Enchantement Breach Minecraft: Complete Guide for the Mace 1.21

The breach enchantment in Minecraft is one of the three exclusive enchantments for the Mace, the weapon added in the 1.21 Tricky Trials update. Breach addresses a problem PvP players have known for years: Netherite Protection IV armor absorbs so much damage that it can take dozens of hits to eliminate a well-equipped opponent. Breach changes the game by ignoring part of the enemy's armor, making each Mace hit much more effective against armored targets. This guide covers the exact workings of the breach enchantment in Minecraft, its levels I to IV, comparison with Density, and the optimal combination for the Mace in 2026.

Breach: The New Enchantment for the Mace (Minecraft 1.21)

Breach is an enchantment introduced in Minecraft 1.21 (Tricky Trials Update), exclusive to the Mace. It cannot be applied to any other weapon: neither sword, axe, nor trident. The Mace itself is a new weapon crafted from a Heavy Core (found in the Ominous Vaults of the Trial Chambers) and a Breeze Rod (dropped by the Breeze).

The effect of Breach is to reduce the effectiveness of the armor of the target hit. Specifically, a portion of the enemy's armor points and armor toughness is ignored when calculating damage. The higher the level of Breach, the greater the proportion of armor ignored.

Breach comes in 4 levels (I to IV). It is an enchantment obtained via the enchantment table with 15 bookshelves, through enchanted books in the chests of the Trial Chambers (notably the Ominous Vaults), or via a librarian villager.

Breach is compatible with Density and Wind Burst, the two other exclusive enchantments of the Mace. However, it is incompatible with classic damage enchantments (Sharpness, Smite, Bane of Arthropods), which in any case do not apply to the Mace.

How Breach Works (Ignores a % of Enemy Armor)

To understand Breach, one must first understand how armor reduces damage in Minecraft.

Each piece of armor provides armor points and armor toughness. The damage reduction calculation uses these two values to determine what percentage of incoming damage is absorbed. A full set of Netherite armor provides 20 armor points and 12 toughness points, which reduces incoming damage by about 64 to 80% depending on the strength of the hit.

The Protection enchantment adds an additional layer of reduction. Protection IV on all 4 pieces of armor reduces the remaining damage by about 64% more. Combined, a player in Netherite Protection IV armor receives only about 10 to 15% of the raw damage inflicted.

Breach bypasses this system by ignoring a percentage of the target's armor points. The ignored armor points are no longer counted in the reduction calculation. The Protection enchantment is also indirectly affected, as Protection's reduction depends on the effective armor points.

The concrete result: a Mace hit with Breach penetrates the armor as if the target were wearing lower-quality equipment. Breach IV against a full Netherite armor reduces the armor reduction from about 80% to about 40%, doubling the effective damage received by the target.

Levels I to IV of Breach: Percentage of Armor Ignored

Each level of Breach ignores 15% of the target's armor points. The percentage accumulates linearly.

Level	Armor Ignored	Effective Armor (Full Netherite, 20 pts)	Approximate Damage Reduction
Without Breach	0%	20 points	~80%
Breach I	15%	17 points	~72%
Breach II	30%	14 points	~63%
Breach III	45%	11 points	~52%
Breach IV	60%	8 points	~40%

In terms of effective damage against a player in full Netherite armor (without Protection):

Level	Raw Damage (Netherite Mace)	Damage Received by Target	Gain vs Without Breach
Without Breach	7	~1.4	—
Breach I	7	~2.0	+43%
Breach II	7	~2.6	+86%
Breach III	7	~3.4	+143%
Breach IV	7	~4.2	+200%

Breach IV triples the effective damage of a Mace hit against a target in Netherite armor. The impact is even more noticeable when Breach combines with the Mace's bonus fall damage. An aerial smash with Density V + Breach IV on a player in full armor deals damage that penetrates protection as if the target were wearing iron armor.

The effect of Breach is proportional to the target's armor. Against an unarmored mob (Creeper, spider, etc.), Breach provides no benefit as there is no armor to ignore. It is a purely anti-armored enchantment.

Breach vs Density on the Mace: Which to Choose?

Breach and Density are the two damage enchantments of the Mace. They are compatible with each other (both can coexist on the same weapon), but their roles are very different.

