What is Impaling?
Impaling is a trident-only enchantment that boosts damage against certain mobs. It only exists on tridents, and what it does depends on which edition you play.
On Java Edition, Impaling adds bonus damage to aquatic mobs like squid, guardians, fish, turtles, axolotls, and drowned, regardless of whether you hit them in water or on land. On Bedrock Edition, the same enchantment works against any mob standing in water or sitting in the rain, which makes it far more useful in a general fight.
The max level is V, and each level adds 2.5 extra damage per hit. At Impaling V that’s 12.5 extra damage on a qualifying target, on top of the trident’s normal 9 damage when thrown or 8 in melee. That turns a trident into one of the strongest weapons in the game against the right enemy.
What Impaling does, level by level
Each level of Impaling adds 2.5 damage. The total bonus damage at each tier:
- Impaling I: +2.5
- Impaling II: +5
- Impaling III: +7.5
- Impaling IV: +10
- Impaling V: +12.5
The bonus applies on both melee and ranged trident hits. If you throw a trident at a guardian and it lands, the Impaling damage is added before armor reduction. If you stab a drowned in melee with the same trident, the bonus also applies.
Impaling doesn’t fire on its own. It only adds damage to qualifying mobs, and the rules for what counts as “qualifying” are different on Java and Bedrock.
Java vs. Bedrock: the big difference
This is the part most players get wrong, so it’s worth getting right.
Java Edition
On Java, Impaling targets a fixed list of aquatic mobs:
- Guardian
- Elder Guardian
- Drowned
- Squid
- Glow Squid
- Cod, Salmon, Tropical Fish, Pufferfish
- Dolphin
- Turtle
- Axolotl
- Tadpole
It does not matter whether the mob is in water, in rain, or on dry land. If it’s on this list, Impaling adds the bonus. If it’s not on this list, Impaling does nothing extra.
Bedrock Edition
On Bedrock, Impaling works against any mob that is touching water or standing in rain, not just aquatic ones. That includes zombies, skeletons, spiders, creepers, anything. If the mob is wet, Impaling fires.
So on Bedrock, fighting a normal raid in the rain with an Impaling V trident hits much harder than the same fight on Java would. Players on multiplayer realms sometimes assume Impaling is weak because they used it in the wrong edition.
How to get Impaling on a trident
There are four main paths. Pick the one that fits where you are in the game.
Enchanting table
You can put a trident in an enchanting table the same as any other weapon, and Impaling can roll. The catch is that the table picks enchantments at random within your level pool, so getting Impaling V directly is rare. Stack 15 bookshelves around the table, hit 30 levels, and try.
Enchanted books from fishing
Fishing pulls enchanted books out of the loot table, and Impaling books are in the pool. Use a fishing rod with Luck of the Sea III and Lure III to speed it up. This is the slow but steady path to Impaling V if you already have a fishing setup running.
Librarian villager trades
This is usually the fastest route. A librarian’s trades reset when you change their job site, so if you place a lectern next to an unemployed villager, check their trades, and break the lectern if Impaling isn’t there, you can reroll until you find a librarian selling Impaling V. The cost is emeralds and a book.
Loot chests
Stronghold libraries, dungeons, and other loot chests sometimes contain Impaling books, though the odds are low and you can’t farm them.
Once you have an Impaling book, combine it with your trident on an anvil. Combining an Impaling I book and another Impaling I book gets you Impaling II. Two Impaling II books make Impaling III. Working up to V from low-level books costs more XP than starting with a V book, so the librarian route still wins if you can find one.
What Impaling stacks with
Impaling is compatible with most other trident enchantments.
Works with Impaling
- Loyalty (the trident returns to you after a throw)
- Channeling (lightning strike on a thrown hit during a thunderstorm)
- Unbreaking
- Mending
Riptide is the build choice you have to think about. Riptide turns the trident into a movement tool, not a thrown weapon, and it conflicts with Loyalty and Channeling. Impaling itself can sit on a Riptide trident in the code, but the loss of Loyalty usually pushes players toward one build path or the other early.
