Smite per level
+2.5
A little more than one extra heart per level, but only vs undead.
Java Sharpness V
+3.0
About one and a half extra hearts on every target, including creepers and players.
These are the wiki damage rules for Smite vs Sharpness, side by side. This is not a full combat guide, and it is not Bedrock Sharpness step-by-step (those steps differ).
One enchant cannot do both jobs, so pick the fight you fight most, or keep two swords.
Smite is for undead, and Sharpness is for everything else
A zombie walks up and you have one sword slot for a damage enchant. You cannot put Smite and Sharpness on the same weapon. The wiki also lists Bane of Arthropods in that same exclusive group, so a sword gets one of those three jobs, not two.
Fighting zombies, skeletons, drowned, wither skeletons, or the Wither? Smite hits those undead harder. Each Smite level adds +2.5 HP on that list. That is a little more than one extra heart per level. Smite V adds +12.5 HP (about six extra hearts) on a zombie. Java Sharpness V adds only +3.0 HP (about one and a half hearts) on the same target.
Fighting creepers, spiders, or other players? Smite’s bonus does not apply there at all. Sharpness is the all-purpose pick: a smaller bonus, but it works on everything.
Damage here is in HP, the same hearts you see on a mob’s health bar. Ten HP is five hearts.
| Level | Smite vs undead | Sharpness (JE) |
|---|---|---|
| I | +2.5 | +1.0 |
| II | +5.0 | +1.5 |
| III | +7.5 | +2.0 |
| IV | +10.0 | +2.5 |
| V | +12.5 | +3.0 |
Smite: +2.5 HP per level on the undead list (wiki Usage). Sharpness JE: 0.5 × level + 0.5. Bedrock Sharpness steps differ. Check your edition tooltip.
Extra HP by enchant level
Smite climbs faster on undead. Java Sharpness adds a smaller bonus on every target.
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| I | 2.5 |
| II | 5 |
| III | 7.5 |
| IV | 10 |
| V | 12.5 |
Two swords, two jobs
If you spend your nights in a zombie spawner or a skeleton farm, Smite is the bigger hit. If you explore the Overworld and fight mixed mobs, Sharpness is the sword that still pays when a creeper walks up.
Many grind players keep a Smite sword for undead farms and a Sharpness sword for everything else. That is two hotbar slots, not a wrong enchant. If you only want one sword, pick the fight you fight most. Undead-heavy worlds lean Smite. Overworld exploring and player fights lean Sharpness.
Use Smite for undead farms and Sharpness for mixed fights. You cannot put both on one sword.
How I calculated it
Minecraft Wiki Smite (usage and incompat list) and Sharpness (Java formula and incompat). I built the side-by-side damage table and the two-hotbar split. Numbers saved August 2026.
Damage numbers follow the public wiki formulas for the listed edition rules. Bedrock Sharpness steps differ. Check your edition tooltip. Pin answers to your version.
Sources
- Minecraft Wiki. Smite, Sharpness.
- Enchantments FAQ.
- When do extra enchanting bookshelves stop helping?.
