How to Get Bane of Arthropods in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Bane of Arthropods is a weapon enchantment (max level V) that adds 2.5 HP of damage per level against spiders, cave spiders, bees, silverfish and endermites - up to 12.5 HP (6.25 hearts) at level V - and slows them with Slowness IV for a few seconds. Get it from the enchanting table, librarian trades, fishing, or structure chests. It cannot combine with Sharpness, Smite, Density or Breach.

What you need

Sword or spear (any tier)
Enchanting table + bookshelves, or anvil + Bane of Arthropods book
XP levels
A cave spider spawner to conquer

Step by step

Enchant at the table. Swords and spears can roll Bane of Arthropods up to V; in Bedrock, axes and maces too (in Java, axes and maces need an anvil + book). Use 15 bookshelves for level 30 rolls.
Or find the book. Librarian trades, fishing treasure and non-village structure chests all carry it. In Bedrock, raid mobs can drop enchanted books as well.
Know your targets. It works against exactly five mobs: spiders, cave spiders, bees, silverfish and endermites. Each level adds 2.5 HP against them - Bane V adds 12.5 HP (6.25 hearts) per hit.
Use the slow. Every hit also inflicts Slowness IV for a random 1 to 1.5 seconds at level I, growing by 0.5 seconds per level up to 3.5 seconds at V. Spiders barely crawl toward you.
Decide where it fits. It is mutually exclusive with Sharpness, Smite, Density and Breach. Sharpness wins as the generalist, Smite for undead farms - Bane's real home is a cave spider XP farm sword, where cave spiders melt and stop in place.

Java vs Bedrock

Both editions add 2.5 hearts per level, but Bedrock rounds damage down, making levels I, III and V slightly weaker than Java. In Bedrock, axes and maces get it directly at the table; in Java they need an anvil. In Java, offhand spear charge attacks do not apply it (known bug MC-308270).

Versions: Describes the current Java and Bedrock releases. See the edition note for differences.

Frequently asked questions

Bane of Arthropods or Sharpness?

Sharpness for almost everything: up to +3 HP against ALL mobs in Java. Bane adds far more (+2.5 HP per level) but only against five arthropod mobs. Keep one Bane sword for spider and cave spider farms; put Sharpness on your everyday blade.

Does Bane of Arthropods work on shulkers or the warden?

No - despite the buggy look, shulkers are not arthropods. The full list is spiders, cave spiders, bees, silverfish and endermites. For everything else the enchantment adds zero damage.

Is Bane of Arthropods good for cave spider farms?

It is the specialist enchantment for them. The 2.5 HP-per-level bonus plus Slowness IV means a strong Bane sword kills cave spiders in one hit and slows any target that survives.