# The Ideal Trident Enchantments

_Published September 15, 2026_

Riptide launches you like a rocket but can't coexist with Loyalty or Channeling — the trident's whole build revolves around this fork.

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

**Trident:** Riptide III, Impaling V, Unbreaking III, Mending I

[Build the Riptide Trident →](https://anvilcalc.com/#eyJpIjoidHJpZGVudCIsImUiOltdLCJwIjowLCJuIjoiIiwidCI6W1sicmlwdGlkZSIsM10sWyJpbXBhbGluZyIsNV0sWyJ1bmJyZWFraW5nIiwzXSxbIm1lbmRpbmciLDFdXX0)

**Give this build in-game**

Java 26.3:

```
/give @s minecraft:trident[enchantments={"minecraft:impaling":5,"minecraft:mending":1,"minecraft:riptide":3,"minecraft:unbreaking":3}]
```

Bedrock 26.60:

```
/give @s trident
/enchant @s impaling 5
/enchant @s mending 1
/enchant @s riptide 3
/enchant @s unbreaking 3
```

## The Loyalty Trident

**Trident:** Loyalty III, Impaling V, Unbreaking III, Mending I

[Build the Loyalty Trident →](https://anvilcalc.com/#eyJpIjoidHJpZGVudCIsImUiOltdLCJwIjowLCJuIjoiIiwidCI6W1sibG95YWx0eSIsM10sWyJpbXBhbGluZyIsNV0sWyJ1bmJyZWFraW5nIiwzXSxbIm1lbmRpbmciLDFdXX0)

**Give this build in-game**

Java 26.3:

```
/give @s minecraft:trident[enchantments={"minecraft:impaling":5,"minecraft:loyalty":3,"minecraft:mending":1,"minecraft:unbreaking":3}]
```

Bedrock 26.60:

```
/give @s trident
/enchant @s impaling 5
/enchant @s loyalty 3
/enchant @s mending 1
/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 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.