Criterion	Breach IV	Density V
Effect	Ignores 60% of enemy armor	+0.5 damage/block of fall/level
Levels	I to IV	I to V
Optimal Target	Players and mobs in heavy armor	All mobs (via fall)
Condition	None (works with every hit)	Requires a fall before impact
Ground Damage	Strong bonus against armor, no bonus without armor	No bonus without fall
PvP	Essential against Netherite armor	Devastating with towers/Elytra
PvE	Not very useful (mobs rarely armored)	Very useful with Wind Burst

Scenario 1: Ground Hit without Fall: only Breach contributes. Density adds nothing as there is no fall height. Breach IV significantly increases damage against armored targets.

Scenario 2: Aerial Smash (10-block fall): Density V adds 25 bonus damage (0.5 × 10 × 5). Breach IV allows a greater proportion of these massive damages to pass through the armor. The two enchantments multiply in synergy.

Scenario 3: PvP against a player in Netherite Protection IV: without Breach, even a 20-block aerial smash with Density V (massive raw damage) is reduced to 10-15% by the armor. With Breach IV, the target suffers about 40-50% of the raw damage, which can be enough for a one-shot.

The answer to the debate is simple: both. Breach and Density are compatible and complementary. The perfect Mace carries both enchantments. If you have to choose only one (for example, early in the game with only one book), Density is prioritized in PvE (most mobs have no armor), and Breach is prioritized in PvP (all players wear armor).

Combination Breach + Wind Burst: The Aerial Combo

Wind Burst is the third exclusive enchantment of the Mace. When the player hits a mob or player with the Mace, Wind Burst propels the player upwards, creating a mini trampoline that allows for an immediate second aerial smash.

The combination of Breach IV + Density V + Wind Burst III creates the most devastating combat loop in the game:

The player jumps or falls onto the target. The Mace's impact deals base damage + Density bonus (amplified by fall height) + Breach penetration (which pierces the armor). Wind Burst propels the player into the air after impact. The player immediately falls back onto the target for a second smash, with a new fall height that reactivates the Density bonus.

This loop is renewable indefinitely as long as the player hits their target with each fall. In practice, the target moves, and it is difficult to maintain the loop for more than 2 to 3 cycles, but each cycle deals massive damage that penetrates the armor.

Optimal Mace Build:

Slot	Enchantment	Role
Fall Damage	Density V	Amplifies bonus fall damage
Penetration	Breach IV	Ignores 60% of armor
Mobility	Wind Burst III	Propels to chain smashes
Durability	Unbreaking III	Quadruples effective durability
Repair	Mending	Repairs via XP, makes the weapon eternal

This 5-enchantment Mace is the ultimate PvP weapon in Minecraft 1.21+. It requires rare resources (Heavy Core from Ominous Vaults, Breeze Rod, high-level enchanted books), but the result is a weapon capable of one-shotting a player in Netherite Protection IV armor with a 15+ block height smash.

A Minecraft hosting in version 1.21+ is necessary to access the Mace and all its exclusive enchantments, including Breach.

FAQ Breach Enchantment

Does Breach work against unarmored mobs?

No. Breach ignores a percentage of the target's armor points. If the target has 0 armor points (Creeper, spider, Enderman, etc.), Breach provides no damage bonus. Against these mobs, only Density increases damage.

Is Breach compatible with Density?

Yes. Breach and Density can coexist on the same Mace. They are complementary: Density increases raw damage, Breach allows a greater proportion of this damage to pass through the armor. The optimal Mace carries both.

Does Breach work on the sword or axe?

No. Breach is exclusive to the Mace. It cannot be applied to any other weapon, even via the anvil. If you place a Breach book on the anvil with a sword, the enchantment will not be transferred.

What is the maximum level of Breach?

Breach IV is the maximum level. At level IV, 60% of the target's armor points are ignored. There is no Breach V.

Does Breach affect the Protection enchantment of armor?

Indirectly. The Protection reduction calculation depends on the effective armor points. By reducing the armor points considered, Breach also decreases the overall effectiveness of Protection. The result is a double penalty for the armored target.

Where to find high-level Breach books?

The best sources are the Ominous Vaults in the Trial Chambers (access via Ominous Trial Key), the enchantment table at level 30 with 15 bookshelves, and librarian villagers. The Ominous Vaults offer the highest chances of high-level enchanted books for Mace enchantments.

Is Breach available on Bedrock Edition?

Yes. Breach, Density, and Wind Burst are available on Java Edition and Bedrock Edition since 1.21. The functionality is identical on both editions.