Guides / Ideal Tools / The Ideal Trident Enchantments
The Ideal Trident Enchantments
Published September 15, 2026
The trident is really two different items depending on one enchantment, because of how its throw mechanic works.
Riptide vs. Loyalty (and Channeling) — pick a lane
Riptide launches you forward when you throw the trident while touched by rain or standing in water — it's a melee-focused mobility tool, not a ranged weapon, since you're never actually separated from the trident. Loyalty makes a thrown trident fly back to your hand after it lands, and Channeling summons a lightning bolt on a thrown trident's target during a thunderstorm. Both of the latter two only make sense on a trident you actually throw and leave behind — which Riptide fundamentally prevents. That's why Riptide excludes both: they're solving for a scenario Riptide doesn't create.
Most players build one "throwing trident" (Loyalty III, optionally Channeling for a thunderstorm-only lightning gimmick) and, separately, one "Riptide trident" for elytra-less vertical/horizontal movement during rain.
Impaling V
Bonus damage specifically against aquatic mobs (guardians, elder guardians, drowned, turtles, fish) — doesn't conflict with either build above, so it's a free addition either way.
Unbreaking III + Mending
Standard durability pairing, compatible with every trident build.
The Riptide Trident
Riptide III- Impaling V
- Unbreaking III
- Mending I
Give this build in-game
/give @s minecraft:trident[enchantments={"minecraft:impaling":5,"minecraft:mending":1,"minecraft:riptide":3,"minecraft:unbreaking":3}]Needs cheats enabled and operator permission (or creative mode with commands allowed).
/give @s trident /enchant @s impaling 5 /enchant @s mending 1 /enchant @s riptide 3 /enchant @s unbreaking 3
Run the commands one at a time, in order. /enchant works on the item held in your hand. Needs cheats enabled.
The Loyalty Trident
- Loyalty III
- Impaling V
- Unbreaking III
- Mending I
Give this build in-game
/give @s minecraft:trident[enchantments={"minecraft:impaling":5,"minecraft:loyalty":3,"minecraft:mending":1,"minecraft:unbreaking":3}]Needs cheats enabled and operator permission (or creative mode with commands allowed).
/give @s trident /enchant @s impaling 5 /enchant @s loyalty 3 /enchant @s mending 1 /enchant @s unbreaking 3
Run the commands one at a time, in order. /enchant works on the item held in your hand. Needs cheats enabled.
See also Best Enchantments in 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.
Frequently asked questions
Can Loyalty and Riptide be enchanted on the same trident?
No — this is a hard, direct conflict in the game's enchantment data, not just a bad combo. Riptide launches you forward with the trident still in hand, so you never actually throw it away from yourself, which makes Loyalty's fly-back-after-landing effect meaningless — the game enforces that by excluding the two outright.
Can Channeling and Riptide coexist on the same trident?
No. Riptide excludes both Loyalty and Channeling individually — it's not just that Channeling happens to be impractical with Riptide, the two are flagged as directly conflicting, the same as Riptide and Loyalty.
Can Loyalty and Channeling go on the same trident together?
Yes. Riptide is the only enchantment either of them conflicts with — Loyalty and Channeling don't exclude each other, so a throwing-trident build commonly runs both: Loyalty to get the trident back, Channeling for the lightning-bolt effect during a thunderstorm.
Does Impaling conflict with Riptide, Loyalty, or Channeling?
No. Impaling only excludes the other damage-type enchantments — Bane of Arthropods, Breach, Density, Sharpness, and Smite — so it's a free addition to either a Riptide trident or a Loyalty trident.
What does Impaling actually boost?
Bonus damage specifically against aquatic mobs — guardians, elder guardians, drowned, turtles, and fish. It does nothing extra against land mobs, which is why it's purely a bonus on top of whichever Riptide or Loyalty build you're running, not a replacement for anything.