In Minecraft, good tools make all the difference! Especially enchanted tools are worth keeping forever, since enchanting costs levels and the outcome is random. The anvil is a brilliant helper that lets you repair your tools and apply additional enchantments. But it can do more than that, including renaming items and even dealing damage. Some of these mechanics are barely explained and can confuse even veterans — whether it’s how to use it or why something is marked Too Expensive! Today we’ll walk you through everything about the anvil and how to repair properly.
Crafting the Minecraft anvil and understanding wear
The anvil is crafted from iron and is a little pricey. You need four regular iron ingots plus three full iron blocks. That’s a total of 31 iron ingots, so you’ll usually build the anvil in the mid-game once you’ve smelted enough iron ore. You can also sometimes find an anvil in a Woodland Mansion or inside Trial Chambers.
An anvil won’t last forever while you use it. Each time you perform an action, you’ll hear a hammer strike. That signals a 12% chance that the anvil takes damage. It goes through four stages: intact, chipped, damaged and broken. The anvil will show wear, but it continues to function normally until it breaks. On average it breaks after 25 uses, though luck varies.
Renaming items and blocks in Minecraft with the anvil
The first function of the anvil is renaming items. Surprisingly, you can do more with this than you might think. Many players rename their tools to tell them apart more easily, or use the anvil with name tags to name pets. You can rename practically any item, even full blocks like dirt or cobblestone. You can also rename containers like chests or shulker boxes, and their names will be displayed.
Renaming costs just one experience level, and in Java Edition you have 50 characters to work with. However, already enchanted tools will cost more to rename the more often you have modified them on an anvil. Pick a name and avoid changing it later.
Repairing tools and armour on the Minecraft anvil
The second use of the anvil is repairing. You can get worn tools back into shape in several ways.
Your first option is to repair a tool using its corresponding material — for example, a golden pickaxe with gold ingots. Each unit costs one experience level (plus the Prior Work penalty from previous operations) and restores 25% durability. This only really pays off for enchanted items, since the most expensive tool is a pickaxe with three ingots. For armour, however, it’s a valid option.
You can also combine identical tools to repair them and save on materials. Unlike combining in the crafting grid or on a grindstone, the anvil merges both durability values and adds another 12% on top. This does cost you some levels, but it’s more than the 5% bonus of the other options that don’t cost XP. This type of repair is often worth it, especially when you’re dealing with already enchanted tools you want to keep.
Transferring, combining enchantments on the anvil and avoiding Too Expensive!
The third function is applying enchantments with the anvil. This is the most interesting use for many players, but it can also be frustrating due to a few hurdles that make combining tools tricky.
In general, you can use the anvil to apply enchantments from books to tools. You can also combine two identical tools, and their enchantments will carry over. The third option is to merge two books to increase the level of an enchantment. For example, two books with Unbreaking II combine into Unbreaking III.
Sooner or later you’ll hit a problem when the anvil shows Too Expensive!. No matter how many levels you have, it can only handle costs up to 39 levels. Anything above that won’t work. Because the number of times you use the anvil accumulates, you’ll eventually reach this limit. Each use increases the internal Prior Work penalty, which pushes XP costs even higher. To mitigate this, use the anvil as sparingly as possible.
More tips to avoid Too Expensive!:
- Use the enchanting table for initial enchantments to bypass the anvil where possible.
- Combine books with single enchantments first, before applying them to tools. It’s best to end up with 2 to 3 books with 2 to 3 enchantments each rather than using many single books.
- Try both slots, as the combination can cost different amounts of XP depending on the order.
- Combine books with one expensive and one cheap enchantment for maximum cost efficiency.
- After that, enchant your tool or armour piece with two to three books on the anvil.
- Use Mending to avoid repairs in the long term.
If you’re looking for an optimal route, there are online tools that calculate the best anvil order. We recommend the Minecraft Enchantment Ordering Tool to keep XP costs as low as possible.
Building an anvil trap in Minecraft and using its damage
One last, often forgotten property of the anvil is that it is affected by gravity, like sand or gravel. You’ll likely first notice this when you remove a block beneath an anvil. It will fall to the ground with a thud. Depending on the fall height, the anvil deals damage, specifically one heart per block. The maximum damage is 20 hearts. So you can be killed by a falling anvil if you’re unlucky. The anvil itself also takes damage from the fall.
Conclusion: Using the Minecraft anvil properly
The anvil is a versatile workstation in Minecraft and crucial for the longevity of your tools. You can not only repair them there, but also apply new enchantments. The system can be complicated, especially because of the level cap. With a few tricks you can avoid Too Expensive! combinations and get the best out of your gear.
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