# Lunge Enchantment (Spear) in Minecraft: Speed, Hunger Cost, and How to Use It

_Published October 16, 2026_

Exact dash speed and hunger cost per level for the Spear's signature Lunge enchantment, when it does not activate, and how to get it.

Lunge is the Spear's signature enchantment — it launches the wielder forward whenever they perform a jab attack (the jab doesn't have to hit anything), turning the Spear into a repeatable, player-triggered dash.

## What Lunge actually does

Activating Lunge propels the wielder 0.458 × level blocks per tick in the direction they're facing — roughly 9.16 blocks/second at Level I, scaling up to about 27.48 blocks/second at Level III. Each activation costs 4 × level exhaustion (1 hunger point at Level I, up to 3 at Level III) and an extra point of durability beyond the jab attack's own cost. Saturation is used up first, then hunger points; at maximum saturation that is about 34 lunges at Level I, 17 at Level II and 12 at Level III.

Lunge only triggers while the wielder has at least 7 hunger points — below that threshold, the jab attack works normally but Lunge simply doesn't activate. It also doesn't activate while riding a mount or vehicle, gliding with an elytra, or touching water. Non-player mobs wielding a Spear aren't subject to the hunger requirement at all, though zombies, husks, piglins and their kin only use charge attacks, so they never Lunge.

## How to use it

The push is stronger in midair than on the ground, and goes farthest when you look straight ahead (horizontally), because the vertical part of the boost is cancelled. Lunge does not activate on a charge attack, but if you start a charge attack right after a Lunge jab, you can connect it using the speed you just gained (you need enough distance to the target for the charge to finish winding up). How often you can Lunge depends on the Spear's jab cooldown: from about 1.54 times per second with a wooden Spear and 1.05 with an iron Spear, down to 0.87 with a netherite Spear.

Lunge has no conflicts with anything on the Spear — it was briefly incompatible with Mending in an early snapshot, but that was fixed before the enchantment's stable release, and the current, correct state is no conflict at all. The real cost to weigh isn't anvil levels, it's hunger: higher levels move you faster per activation but burn through your hunger bar faster too, so a Lunge-heavy playstyle needs more food management than ordinary combat.

## Where this fits

Lunge is exclusive to the Spear, which exists in both Java Edition (Lunge added in 1.21.11) and Bedrock Edition (Lunge added in 1.21.130); the wiki lists the same Lunge figures for both. You can get it from an enchanting table, from enchanted books (librarian trades, fishing and structure loot; the experimental Villager Trade Rebalance removes spear enchantments from librarian trades), and apply a book to a Spear with an anvil. For the full build around it, see [Minecraft Spear Enchantments: Best Build for Java & Bedrock](/guides/ideal-spear). See [Enchanting Strategy](/guides/enchanting-strategy) for how the anvil's prior-work penalty applies to building up a Spear's full enchantment set.

## Frequently asked questions

**What does Lunge do in Minecraft?**

It launches the Spear's wielder forward whenever they perform a jab attack (it doesn't need to hit anything) — roughly 9.16 blocks/second at Level I, up to about 27.48 blocks/second at Level III — turning the Spear into a repeatable dash.

**Does Lunge cost hunger?**

Yes — each activation costs 4 × level exhaustion, which works out to 1 hunger point at Level I up to 3 at Level III, taken from saturation first and then from hunger. It won't activate at all if the wielder has fewer than 7 hunger points.

**When does Lunge not activate?**

It doesn't activate on a charge attack, while riding, while gliding with an elytra, while touching water, or when the wielder has fewer than 7 hunger points. Zombies, husks, piglins and similar mobs only use charge attacks, so they never Lunge.

**Does Lunge conflict with Mending?**

No, not anymore — an early snapshot briefly had them incompatible, but that was fixed before Lunge's stable release. The current, correct state is no conflict with anything.

**What item does Lunge apply to?**

Only the Spear — it's that weapon's signature, exclusive enchantment, not available on any other item.

**What's the maximum level of Lunge, and how do I get it?**

III. You can enchant a Spear at an enchanting table, or get an enchanted book with Lunge from a librarian trade, by fishing, or from structure loot, and apply it to a Spear with an anvil.