Knockback Enchantment in Minecraft: Exact Distance Per Level

Max level

II

Applies to

Sword, Spear

Incompatible with

Nothing

Obtained via

Enchanting table, anvil, villager trade

Knockback pushes a hit target back much further than an un-enchanted hit — useful for keeping distance from dangerous mobs, or knocking something off a ledge entirely.

What Knockback actually does

An un-enchanted hit already knocks a target back about 1.552 blocks horizontally. Each level of Knockback adds roughly 2.586 blocks on top of that, so a single Level II hit sends a target back something like 6.7 blocks total — more than four times the un-enchanted distance. Vertical knockback also increases slightly, from about 0.8125 blocks to 1 block, but that part doesn't scale further with level the way the horizontal push does.

How to use it

Knockback has no conflicts with anything, so it's never competing against another enchantment for the slot — only against whether the anvil levels are better spent elsewhere. It's a genuinely situational pick: useful for crowd control (keeping a group of mobs at a safe distance while you fight), for knocking something off a cliff or into lava/water, or for PvP spacing — but actively counterproductive on a farming weapon where you want mobs to stay in range, or for anything meant to work alongside Sweeping Edge's group-hit utility (pushing mobs away between hits undercuts the sweep's own crowd-control value).

Where this fits

Knockback isn't part of the shipped "God Sword" build on this site — it's a real situational tradeoff rather than a universal addition the way Looting is. See Enchanting Strategy for how the anvil's prior-work penalty affects adding an optional enchantment like this to an otherwise-finished weapon.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Knockback push enemies in Minecraft?

An un-enchanted hit already pushes about 1.552 blocks. Each Knockback level adds roughly 2.586 blocks on top of that — so Knockback II sends a target back around 6.7 blocks total, more than four times the un-enchanted distance.

Is Knockback good or bad for farming?

Usually bad — pushing mobs away between hits works against efficient, close-range farming. It's much better suited to crowd control, PvP spacing, or deliberately knocking something off a ledge or into hazards.

Does Knockback conflict with Sharpness?

No — Knockback isn't in the damage-type exclusion group, so it stacks freely with any damage-type pick.

What's the maximum level of Knockback?

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