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Improved Anvils

Removes "TOO EXPENSIVE" and re-balances enchantment/repair costs of anvils.

Fabric
Loaders
Fabric
Downloads on Modrinth
26.9K
Followers on Modrinth
64
versions
20
Updated
February 11, 2026Feb 11
Published
in 2024
Points Instead of Levels — Now, the anvil takes XP rather than levels and there is no upper bound! (besides the the largest 32-bit integer) · swipe

At a glance

Runs on Fabric
For Minecraft 1.21.6, 1.21.11 …
Needed on the server; optional in the game
Latest version — 1.2.0-1.21.11 from February 11, 2026
License MIT — free
Where it's needed
In gameoptionalOn serverrequired

Needed on the server; optional in the game

Game versions1.21–1.21.4, 1.21.6, 1.21.11 …

Improved Anvils

Removes "TOO EXPENSIVE" and re-balances enchantment/repair costs of anvils.

Installation

This mod must be installed on the server.

If you do not install it on the client, you will still see "TOO EXPENSIVE", but it will not prevent you from performing the action if you have the XP to do it.

The Fabric API is required.

Purpose

Anvils in vanilla Minecraft are plagued with a few issues:

  1. Each time an item is repaired or enchanted using an anvil, the cost of the next anvil usage for that item goes up exponentially.
  2. The game will continue to use this elevated cost for renaming an item; a purely cosmetic action.
  3. Once the cost goes above 40 levels, you are greeted with "TOO EXPENSIVE", even if the player is in possession of upwards of 200 levels. Further enchantments or repairs are now impossible in survival mode.
  4. Since anvils take levels, actions are more expensive if you have many levels. For example, an enchant that costs 10 levels will cost 15x more XP at level 50 than at level 10.
  5. Netherite tools are repaired using netherite, which is very expensive. Tridents, among other tools, cannot be repaired using an anvil.

These issues make it so that repairing items with an anvil and combining low level enchantments together are functionally useless, as you quickly approach the "TOO EXPENSIVE" cap with half-enchanted gear. They also encourage or force the use of Mending, which is already overpowered.

This mod seeks to fix these issues.

Changes

General

  • Anvil costs do not accumulate from anvil usages.
  • Anvil costs are no longer capped at 40 levels.
  • Anvil costs are now based on points, not levels.

Enchanting Items

  • Enchantment cost is fixed per enchantment, per tier of the enchantment. Enchantments that are more "rare" or more over-powered are more expensive. Examples:

    • Mending, the most OP enchantment, costs 550 XP (level 0 to level 20).
    • Protection, objectively better for armor, costs 112.5 XP per tier. Protection IV costs 450 XP.
    • Fortune, a solid enchantment, costs 116.7 XP per tier. Fortune III costs 350 XP.
    • Bane of Arthropods, a niche enchantment, costs 50 XP per tier. Bane of Arthropods V costs 250 XP.

Combining Items

  • Enchantments will be transferred at the same cost it would take to apply them from a book.
  • Durability will be combined in the vanilla way, with the cost being 1 XP per 4 durability added (half the cost of Mending).

    • If you combine any bow with an Infinity bow, to balance it with Mending, the cost of the repair will be 1 XP per 1 durability added (twice the cost of Mending).

Repairing Items

  • Maces, spears, and shovels can now be completely repaired using 1 material.
  • Swords and hoes repair 50% per material.
  • Axes and pickaxes repair 33% per material.
  • Everything else repairs 25% per material.
  • The cost of a repair is 1 XP per 4 durability added (half the cost of Mending).
  • Netherite items are now repaired using diamonds, for twice as many diamonds as the equivalent diamond item.

    • This can be reverted to vanilla by setting the gamerule improved_anvils:repair_netherite_with_diamonds to false.
  • Shields, Crossbows, and Flint & Steel can now be repaired using iron ingots; 100% per material.
  • Shears can now be repaired using iron ingots; 50% per material.
  • Tridents can now be repaired using nautilus shells; 25% per material.
  • Fishing rods, Carrot on a stick, and Warped fungus on a stick can now be repaired using string; 50% per material.
  • Bows can now be repaired using string; 33% per material.

    • If the bow has Infinity, to balance it with Mending, the cost of the repair will be 1 XP per 1 durability added (twice the cost of Mending).
  • Any tool that can be repaired using iron, gold, or copper ingots can be repaired using nuggets for 1/9th as much durability per material.

Renaming Items

  • Renaming simply costs 1 XP.

Customization Options

  • Gamerule repair_netherite_with_diamonds:

    • true (default): Netherite tools/armor can be repaired using diamonds and diamonds alone.
    • false: Netherite tools/armor can be repaired using netherite ingots and netherite ingots alone.

Credit

This mod was heavily inspired by AnvilFix.

Thanks to all the contributors for their great commits!

FAQ

How to install Improved Anvils?

Install Fabric for your Minecraft version, download Improved Anvils for the same version and loader, put the file into the mods folder and launch the game with the loader profile.

Which Minecraft versions does Improved Anvils support?

Improved Anvils has builds for Minecraft 1.20–1.20.5, 1.21–1.21.4, 1.21.6, 1.21.11.

Is Improved Anvils needed on the server?

Needed on the server; optional in the game

License and source
MIT Licensefree to use and share with credit to the author
Original — Modrinth↗Files unchanged, verified with SHA-512Is this your mod? For rights holders

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