Breach Enchantment (Mace) in Minecraft: Armor-Ignore Percentage Explained

Max level

IV

Applies to

Mace

Incompatible with

Sharpness, Smite, Bane of Arthropods, Density

Obtained via

Enchanting table, anvil, villager trade

Breach is a Mace-exclusive enchantment that reduces how much the target's armor actually blocks — a direct counter to heavily-armored opponents, rather than a flat damage boost.

What Breach actually does

Each level reduces the effectiveness of the target's armor points and armor toughness by 15%, up to 60% at the maximum Level IV. That's a percentage reduction in how much the target's own armor mitigates, not bonus damage added on top the way Sharpness or Smite work — against an unarmored target, Breach does nothing extra at all.

How to use it

Breach sits in the same damage-type exclusion group as Sharpness, Smite, Bane of Arthropods, and Density (the mace's other signature enchantment, which scales with fall distance instead) — only one can be active on a mace at a time. Breach is the right pick specifically against heavily-armored players or mobs in full diamond/netherite gear, where its armor-ignoring effect matters most; against anything lightly armored or unarmored, Density or a standard damage-type pick does more.

Where this fits

Breach is one of the Mace's two signature enchantments (alongside Density and Wind Burst) — the full build is in The Ideal Mace Enchantments. See Enchanting Strategy for how the anvil's prior-work penalty applies to building up a mace's full enchantment set.

For the full mace overview, including the recipe, how to get a heavy core and how the smash attack works, see Minecraft Mace: Recipe, Smash Attack & Enchantments.

Frequently asked questions

What does Breach do in Minecraft?

It's a Mace-exclusive enchantment that reduces the target's armor effectiveness by 15% per level, up to 60% at the maximum Level IV — a percentage reduction in armor mitigation, not a flat damage bonus.

Is Breach better than Density on a mace?

It depends on the target. Breach is strongest against heavily-armored opponents, since its whole effect is reducing how much their armor blocks. Density (which scales with fall distance instead) is better against lightly-armored or unarmored targets where Breach's armor-ignore has nothing to work against.

Does Breach work against unarmored mobs?

It does nothing extra against an unarmored target — its entire effect is reducing armor effectiveness, so there's no armor value for it to reduce.

Does Breach conflict with Density?

Yes — Breach, Density, Sharpness, Smite, and Bane of Arthropods all sit in the same damage-type exclusion group. Only one can be active per mace.

What's the maximum level of Breach?

IV, obtainable from the enchanting table, an anvil, or a villager trade.