What is the Prior Work Penalty in Minecraft?

The Prior Work Penalty increases each time you work an item on an anvil. The cost formula is 2^n - 1, where n is the number of times the item has been worked. This is why the order of combining enchantments matters.

Why does my anvil say "Too Expensive"?

In Java Edition, if the total cost exceeds 39 levels, the anvil will refuse the operation. Using the optimal enchantment order helps avoid this limit.

What is the best order for enchanting items?

The optimal order depends on the specific enchantments and their weights. Generally, you want to minimize the cumulative prior work penalty by combining items with similar work values.

⚒ MCEnchant ⚒

Minecraft Enchantment Order Calculator

Find the optimal order for combining enchant books to minimize XP cost

Theme:

Optimize:

📋 SELECT ITEM

⚔Weapon

🛡Armor

⛏Tool

🔰Defense

📦Utility

📦

Select an item to view available enchantments

⚒️

Select enchantments and click Calculate

The optimal combining order will appear here

🛠️ WHAT IS MCENCHANT?

MCEnchant is the ultimate Minecraft 1.21.8 Enchantment Order Calculator. It is a specialized tool designed to help you find the most efficient way to combine enchantment books on an anvil. Our goal is simple: to help you create the most powerful gear while spending the fewest experience levels possible.

💡 WHY ORDER MATTERS

Have you ever seen the red "Too Expensive!" message on an anvil? That happens because every time you combine items, a hidden "work penalty" increases the cost of the next step.

⚠
Avoid Errors
If you combine your books in the wrong order, the cost will eventually hit the limit, and the anvil will refuse to work.
💰
Save Your Levels
The same set of enchantments could cost 50 levels if done randomly, but only 12 levels if you follow our optimized path.
✨
1.21.8 Ready
We have the most up-to-date data for the latest version, including all the new rules for the Mace.

🎮 HOW TO USE THE CALCULATOR

Using the tool is as easy as 1-2-3:

Select Your Item

Click an icon from the grid to choose the weapon, tool, or armor piece you want to enchant (e.g., a Mace, Sword, or Elytra).

Pick Your Enchantments

Click the enchantments you want and choose their levels. Don't worry about mistakes—our tool automatically blocks incompatible enchantments, like Density and Breach.

Follow the Steps

Click "Calculate Optimal Order" to get a visual, step-by-step guide. Simply follow those steps in your Minecraft world!