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How To Get A Trident In Minecraft

The trident is one of the rarest and most versatile weapons in Minecraft, offering a powerful mix of melee and ranged combat. Unlike swords, axes, or bows, tridents can’t be crafted—you have to fight for them.

You’ll need to battle drowned mobs, explore underwater ruins, and harness powerful enchantments like Riptide, Channeling, and Loyalty to unlock the trident’s full potential. From flying through storms to summoning lightning, it’s a weapon that brings serious flair and function.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

  • How to find and farm tridents

  • The best enchantments and how to apply them

  • How to repair your trident

  • And why it stands out from every other weapon in the game

Let’s dive in—literally.

Key Takeaways

  • Tridents cannot be crafted; they are only obtained by defeating drowned mobs or looting trial chamber vaults.

  • Using a sword enchanted with Looting III increases the chance of a trident drop.

  • Tridents can be repaired using the Mending enchantment or by combining two damaged tridents in an anvil.

  • Enchantments like Riptide, Loyalty, and Channeling grant powerful abilities such as flight during storms and the ability to summon lightning.

  • Tridents work as both melee and ranged weapons, offering exceptional versatility.

  • You cannot fish or craft tridents—combat and exploration are the only ways to acquire one.

What is a Trident in Minecraft?

The trident is one of Minecraft’s most powerful and versatile weapons. Unlike swords or bows, it functions as both a melee and ranged weapon, making it ideal for players who like to switch up their combat style on the fly.

While swords boast a faster attack speed (1.6 attacks per second) and have more common enchantments, tridents offer exclusive abilities like Riptide, Loyalty, and Channeling—enchantments that unlock flight, lightning strikes, and boomerang-like returns. With certain builds, the trident can even serve as a weapon with infinite ammo potential.

What makes the trident truly unique is how you obtain it. You can’t craft one—it must be earned by defeating drowned mobs or exploring rare structures. This exclusive method of acquisition sets it apart from every other weapon in the game.

Where To Find A Trident In Minecraft

There are only two ways to get a trident in Minecraft—defeating drowned mobs or looting vaults in trial chambers. Both methods involve combat, risk, and patience, but the reward is one of the game’s most powerful weapons.

1. Drowned Mob Drops

The most common way to get a trident is by killing drowned mobs—aquatic zombies that spawn in ocean biomes and rivers. However, only drowned mobs that naturally spawn holding a trident can drop one.

To improve your chances:

  • Use a sword enchanted with Looting III

  • Equip Respiration and Night Vision potions for longer underwater fights

  • Keep in mind that tridents thrown by mobs can be picked up if dropped (unless despawned or lost)

  • If using a Loyalty-enchanted trident, it will return to you after being thrown

Farming drowned with tridents takes time, but persistence pays off.

2. Trial Chamber Vaults

With the release of trial chambers in newer Minecraft versions, tridents can now also be found in vault loot chests. These structures are challenging and full of hostile mobs, so come prepared with armor, food, and possibly a teammate.

  • Tridents may appear as part of rare loot

  • Trial chambers are ideal for players who prefer exploration over mob farming

Can You Fish a Trident?

No, you cannot fish for tridents. Fishing can yield enchanted books, bows, and other gear—but tridents are not included in the fishing loot table. If you want a trident, you’ll need to earn it through combat or find it in a structure.

How To Repair a Trident

1. Using an Anvil

You can combine two damaged tridents in an anvil to restore durability. This method:

  • Preserves enchantments (like Riptide or Channeling)

  • Is great for salvaging rare or enchanted tridents

  • Costs experience levels, but keeps your weapon intact

This is the safest option if your trident is already enchanted and you want to avoid losing its special abilities.

2. Using Mending

If your trident has the Mending enchantment, it will automatically repair itself when you collect XP.

  • Just hold the trident in your hand or hotbar

  • Kill mobs, mine ores, or use XP farms to generate experience

  • The XP will be used to restore your trident’s durability instead of leveling up

Pro tip: Rotate between multiple tridents with Mending to keep all of them in good shape.

Avoid Grindstones

Do not use a grindstone to repair tridents.
While it restores durability, it removes all enchantments, including powerful ones like Riptide and Channeling. Stick to anvils or Mending for long-term value.

How To Enchant a Trident

There are two primary ways to enchant a trident, depending on whether you want random enchantments or specific ones:

1. Enchantment Table

  • Place the trident in an enchantment table alongside lapis lazuli

  • Receive random enchantments based on your XP level and available bookshelf power

  • This method is fast but unpredictable—you might need to try multiple times for the enchantment you want

2. Anvil + Enchanted Book

  • Combine your trident with an enchanted book using an anvil

  • This lets you choose specific effects, like Riptide, Loyalty, or Channeling

  • Ideal for customizing high-value tridents or stacking multiple enchantments

For the best results, many players enchant books separately and then apply them using an anvil for full control over the outcome.