The best all-purpose trident loadout for ocean monument runs and underwater combat is Loyalty III, Channeling, Impaling V, Unbreaking III, and Mending.
The best use cases for Impaling
Impaling V earns its slot in a few specific situations.
Ocean monument raids
Guardians and elder guardians take heavy damage from an Impaling V trident. A normal trident throw deals 9 damage. With Impaling V, that becomes 21.5 against a guardian before armor reduction, and elder guardians fall in two thrown hits when Channeling lightning factors in during a thunderstorm.
Drowned farming
Drowned drop tridents, nautilus shells, copper ingots, and gold ingots. Running an Impaling V trident through a drowned farm turns a slow grind into a fast clear. On Bedrock this gets even stronger because Impaling fires on any mob in water, and drowned spawn in water by default.
Bedrock combat in rain
On Bedrock specifically, if you’re fighting a raid or a horde of mobs during rain, an Impaling V trident hits harder than a regular sword. This is a Bedrock-only edge and a reason some Bedrock players favor tridents as a main weapon.
Tips and common mistakes
A few things players regularly trip over with Impaling:
- It doesn’t work on every mob in Java. Farming zombies with Impaling gets you no bonus damage. The Java list is fixed and only includes aquatic mobs.
- You can’t put Impaling on a non-trident weapon. The anvil rejects the combination and the enchanting table won’t roll it on a sword or axe.
- Higher level combinations cost more XP to apply. If your trident already has Loyalty III and you stack Impaling V on top, the anvil prior-work penalty climbs fast. Apply books to a fresh trident when you can.
- On Bedrock, “in rain” means the mob is in an open block. If your enemies are sheltered under a roof, Impaling won’t fire even on Bedrock.
Damage math, quickly
Here’s how the numbers shake out at Impaling V on Java, assuming no armor on the target:
- Thrown trident on a guardian: 9 base + 12.5 Impaling = 21.5 damage
- Melee trident on a drowned: 8 base + 12.5 Impaling = 20.5 damage
- Critical thrown hit on an elder guardian: 9 base + 12.5 Impaling + critical multiplier, then armor reduction
Armor and resistance cut into these numbers, so real combat numbers are usually lower. Still, Impaling V is the single largest flat damage boost a trident can carry, and the gap between an unenchanted trident and an Impaling V trident in an ocean monument is hard to miss.
Frequently asked questions
Is Impaling V worth it?
Yes, especially if you fight in ocean monuments or run a drowned farm. The +12.5 bonus damage at level V is one of the largest flat damage boosts in the game.
Does Impaling work on the Ender Dragon?
No. The Ender Dragon is not on the Java aquatic list, and the End has no rain, so Impaling doesn’t fire on Bedrock either. Use a regular trident or a bow for the dragon fight.
Can you get Impaling V from an enchanting table?
It’s possible but rare. You need 30 levels and a fully stacked bookshelf setup, and even then the roll is random. Most players get Impaling V faster by trading with a librarian villager.
Does Impaling stack with Sharpness?
Sharpness can’t go on a trident, so the question doesn’t come up. Tridents take Impaling instead of Sharpness, and the two are mutually exclusive by weapon type.
Does Impaling affect axolotls?
On Java, yes. Axolotls are on the aquatic list, so an Impaling trident will damage them. This is a quirk most players don’t expect because axolotls are usually pets, not targets.
Can the trident return through walls with Loyalty if I have Impaling?
Loyalty returns the trident regardless of what other enchantments are on it. Impaling doesn’t affect the return path.
Why doesn’t my Impaling trident hit harder against drowned?
Check if the drowned has armor. Impaling damage is reduced by armor like any other source. If the drowned is wearing a full set of iron, the bonus drops a lot. Channeling during a thunderstorm helps because lightning bypasses armor.
Final thought
Impaling rewards players who know where to use it. On Java, build a kit around ocean monuments and drowned farms. On Bedrock, treat it as a strong general-purpose weapon when it’s raining. The Loyalty III, Channeling, Impaling V, Unbreaking III, Mending build is the standard for a reason. It hits hard where it counts, and the trident comes back when you throw it.