Fishing for Treasure Enchantments in Minecraft

Key Takeaways

Point	Details
Treasure enchantments can only	Treasure enchantments can only be obtained from chest loot, fishing, or trading for enchanted books.
Mending uses experience orbs	Mending uses experience orbs to repair held items instead of filling the XP bar.
Experience orbs recover durability	Experience orbs recover durability on items with Mending that are being worn or are in hand.
Frost Walker creates ice	Frost Walker creates ice beneath the player and cannot be combined with Depth Strider.
Fishing is a renewable	Fishing is a renewable source for Treasure enchantments, especially early game.

If you've spent any time trying to enchant your gear in Minecraft, you've probably run into a wall trying to get Mending. It's not on the enchanting table menu, and it can't be applied with an anvil from a standard book. This is because Mending and Frost Walker belong to a special category called Treasure enchantments, and your best bet for finding them early on is by tossing a line into the nearest lake.

What Defines a Treasure Enchantment?

Treasure enchantments are set apart from other enchantments by how you obtain them. You won't find them on the enchanting table interface.

Can only be obtained from chest loot, fishing, or trading for enchanted books.

This means your primary sources are fishing, opening chests in generated structures (temples, dungeons, mineshafts, strongholds), and trading with librarian villagers. Of these, fishing is unique because it's a renewable, low-risk activity you can start within minutes of beginning a new game.

How Fishing for Treasure Enchantments Works

When you fish in Minecraft, the loot is divided into three categories: junk, fish, and treasure. The "treasure" category is where you'll find enchanted books, including Treasure enchantments like Mending and Frost Walker. The exact odds depend on your rod's enchantments, specifically Luck of the Sea.

For a complete breakdown of the fishing loot table and mechanics, check out our Minecraft Fishing Mechanics and Loot Guide.

The Mending Enchantment: How It Works

Mending is the most transformative Treasure enchantment. It fundamentally changes how you manage item durability.

Any experience collected while holding the item repairs it instead of going to the experience bar.

Instead of experience orbs going to your XP bar, they repair the durability of the item you are holding or wearing. This includes your main hand, off hand, and all armor slots.

Experience orbs also recover durability on items with Mending that are being worn or are in hand.

If you have multiple items with Mending equipped, the game randomly selects one to receive the repair for each XP orb collected. The repair rate is very efficient, with a single XP orb from killing a mob able to repair a significant chunk of durability. Any leftover XP beyond what's needed for the repair goes into your experience bar as normal, so nothing is wasted.

The Frost Walker Enchantment: Mechanics and Limits

Frost Walker is the other primary Treasure enchantment you can fish up. It's a boot enchantment that creates temporary ice beneath your feet when you walk over water.

New treasure enchantment: Frost Walker.

It's a fantastic utility enchantment for crossing large bodies of water quickly, but it has a critical limitation.

Cannot be combined with Depth Strider enchantment.

You cannot combine Frost Walker with Depth Strider. You must choose which one suits your current needs. Frost Walker is best for surface travel, while Depth Strider is essential for underwater mobility.

Maximizing Your Fishing Setup

To get the most out of your fishing trips, you want to maximize your "treasure" catch rate. This is primarily done by enchanting your fishing rod with Luck of the Sea. The higher the level, the better your odds of pulling up an enchanted book instead of a fish or a piece of junk.

If your rod isn't catching anything, it might be due to the body of water you're using. Make sure you have a decent-sized pool with good sky exposure. For a full troubleshooting guide, see Why Your Minecraft Fishing Rod Isn't Catching.