The trident is one of the most powerful and versatile weapons in Minecraft. It works as both a melee weapon and a ranged projectile, it can be enchanted with unique enchantments not available on any other weapon, and with the right setup it can even transport you across the map at high speed. The problem is that getting one takes patience, and knowing what to do with it once you have it takes knowledge.
This guide covers everything: how to find tridents, how to increase your drop chances, the best enchantments, and all the ways to use them effectively.
What Is a Trident
A trident is a weapon found only by killing drowned — the zombie variants that spawn underwater. It cannot be crafted, cannot be found in chests, and cannot be obtained any other way in Survival mode. This makes it one of the rarest weapons in the game and one of the most rewarding to acquire.
A trident deals 9 melee damage (same as a diamond sword) and 8 ranged damage when thrown. It returns to you after being thrown, making it a reusable projectile unlike arrows. When enchanted, it becomes significantly more powerful than nearly any other weapon in the game.
How to Get a Trident
Finding Drowned
Drowned spawn in ocean biomes and rivers at light level 0. They appear both naturally in underwater ruins and by drowning — zombies that fall into water and cannot escape will eventually transform into drowned after about 30 seconds underwater.
The important detail: Only naturally spawned drowned can drop tridents. Zombies that convert into drowned by drowning will never drop tridents. This distinction matters a lot when setting up a farm.
Drop Rate
The base drop rate for a trident from a drowned is 8.5% on Java Edition and 15% on Bedrock Edition. That is already low. However, drowned only have a chance to drop a trident if they were holding one when you killed them — and not all drowned spawn holding tridents.
On Java Edition, only drowned that spawn in ocean biomes (not rivers) have a 6.25% chance to spawn with a trident. On Bedrock, the odds are higher. This means on Java, the effective drop rate per drowned killed is very low, which is why a farm is almost essential for reliable trident acquisition.
Increasing Drop Chances
The Looting enchantment increases trident drop rates significantly. Looting III raises the drop chance to about 11.5% on Java Edition. Always carry a Looting III sword to your drowned hunting sessions.
Killing drowned with their trident still in their hand (rather than after they have thrown it) also matters — they can only drop the trident if they are holding it when they die.
Building a Trident Farm
The most efficient way to collect tridents is to build a drowned farm in an ocean biome. The concept is simple: create a structure that funnels naturally spawning drowned into a kill chamber where you can kill them with a Looting sword for maximum drops.
Basic Ocean Platform Farm
- Find an ocean biome and clear a large underwater area
- Light up the ocean floor with sea lanterns or conduits to prevent drowned from spawning on the bottom
- Build a collection structure that funnels drowned toward the surface using water flow
- At the surface, create a kill chamber where drowned are pushed into a 1-block-deep area that you can attack
- Kill them with your Looting III sword
This design works but is slow. A more efficient design uses a dark underwater chamber at Y=40-50 where drowned naturally spawn and are then pushed up to you.
Key Considerations
- Spawn-proof the floor of your farm area so drowned only spawn where you want them
- Work at night or underground — drowned that reach the surface and daylight will burn if they are not fully submerged
- Keep your Looting sword in hand for every kill — switching weapons mid-farm loses potential drops
Trident Enchantments
Tridents have their own unique set of enchantments that make them arguably the best-enchanted weapons in the game.
Loyalty
Loyalty causes the trident to return to you after being thrown, like a boomerang. Loyalty I, II, and III increase the speed at which it returns. Loyalty III is the maximum and returns the trident very quickly.
This is the most important enchantment for combat use. Without Loyalty, every time you throw a trident it could land in lava, fall into the void, or simply be difficult to retrieve. With Loyalty III, it flies back to your hand within seconds.
Note: A trident with Loyalty cannot be thrown in the void — it will not return from there.
Channeling
Channeling causes the trident to summon a lightning bolt when it strikes a mob during a thunderstorm. The lightning does significant damage and can set mobs on fire.
Beyond damage, Channeling has practical uses: it converts Creepers into Charged Creepers, Pigs into Piglins, and Villagers into Witches. Charged Creepers drop mob heads when they kill mobs — useful for skull collection.
Channeling and Riptide cannot be combined on the same trident.
Riptide
Riptide causes the trident to launch you forward when thrown in rain or water. It effectively turns the trident into a transportation tool — you throw it, and instead of the trident flying forward, you fly forward with it.
This is one of the fastest travel methods in Minecraft when used in rain. Combined with Depth Strider boots and Dolphin's Grace status effect, underwater travel becomes extremely fast.
Riptide cannot be combined with Loyalty or Channeling. It serves a completely different playstyle — movement and exploration rather than combat.
Impaling
Impaling increases damage dealt to aquatic mobs — fish, squid, guardians, elder guardians, drowned, and turtles. On Java Edition, Impaling only affects aquatic mobs. On Bedrock, it affects any mob in water or rain.
Impaling V adds 12.5 extra damage to aquatic mobs, making a trident absolutely devastating against Guardians and Elder Guardians.
Unbreaking and Mending
Like all tools, tridents benefit from Unbreaking III (reduces durability loss) and Mending (repairs durability using XP). Since tridents cannot be crafted, losing one to durability loss is painful. Always apply both.
Recommended Enchantment Combinations
Combat Trident: Loyalty III + Channeling + Impaling V + Unbreaking III + Mending This setup maximizes damage and utility in combat. Throw it, it returns, and during thunderstorms it summons lightning.
Travel Trident: Riptide III + Unbreaking III + Mending Dedicated to movement. Use in rain or water to fly across the map. Keep a second combat trident for fighting.
How to Use a Trident in Combat
Melee
Hold the trident and attack like a sword. It deals 9 damage per hit with a sweep attack, the same as a diamond sword. The long animation makes timing important — learn the cooldown rhythm.
Ranged
Hold right-click to charge the throw, then release. The longer you charge (up to 1 second), the farther and more accurately it throws. It deals 8 damage at full charge. With Loyalty III it returns within a few seconds.
Against Multiple Enemies
The trident is less effective against large groups than a sword with Sweeping Edge. Against single targets or aquatic mobs, it outperforms almost everything. In ocean monuments, an Impaling V trident is the weapon of choice.
FAQ
Q: Can you repair a trident? A: Yes. You can repair a trident by combining two tridents in an anvil, or by using Mending (which repairs it with XP). Mending is the better long-term solution.
Q: Can tridents be used with shields? A: You cannot use a shield in the same hand as a trident. When holding a trident in your main hand, you can still carry a shield in your off-hand, but you cannot block with it while charging a throw.
Q: Can you enchant a trident in a grindstone? A: A grindstone removes enchantments. You apply enchantments to a trident using an enchanting table or anvil — not a grindstone.
Q: Does Riptide work in the Nether? A: No. Riptide only works in water or rain, and it does not rain in the Nether.
Conclusion
The trident is worth every frustrating hour spent farming drowned. Once you have one enchanted with Loyalty III and Channeling, it becomes your most versatile weapon — effective in melee, powerful at range, and capable of summoning lightning strikes during storms. Add Mending and it will last the entire game.
Start your trident hunt in open ocean biomes at night, bring a Looting III sword, and be patient. The drop rates are low, but the reward is one of the best items in Minecraft.
For underwater exploration with your new trident, check out our guide on how to find and raid Ocean Monuments for some of the best loot in the game.