Whether you want to defeat the Warden or overwhelm the Ender Dragon, arrows are the way to go. But, with every shot damaging your bow, it’s only a matter of time before your weapon breaks. Luckily, you just need to figure out how to repair a bow in Minecraft to avoid that. Let’s explore!
How to Repair a Bow in Minecraft (2024)
There are a variety of ways to repair a bow in Minecraft. Pick the one that fits your needs in the best way.
How Much Durability Does a Bow Have
All bows in Minecraft have a durability worth 384 points. Every time you use them, the durability decreases by one point. So, you get a total of 385 uses out of a single bow in Minecraft before it breaks. But, it's best to repair a bow in Minecraft before you reach its final numbers.
How Do Bows Lose Durability
Other than their usage, your bow can also lose durability in these cases:
- Mining or breaking blocks using a bow
- Dropping an anvil on top of the bow
- Using a bow for a melee attack
Combine Damaged Bows (Method 1)
The quickest way to restore the durability of a bow is by combining it with another damaged bow. To do so, place both bows in the crafting grid and collect a new bow. You can use a crafting table, a Crafter, or your inventory grid for this recipe.
Thanks to this method, you can combine the durability of two damaged bows. But, keep in mind that doing so doesn't give you any extra durability. Instead, the only benefit you get is having to carry only one bow instead of two.
Grinding to Repair a Bow in Minecraft (Method 2)
If you want to combine the durability of two damaged bows, we suggest using a grindstone. While combining the durability of your bows, the grindstone also adds 5% additional durability. You can make this functional block by combining two sticks and two planks with a stone slab.
Mending Enchantment (Method 3)
As you might have noticed, the other ways to repair a bow in Minecraft aren't effective. Moreover, they require you to sacrifice two damaged bows to get a slightly improved single bow. Fortunately, there is a better alternative.
You can apply the mending enchantment on your bows to repair them automatically. Thanks to this enchantment, your bow can repair itself whenever you collect XP orbs. While this comes at the cost of your collecting experience, there is realistically no other option.
Ways to Get Mending
Here are some reliable ways to unlock mending to repair bows in Minecraft:
- Trading with librarian villagers to get mending enchanted books. With the villager trade rebalance, you can only get it from swamp librarians.
- Killing Vindicators and Pillagers in a village raid on the Bedrock edition.
- Looting chests in the overworld and Nether structures to collect enchanted books.
Bonus: Turn Bows into Dispensers
If you are unable to repair your bow in Minecraft, it's time to upgrade it. Here's how:
1. First, use a wooden pickaxe to break stone blocks and collect 7 blocks of cobblestone.
2. Then, use an iron pickaxe or stronger to mine Redstone ore and get Redstone dust. As per Minecraft Ore distribution, it generally spawns near the Bedrock layer.
3. Finally combine the Redstone dust and cobblestone with your damaged bow to make a dispenser in Minecraft. The durability of your bow doesn't affect the functionality of this block.
Later, you can fill up your dispenser with arrows and shoot them with a button. While it might not be efficient, this method is much better than letting the bow break.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I repair a bow using an anvil in Minecraft?
Unfortunately, Minecraft doesn't allow players to repair bows using an anvil. Instead, you have to rely upon enchantments or a grindstone.
Can you add mending on an infinite bow?
Unfortunately, infinity and mending enchantments in Minecraft are mutually exclusive. So, you cannot apply them on the same bow.
Best Ways to Repair a Bow in Minecraft
Now that you can repair your bow in Minecraft, it’s time to start your next adventure. But, before picking a fierce enemy on Minecraft PvP servers, you better practice first. A great place to start would be the Trial Chambers where you can fight the playful Breeze. Alternatively, you can also take on the Phatoms which make a challenging target. Happy exploring!