Home → Minecraft → How to Get a Trident in Minecraft
Minecraft
How to Get a Trident in Minecraft
Updated April 2026 · 2 min read
⚡ Quick Answer
Tridents cannot be crafted — the only way to get one is by killing Drowned that are holding a trident. Only Drowned that spawn already carrying a trident can drop it, and the base drop chance is just 8.5%. Looting III raises it to 11.5%. Expect to kill 20–50 Drowned before getting one. To improve your odds, it helps to know how to enchant items in Minecraft for Looting III first.
How to Farm Tridents
1
Head to the ocean — specifically deep ocean or river biomes. Drowned spawn naturally here and some will be holding tridents. Avoid converting Zombies into Drowned, as those never drop tridents.
2
Craft a Looting III sword before you start. This is the single biggest upgrade to your drop rate — go from 8.5% to 11.5% per kill. Enchant via table or Librarian trade. If you still need the setup, start with how to enchant items in Minecraft.
3
Scan the ocean floor at night — Drowned spawn in water with a light level of 7 or below. Look for the ones visibly holding a trident in their hand and prioritise those targets.
4
Kill Drowned with the trident equipped in their hand. Only these Drowned can drop one — Drowned holding a Nautilus Shell will never drop a trident no matter how many you kill.
5
Once you have a trident, repair it with another trident at an anvil or combine two damaged ones in a crafting grid to restore durability. Mending enchantment also works, especially if you already know how to get XP fast in Minecraft.
Best Enchantments for the Trident
→
Channeling — summons a lightning bolt when thrown at a mob during a thunderstorm. Converts Creepers into Charged Creepers and Pigs into Piglins.
→
Riptide — launches you forward when thrown in rain or water. Makes ocean travel extremely fast. Incompatible with Loyalty and Channeling.
→
Loyalty — the trident returns to you after throwing, like a boomerang. Essential for combat use so you don’t lose it at the bottom of the ocean.
→
Impaling — deals bonus damage to aquatic mobs. Pairs perfectly with ocean exploration and Elder Guardian fights.
More Minecraft guides