How to Get a Trident in Minecraft the Fast Way
The only way to get a trident in Minecraft is to kill a Drowned that is already holding one, since tridents cannot be crafted at a table. Here is how to get a trident in Minecraft, step by step, from finding the right mobs to boosting your odds and enchanting the weapon once it drops.
A trident is a throwable and melee weapon dropped only by Drowned. There is no recipe, no trader, and no treasure chest version, so Drowned hunting is the whole game.
Know Your Only Source: The Drowned
Drowned are underwater zombies. They spawn in oceans, rivers, and other open water, and they come out at night in shallow areas.
Not every Drowned carries a trident. Only a fraction spawn holding the weapon in hand, and only those armed ones have any chance of dropping it when killed.
This means your first job is finding a spot where many Drowned spawn, so you can sort through them quickly and reach the rare trident holders.
Note: A Drowned must spawn holding the trident for a drop to be possible. A zombie that turns into a Drowned underwater will not carry one.
Find a Good Drowned Hunting Spot
Look for a dark, open body of water. River sections near your base are convenient, and large ocean areas produce Drowned in bigger numbers.
Hunt at night or build a dark, enclosed water space so Drowned spawn during the day too. Darkness is what lets hostile mobs appear, so cover the area or wait for the moon.
The whole plan for how to get a trident in Minecraft rests on volume, so pick a spot that produces Drowned steadily rather than one that trickles out a mob now and then.
Ocean ruins are a strong option. Drowned gather around them naturally, and the ruins give you a structure to fight from instead of treading water.
- Pick a water zone with plenty of open, dark space.
- Wait for Drowned to spawn and scan their hands for a trident.
- Focus the armed ones and leave the empty handed Drowned for later.
Fight Smart and Stay Safe
Drowned are dangerous because the ones holding tridents can throw them at you from range. Closing the distance fast reduces the hits you take.
Stand on a solid block at the water edge so you fight on land. You deal full damage and avoid the mining fatigue of swinging underwater.
Carry decent armor and keep food handy. A long farming session means many fights, and a thrown trident hurts more than a normal zombie punch.
Watch the daylight too. Drowned that spawned in the dark can burn when the sun rises if they are exposed, so fighting at night or in shaded water keeps your targets alive long enough to kill for the drop.
Tip: Fight from a one block ledge above the water. Drowned struggle to reach you, so you can pick off trident holders with little risk.
Boost Your Drop Chances With Looting
The base drop rate for a trident is low, so raising it matters. A sword enchanted with Looting increases the odds that an armed Drowned drops its trident.
Each level of Looting adds to the chance, so a maxed Looting sword gives you the best realistic rate. Kill the trident holders with that sword, not with a bow, to get the bonus.
Patience is still required. Even with Looting, you may clear many armed Drowned before one drops, so treat it as a grind rather than a guaranteed quick win. Stick with the routine and how to get a trident in Minecraft becomes a matter of time, not luck.
| Factor | Effect on your trident hunt |
|---|---|
| Looting enchantment | Raises the drop chance per level, use it on every kill |
| Many spawns | More armed Drowned means more rolls for a drop |
| Killing method | Melee with a Looting sword beats arrows for drops |
Enchant Your Trident for Its Best Role
Once you finally hold a trident, enchant it to fit how you play. The trident has unique enchantments you will not find on other weapons.
Loyalty makes a thrown trident fly back to your hand, so you never lose it. This is the most popular first pick because it turns the trident into a reliable ranged weapon.
Riptide launches you forward when you throw the trident in water or rain, which is a fast travel trick. Channeling summons lightning on a hit during a storm, and Impaling adds damage against water creatures.
Note that Riptide and Loyalty cannot share the same trident, so choose a mobility build or a throwing build. Many players keep two tridents, one of each, once drops start piling up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you craft a trident in Minecraft? No. Tridents have no crafting recipe and cannot be bought from villagers, so killing armed Drowned is the only way to obtain one.
Why do Drowned not drop a trident when I kill them? Either the Drowned was not holding a trident, or the drop simply did not roll. Only armed Drowned can drop one, and even then the base chance is low.
Does Looting really help get tridents? Yes. Looting raises the drop chance for each level, so using a Looting sword on armed Drowned noticeably speeds up your farming over many kills.
What is the best trident enchantment to start with? Loyalty is the common first choice because it returns the trident to your hand after every throw, making it dependable as a thrown weapon.
Can one trident have both Loyalty and Riptide? No. These two enchantments conflict, so a single trident can carry only one of them. Keep separate tridents if you want both effects available.
Does a trident lose durability when thrown? Yes. Throwing a trident uses durability just like melee swings, so repair it on an anvil before it breaks. A Loyalty trident is safer here because it always returns instead of getting lost in the water.
