a trident above 1 durability: at 1 or less it cannot be thrown.
- Shields block thrown tridents.
- Drowned can carry enchanted tridents; Loyalty, Impaling and Channeling work for them, Riptide does not.
Are tridents on ArtemisPvP?
Frequently asked questions
What is the trident drop chance?
8.5% on Java (25% on Bedrock) from a drowned holding one, plus 1% per Looting level.
Can you craft a trident?
No.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.