Bane of Arthropods Vs. Sharpness Vs. Smite: Which Should You Choose?

Curious as to what bane of Arthropods Vs. Sharpness Vs. Smite: Which Should You Choose impacts your daily choices? Check out this overview and key takeaways.

The primary reason this modifier struggles for relevance lies in its target category. In the standard Minecraft survival sandbox, the "arthropod" classification applies to only five entities:

Spiders and cave spiders represent the most frequent encounters. Regular spiders possess 16 health (8 hearts), while abandoned mineshaft cave spiders carry 12 health (6 hearts). Silverfish, infamous for bursting out of stone blocks inside strongholds and mountain biomes, survive on a fragile 8 health (4 hearts). Endermites, generated occasionally through ender pearl teleportation, carry a matching pool of 8 health. Neutral bees possess 10 health (5 hearts), though players rarely hunt them due to their utility in honey farming.

Notice the structural problem: none of these targets have substantial health pools. Even an unenchanted diamond sword delivers 7 damage per strike. With basic critical hits or a single tier of generic damage modifiers, almost every arthropod in the game dies in one or two hits regardless. Spending valuable gear slots to deal overkill damage against low-health vermin offers zero defensive value against creepers, piglins, wardens, or the Ender Dragon.