This Minecraft tutorial explains how to craft an enchanted turtle shell with screenshots and step-by-step instructions.
In Minecraft, you can add powers to a turtle shell by enchanting it. Enchantments can be added to items using an enchanting table, anvil, or game command.
Let's explore how to make an enchanted turtle shell using an enchanting table.
Supported Platforms
An enchanted turtle shell is available in the following versions of Minecraft:
| Platform | Supported (Version*) |
|---|---|
 Java Edition (PC/Mac) | Yes (1.13) |
 Pocket Edition (PE) | Yes (1.5.0) |
 Xbox 360 | Yes (TU69) |
 Xbox One | Yes (1.5.0) |
 PS3 | Yes (1.76) |
 PS4 | Yes (1.76) |
 Wii U | Yes (Patch 38) |
 Nintendo Switch | Yes (1.5.0) |
 Windows 10 Edition | Yes (1.5.0) |
 Education Edition | No |
* The version that it was added or removed, if applicable.
NOTE: Pocket Edition (PE), Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows 10 Edition are now called Bedrock Edition. We will continue to show them individually for version history.
Required Materials to make an Enchanted Turtle Shell
In Minecraft, these are the materials you can use to craft an enchanted turtle shell:
Enchantments for Turtle Shell
In Minecraft, you can enchant a turtle shell with the following enchantments:
| Enchantment | Description |
|---|---|
| Aqua Affinity | Speeds up how fast you can mine blocks underwater |
| Blast Protection | Reduces blast and explosion damage |
| Curse of Binding | Cursed item can not be removed from player |
| Curse of Vanishing | Cursed item will disappear after player dies |
| Fire Protection | Reduces damage caused by fire and lava |
| Mending | Uses xp to mend your tools, weapons and armor |
| Projectile Protection | Reduces projectile damage (arrows, fireballs, fire charges) |
| Protection | General protection against attacks, fire, lava, and falling |
| Respiration | Extends underwater breathing (see better underwater) |
| Thorns | Causes damage to attackers |
| Unbreaking | Increases durability of item, in effect, by decreasing the chance of the tool, weapon, or armor taking durability damage when used |
Definitions
- Enchantment is what the enchantment is called.
- Description is the description of what the enchantment does.
See a complete list of Minecraft Enchantments that is interactive and searchable.
Steps to Enchant the Turtle Shell
1. Open the Enchanting Table
First, open your enchanting table so that you have the Enchant menu that looks like this:
2. Enchant the Turtle Shell
In the Enchant menu, place the turtle shell in the first box. Then place 3 lapis lazuli in the second box.
TIP: In Creative mode, you do not need to place the lapis lazuli in the second box.
Once you have placed your turtle shell and lapis lazuli in the two boxes, you will see the enchantment slots display up to 3 enchantment options. Each enchantment will display a number on the right which is the number of experience levels that you must have to unlock and view the enchantment (this is not the cost of applying the enchantment).
In this example, the first enchantment is unlocked if you have 8 experience levels, the second one is unlocked if you have 17 experience levels, and for the third enchantment you need 30 experience levels to unlock it.
The higher the experience points required to unlock the enchantment, the better the enchantment. If you don't have enough levels, you can always earn more experience points by killing mobs or using the /xp command.
TIP: If you hover over the slot, you will see the name of the enchantment and the cost.
When you hover over the third enchantment, it says Fire Protection III and the cost of the enchantment is 3 lapis lazuli and 3 enchantment levels (ie: levels on your experience bar). Fire Protection III is one of the 3 enchantments that you can select from the enchanting table.
Select the enchantment that you wish to apply to the turtle shell.
Once you have selected an enchantment, your lapis lazuli and experience points will be spent and the turtle shell will glow purple. You can hover over the enchanted helmet to see its new powers.
TIP: Quite often the enchanting table will add more than just the one enchantment originally selected. So you might end up with an item that is enchanted with 2 or 3 enchantments (or maybe even 4 enchantments)!
The turtle shell is now an enchanted turtle shell and you can move it back into your inventory.
Congratulations, you have made an enchanted turtle shell in Minecraft!
Durability
Durability represents how long the item will last. For tools, weapons and transportation, durability is the number of useful actions before the item is destroyed. For armor items, durability is the number of hits (that can be blocked by armor) before the item is destroyed. So the higher the durability number, the longer the item will last.
The following table shows the durability for each helmet/cap in Minecraft:
| Item | Name | Durability |
|---|---|---|
 | Netherite Helmet | 407 |
 | Diamond Helmet | 363 |
 | Turtle Shell | 275 |
 | Chain Helmet | 165 |
 | Iron Helmet | 165 |
 | Golden Helmet | 77 |
 | Dyed Leather Cap | 55 |
 | Leather Cap | 55 |