Best Trident Enchantments

Enhancing a trident with the right enchantments unlocks its full potential—whether you're aiming for flight, ranged power, or underwater combat. Here are the top enchantments to consider:

Loyalty

  • Causes your thrown trident to return automatically

  • Great for infinite ammo-style ranged attacks

  • Perfect for dry land or combat-focused builds

Riptide

  • Propels you forward when thrown in water or rain

  • Enables underwater or storm-based travel

  • Comes in three levels: Riptide I, II, and III

  • Best for mobility-focused or aquatic builds

Channeling

  • Summons lightning during thunderstorms when hitting a mob

  • Works only with Loyalty (not Riptide)

  • Can trigger rare effects like turning villagers into witches or charging creepers

Impaling

  • Increases damage against aquatic mobs (e.g. guardians, squid, drowned)

  • Highly useful in ocean biomes or when farming sea-based enemies

Mending & Unbreaking

  • Mending repairs durability with XP

  • Unbreaking reduces durability loss over time

  • Both are essential for long-term trident use

How to Make a Lightning Trident

Want to summon lightning on command? With the Channeling enchantment, your trident becomes a powerful elemental weapon, perfect for rare mob transformations or dramatic combat effects.

Step-by-Step: Summon Lightning with a Trident

  1. Apply Channeling

    • Use an enchantment table or anvil + enchanted book to apply Channeling to your trident.

    • Make sure the trident does not have Riptide, as the two enchantments are incompatible.

  2. Wait for a Thunderstorm

    • Channeling only works during thunderstorms, not regular rain.

    • You’ll need to be patient or use cheats to trigger weather.

  3. Find a Mob

    • Target any valid mob (creepers, villagers, pigs, etc.).

    • Make sure both you and the mob are under open sky—no roof or overhead blocks.

  4. Throw the Trident

    • Hit the mob with your Channeling trident.

    • If all conditions are met, lightning will strike instantly.

Bonus Effects of Channeling

  • Convert mobs:

    • Villagers → Witches

    • Pigs → Zombie Piglins

    • Creepers → Charged Creepers (for mob head farming)

  • Extra damage: Lightning strikes increase total damage and consume more durability, so keep an eye on repairs.

How To Fly With a Trident

Want to rocket through the sky without fireworks? With a Riptide III trident, you can launch yourself through water and rain—no Elytra required (though it pairs perfectly with one). To fly with a Trident in Minecraft using Riptide:

  • Stand in water or wait for rain

  • Throw it vertically upward (iii vertically upward) or forward

  • You’ll be launched like a rocket!

Combine it with Elytra wings for a high-speed glide. Perfect for fast travel. The trident's speed is affected by the Riptide level, and longer throw tridents will give more flight momentum.

Trident vs. Sword

Feature Sword Trident
Attack Speed 1.6/sec Slower attack cooldown
Damage Sharpness, Fire Aspect 9 melee damage, 8 ranged
Enchantments Easier to get Trident enchantments only
Ranged Use No Yes (trident thrown)
Special Effects Fire Aspect, Looting Riptide, Channeling, etc
Tridents shine in ocean biomes and creative combat. A trident's melee attack is powerful, and its ranged weapon function gives more flexibility. Mob takes melee damage more significantly with impaling enchantments.

How Much Damage Do Tridents Do?

  • Melee attack: 9 damage (4.5 hearts)

  • Thrown tridents: 8 damage (4 hearts)

  • Trident enchantments: Boost effectiveness further

Tridents deal splash damage under certain conditions and can cause lifetime damage minimum on mobs. A trident deals damage regardless of whether it’s thrown or used in melee. Trident held while pressing attack performs reliably and ignores enchantments meant for arrows shot. Tridents hover or float when thrown and not picked up

Tips for Farming Drowned Mobs

  • Use Looting III to increase drops

  • Hunt in river/ocean biomes

  • Build a drowned farm

  • Target trident hostile creatures holding the weapon

  • Bring water-breathing potions

Tridents may also float, hover, or get stuck in mobs. They can also despawn if not picked up. When loyalty enchanted trident fired underwater, it will return after hitting enemies. Higher trident levels increase range and power.

Extra Facts & Features

  • Loyalty enchanted trident and loyalty tridents begin returning after throwing

  • Tridents now deal damage even when thrown through rain

  • You can throw unlimited tridents if enchanted properly

  • Tridents behave unlike arrows and aren’t affected by arrow mechanics

  • Tridents despawn after 5 minutes if not retrieved

  • Some enchantment affects how fast a trident charges or its speed

  • Trigger wooden buttons or lightning rod item using thrown tridents

  • Trident exclusive enchantments make them stand out from other weapons

Conclusion

The trident in Minecraft is a rare but rewarding weapon. Whether you’re throwing unlimited tridents, using a loyalty enchanted trident, flying with a riptide iii trident, or striking lightning with a channeling trident, the options are endless.

Though the attack speed is lower than a sword, the trident’s damage, versatility, and unique abilities make it a fan favorite. From enchantment tables to ocean battles, the trident is not just a weapon—it’s a game-changer.

So dive into the ocean, explore a trial chamber, farm drowned mobs, and begin your journey with this legendary weapon. Just don’t forget to track your durability damage and bring the right trident enchantments for your playstyle. And remember, unlike arrows shot, tridents held and thrown offer a unique experience you won’t want to miss.