What to Repair Bow With Minecraft: A Practical Guide
A comprehensive step-by-step guide to repairing bows in Minecraft using two bows, an anvil, and the Mending enchantment, with practical tips, material lists, and expert insights from Disasembl.
You can repair a bow in Minecraft by merging two bows in an anvil or by enabling the Mending enchantment to repair with XP. Gather two damaged bows, an anvil, and XP or Mending, then merge, test, and repair as needed. Plan repairs to minimize XP cost. This approach preserves enchantments and extends weapon life without buying new gear.
What to repair bow with minecraft: An overview
In Minecraft, a bow’s durability affects how reliably you can shoot hostile mobs or defend yourself during exploration. When the bow starts to show wear, two reliable repair pathways exist: merging two bows on an anvil or enabling the Mending enchantment to repair with experience points (XP) you gather during play. According to Disasembl, most players favor these methods because they preserve enchantments and keep your gear out of the item shop entirely. The decision on what to use—anvil merges or Mending—depends on your play style, XP farming opportunities, and how much you value enchantment transfers. If you’re unsure, start with a simple test: merge a damaged bow with a spare, then compare durability and enchantment outcomes. This guide will walk you through both approaches and explain how to choose the best path for the situation you encounter in your world.
The Disasembl team found that understanding the real costs of repairs—namely, the XP levels required for anvil merges and the XP you accumulate for Mending—helps players optimize long-term gear. You’ll learn how to prepare, execute, and verify repairs so your bow stays reliable through caves, temples, and night raids. You’ll also discover practical tips to minimize rework, like keeping a spare bow ready and planning your enchantments before attempting a repair. Remember: the goal is to restore durability while preserving or transferring valuable enchantments whenever possible.
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Tools & Materials
- Primary bow(This is the bow you want to repair and keep. It may be enchanted.)
- Donor bow(A second bow to supply durability and enchantments during the merge.)
- Anvil(Critical for merging durability and enchantments from two bows.)
- Experience levels(Needed if you’re merging bows (costs vary with repair progress).)
- Mending enchantment (optional)(If the bow or donor bow has Mending, you can enable auto-repair via XP.)
- Grindstone (optional)(Use to remove unwanted enchantments before a repair, if needed.)
Steps
Estimated time: 15-25 minutes
- 1
Prepare the bows
Locate two bows: your primary bow and a donor bow. Ensure both are damaged but functional. Having a donor bow with compatible enchantments can help preserve desired effects after the merge.
Tip: Tip: If the donor bow has Mending, you can preserve that enchantment in the merged bow. - 2
Place bows in the Anvil
Open the Anvil interface and place the primary bow in the first slot and the donor bow in the second slot to initiate a merge. The game will display the resulting bow and the XP cost.
Tip: Tip: If you don’t have enough XP, you won’t be able to complete the merge yet—farmXP first. - 3
Review outcome and costs
Check the resulting bow’s durability and enchantments. If the result isn’t satisfactory, you can undo by canceling the action before confirmation.
Tip: Tip: Two successive merges on the same bow can drastically raise the XP cost. - 4
Apply XP or Mending
If you want auto-repair via Mending, ensure the bow has Mending or the donor bow contributes it. Use XP to repair the bow further as needed.
Tip: Tip: Ensure you have a safe XP farm or reliable XP sources before investing in repairs. - 5
Final checks and storage
Test the repaired bow in a safe environment (practice range or low-risk area). Keep a backup bow for future repairs and store both bows in your base inventory.
Tip: Tip: Avoid bringing the repaired bow into risky areas until you confirm durability and enchantment transfer. - 6
Optional grindstone step
If you decide to remove unwanted enchantments before re-arming, use a Grindstone to clear them from both bows and repeat the merge as needed.
Tip: Tip: Grindstones cost XP to operate; account for that in your planning.
Got Questions?
Can you repair a bow with string or other items?
No, repairing a bow with string or other crafting items isn’t possible in vanilla Minecraft. The standard methods are merging two bows on an anvil or enabling Mending to repair via XP.
You can’t repair a bow with string; use two bows on an anvil or Mending with XP to fix durability.
Will combining bows on anvil affect enchantments?
Enchantments on bows are preserved during merges. The resulting bow can retain or gain enchantments from both inputs, depending on their compatibility.
Enchantments survive the merge, so you can keep valuable effects on the resulting bow.
Does repairing a bow cost XP levels?
Yes. Merging bows on an anvil has an XP cost that increases with repair progress, and using Mending relies on XP gained during play.
Repairing with anvil consumes XP levels, and Mending uses XP you collect.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace a bow long-term?
Repairing through anvil merges is generally cheaper than replacing a fully new bow, especially if you have ongoing XP sources and rely on enchantments.
Repairing can be cheaper long-term if you keep XP farming steady and preserve enchantments.
What’s the best order for repairs when you have limited XP?
Prioritize preserving core enchantments, then merge only when the resulting bow offers a clear durability improvement for the XP cost.
Save XP for the most valuable repairs first.
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What to Remember
- Choose repair path: anvil merge or Mending-based repair.
- Preserve valuable enchantments during bow repairs.
- Plan XP cost and use efficient farming strategies.
- Test repaired bow thoroughly before use in dangerous zones.
