# The Ideal Crossbow Enchantments

_Published September 14, 2026_

Multishot vs. Piercing IV is the crossbow's defining fork — crowd control versus a sniper's single shot through a whole line.

The crossbow trades a bow's Power/Infinity/Flame options for its own set, built around a single big fork.

## Multishot vs. Piercing IV — pick one

**Multishot** fires three arrows in a spread from a single arrow consumed, ideal for crowds — a raid, a mob farm's kill room, anything where you want maximum targets hit per shot. **Piercing** lets one arrow pass through up to 4 entities in a straight line, better for lined-up single targets or when you want to conserve arrows on precision shots. They're mutually exclusive, so decide based on whether you fight groups or need range and precision more often.

## Quick Charge III

Cuts the crossbow's reload time significantly — at level III it reloads over 40% faster than an unenchanted crossbow, which matters far more here than on a bow since a crossbow's biggest weakness is exactly that slow reload between shots.

## Unbreaking III + Mending

No fire/knockback/power options exist for crossbows — enchantment-wise, this and Quick Charge/Multishot/Piercing are the entire pool — so durability is straightforward: both stack with no conflicts.

## The Multishot Crossbow

**Crossbow:** Quick Charge III, Multishot I, Unbreaking III, Mending I

[Build the Multishot Crossbow →](https://anvilcalc.com/#eyJpIjoiY3Jvc3Nib3ciLCJlIjpbXSwicCI6MCwibiI6IiIsInQiOltbInF1aWNrX2NoYXJnZSIsM10sWyJtdWx0aXNob3QiLDFdLFsidW5icmVha2luZyIsM10sWyJtZW5kaW5nIiwxXV19)

**Give this build in-game**

Java 26.3:

```
/give @s minecraft:crossbow[enchantments={"minecraft:mending":1,"minecraft:multishot":1,"minecraft:quick_charge":3,"minecraft:unbreaking":3}]
```

Bedrock 26.60:

```
/give @s crossbow
/enchant @s mending 1
/enchant @s multishot 1
/enchant @s quick_charge 3
/enchant @s unbreaking 3
```

## The Piercing Crossbow

**Crossbow:** Quick Charge III, Piercing IV, Unbreaking III, Mending I

[Build the Piercing Crossbow →](https://anvilcalc.com/#eyJpIjoiY3Jvc3Nib3ciLCJlIjpbXSwicCI6MCwibiI6IiIsInQiOltbInF1aWNrX2NoYXJnZSIsM10sWyJwaWVyY2luZyIsNF0sWyJ1bmJyZWFraW5nIiwzXSxbIm1lbmRpbmciLDFdXX0)

**Give this build in-game**

Java 26.3:

```
/give @s minecraft:crossbow[enchantments={"minecraft:mending":1,"minecraft:piercing":4,"minecraft:quick_charge":3,"minecraft:unbreaking":3}]
```

Bedrock 26.60:

```
/give @s crossbow
/enchant @s mending 1
/enchant @s piercing 4
/enchant @s quick_charge 3
/enchant @s unbreaking 3
```

See also [Best Enchantments in Minecraft](/guides/best-enchantments-minecraft), which lists the best enchantments for every item with the one decision that matters for each.

To see where this build sits among all your gear, see [Minecraft Enchanting Order](/guides/minecraft-enchanting-order).

## Frequently asked questions

**Can Multishot and Piercing go on the same crossbow?**

No, they're mutually exclusive. Multishot fires three arrows from a single arrow consumed, which is better for crowds, while Piercing lets one arrow pass through up to four entities in a line — the game treats them as conflicting enchantments, so an anvil or enchanting table will never let you have both at once.

**Does Quick Charge affect anything besides reload speed?**

No. Quick Charge only reduces the crossbow's loading time — each level cuts a fixed amount off the base 1.25-second reload, down to about 0.5 seconds at level III. It doesn't touch damage, accuracy, or how many arrows you use per shot.

**Can a crossbow use Power, Infinity, or Flame like a bow?**

No. Crossbows and bows have entirely separate enchantment pools. A crossbow's only unique options are Quick Charge, Multishot, and Piercing, plus the universal Unbreaking and Mending — Power, Infinity, Punch, and Flame simply aren't available on it.

**Can Unbreaking and Mending both go on a crossbow?**

Yes, with no restrictions. There's no power/fire/knockback enchantment pool to conflict with on a crossbow, so Quick Charge, your pick of Multishot or Piercing, Unbreaking, and Mending all stack together freely.