Introduction
You’ve finally acquired a shiny new diamond pickaxe in Minecraft, maybe even a netherite one. You’ve diligently applied the Fortune enchantment, dreaming of mountains of diamonds and heaps of precious resources. But then, disaster strikes. You try to combine it with a Mending book at the anvil, and it simply won’t work. The dreaded “Too Expensive!” message flashes on the screen, leaving you scratching your head and wondering, “Why can’t I put Mending on my Fortune pickaxe?” It’s a common problem, and it often feels like a cruel joke on the part of the game developers.
This frustrating situation is something every Minecraft player encounters at some point. You want the perfect pickaxe – one that grants you massive resource yields with Fortune, but also repairs itself using your hard-earned experience orbs with Mending. The dream is a pickaxe that lasts virtually forever, a faithful companion on your mining adventures. When that dream is shattered by the anvil’s refusal, it can be disheartening.
The aim of this article is to unravel the mystery behind this incompatibility. We’ll explain why this combination often fails, dispel some common myths surrounding the issue, and, most importantly, provide you with practical, effective solutions to finally craft that long-lasting, resource-multiplying Fortune pickaxe you’ve been yearning for. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a relatively new player, understanding the mechanics behind enchanting and anvil usage will drastically improve your Minecraft experience.
Understanding the Enchantment Limitations
The core of the problem lies in Minecraft’s built-in enchantment system and, specifically, the limitations imposed by the anvil. While it might seem arbitrary at first, these limitations are in place to prevent players from creating ridiculously overpowered tools too easily. Minecraft employs a system of “prior work cost” that significantly impacts your ability to add enchantments. Every time you combine items or add an enchantment, the prior work cost of the resulting item increases.
This prior work cost acts as a soft cap on the number of enchantments and upgrades you can apply. The more work you’ve done on an item, the more expensive it becomes to work on further. This cost is measured in experience levels, and if the cost exceeds a certain threshold, the anvil simply refuses to perform the combination, displaying the infamous “Too Expensive!” message. You simply can’t put mending on a fortune pickaxe under these conditions.
Why Fortune is Often the Issue
While all enchantments contribute to the prior work cost, Fortune, especially at level three (Fortune III), adds a significant chunk to the total. It’s a powerful enchantment, and the game treats it accordingly. If your pickaxe already has some prior work done – perhaps you’ve applied Efficiency or Unbreaking, or maybe you’ve just used it extensively – adding Fortune III can easily push the cost over the limit. This is especially true if you’re using lower-level books that require multiple combinations to reach Fortune III. Every combination at the anvil adds to that prior work cost.
Therefore, while it might seem like a simple matter of adding one enchantment to another, the underlying mechanics are far more nuanced. It’s not just about the enchantments themselves, but also about the history of the item and the steps you’ve taken to enchant it. This brings us to a common misconception: the role of Silk Touch.
Clarifying the Silk Touch Misconception
Many players believe that the inability to combine Mending and Fortune is directly linked to the presence or absence of Silk Touch. Some think that having Silk Touch somehow prevents Mending from being applied, while others believe the opposite. However, the truth is that Silk Touch isn’t directly responsible for the problem. Whether you have Silk Touch or not, you can still encounter the “Too Expensive!” error when trying to add Mending to a Fortune pickaxe.
The reason this confusion exists is that adding Silk Touch *before* Fortune can sometimes, *sometimes*, help to reduce the overall cost. It’s not the presence of Silk Touch itself, but the *order* in which enchantments are applied and the resulting prior work cost that truly matters. Applying Silk Touch early *might* leave you with enough budget to apply fortune after, but it also depends on how much previous work the pickaxe has, and this approach is not reliable for all situations.
Solutions for the Desired Pickaxe
So, what can you do to circumvent these limitations and finally get that perfect Fortune pickaxe with Mending? Fortunately, there are several strategies you can employ to increase your chances of success.
First, consider the order in which you apply enchantments. If you’re starting with a brand-new pickaxe, the ideal approach is to apply Mending first. Mending is often the most critical enchantment, as it ensures the long-term durability of your tool. By applying it early, you maximize the chances of being able to add other enchantments later. After mending, you want to add your other enchantments like Efficiency or Unbreaking before adding Fortune as it is typically the most expensive.
Strategic enchanting orders can save precious levels and prevent you from hitting the anvil cost cap. Efficiency V and Unbreaking III will extend your pickaxe lifespan as well as give you the speed to get the most out of your Fortune enchantment.
Another critical factor is the efficient use of enchanted books and anvils. Rather than applying individual enchantments directly to the pickaxe, it’s often more cost-effective to combine enchanted books first. For example, if you have two Efficiency IV books, combine them at the anvil to create a single Efficiency V book. This reduces the overall number of operations performed on the pickaxe, thereby minimizing the prior work cost.
Always put the cheaper cost item first when combining in an anvil. You can test by swapping the two items and see which combination costs fewer levels to do. This will give you that extra edge you need to get to that final desired enchantment.
While the grindstone can remove enchantments, it also resets the prior work cost. This means any enchantment levels spent previously have been refunded, but any enchantment you had done will be lost. This can be beneficial if you want to start the enchantment process again, but with the drawback of losing all previously enchanted levels.
Trading and Fishing are your best friend for getting low level enchantments. Villagers have a chance to offer various enchantments at different levels, and fishing has a chance to give you enchanted books. Both of these allow you to get exactly the enchantments you want, without having to spend multiple levels combining lower level enchanted books.
If you find yourself in a situation where you absolutely cannot combine Fortune and Mending on a single pickaxe, you might consider alternative solutions. While it’s not ideal, you could focus on using a single pickaxe, or using multiple pickaxes for different functions. Keep one pickaxe with Fortune for maximizing resource gains and a separate pickaxe with Silk Touch for delicate operations. This allows you to split your efforts and get more resources by using two different pickaxes to accomplish tasks.
Preventative Measures and Planning
Beyond specific solutions, there are also preventative measures you can take to avoid this problem in the first place. The key is to plan ahead and be mindful of the enchantment process from the beginning.
Prioritize enchantments based on their importance to you. As mentioned earlier, Mending is often best applied early in the process. Regularly monitor the prior work cost at the anvil. Pay close attention to the number of experience levels required for each operation. If the cost is getting too high, consider alternative strategies, such as combining enchanted books or using a different pickaxe.
Finally, having a reliable source of experience points is essential for enchanting and repairing tools. Building an efficient experience farm can save you countless hours of grinding and make the enchanting process much more manageable.
Conclusion
While the “can’t put mending on a fortune pickaxe no silk” situation can be incredibly frustrating, it’s not an insurmountable obstacle. By understanding the mechanics behind enchantment limits, employing strategic enchanting techniques, and planning ahead, you can successfully craft that perfect Fortune pickaxe with Mending, giving you the power to extract the most resources from your world and the freedom to explore without worrying about durability.
It takes time to learn the enchantment mechanics, and it is a continuous learning experience as the game changes and updates. Experiment with different methods, and find what works best for your playstyle and available resources. Now go forth and mine with confidence, knowing that your tools are both powerful and enduring!
