Looting is a sword enchantment in Minecraft that increases the amount of loot you earn from mobs, both by boosting the quantity of common drops and improving the chances of rare ones. In short, what does looting do in Minecraft? It makes every kill more rewarding, so you’ll walk away with more bones, arrows, rotten flesh, and occasionally rare treasures like wither skeleton skulls or ender pearls.
How looting works in Minecraft
Looting only works on swords, and its maximum level is Looting III. The effect triggers only when you deal the killing blow while holding the enchanted sword in your hand, so if you switch to a bow or a torch before the final hit, the bonus won’t apply. Each level of Looting increases the maximum number of items dropped by a mob, and it also raises the odds of getting rarer drops. The same logic applies to rare drops like wither skeleton skulls, where each Looting level adds a small percentage to the drop chance. Importantly, Looting does not affect experience orbs, nor does it work on players or passive animals like cows or pigs, it’s strictly for hostile mobs and certain neutral ones like endermen.
How to get the Looting enchantment
There are three reliable ways to get Looting on a sword, and you can use any of them depending on where you are in the game. The most straightforward method is to use an enchanting table: place a sword in the table and spend experience levels and lapis lazuli to roll for random enchantments, with Looting appearing as a possible option at higher levels. The second method is to combine a sword with an enchanted book on an anvil, this works even if the book has Looting at a lower level, and you can apply multiple books to reach Looting III. Finally, you can trade with a librarian villager, who will offer enchanted books in exchange for emeralds; this is the most reliable way to get a specific enchantment, but it requires finding or breeding a librarian and leveling them up. Whichever method you choose, remember that Looting only appears on swords, so don’t waste your enchanting materials on axes or crossbows.
Tips for using Looting effectively
To get the most out of Looting, you need to make it a habit to switch to your Looting sword right before you land the final hit on a mob. This is especially useful when you’re fighting a group of enemies, like a skeleton spawner or a horde of zombies, because you can quickly swap weapons between swings. Pairing Looting with other enchantments makes it even more powerful: combine it with Sweeping Edge to hit multiple mobs at once, or with Fire Aspect to deal extra damage over time, just be careful, because fire can turn mobs into cooked meat, which is fine for food but doesn’t affect Looting’s drop rates. You can also use Looting alongside Unbreaking and Mending to keep your sword durable and repair it with experience orbs, so you never have to worry about losing your best weapon. For mobs that drop rare items, like the Wither or the Ender Dragon, Looting is a must-have, but it also works on everyday enemies, making it one of the most versatile enchantments in the game.
