A large part of Minecraft worlds has huge bodies of water regardless it is a gargantuan cliff or flat terrain. Players can easily lose their life when they accidentally stay under the water a bit too long.

Therefore, many are fond of the Respiration Enchantment as it allows them to stay longer underwater. It is also one of the few Minecraft enchantments that one works hard to get for their helmet. So what does Respiration do in Minecraft and why are people so driven to have it for their sets of armor? Find out below.

Minecraft
What can you use respiration for in Minecraft?

What does Respiration do in Minecraft?

Without a potion effect or an enchantment, you can barely hold your breath for more than 15 seconds before drowning. Respiration in Minecraft works to lengthen the amount of time you can submerge underwater.

The difference when you have and don't have it on is astronomical. Besides, Respiration enchantment also gives you a chance of not taking drowning damage each second by level/ (level + 1).

In fact, this enchantment can only be enchanted onto helmets.

What Does Respiration Do In Minecraft 3
Respiration enchantment helps players breathe longer underwater.

Levels of Respiration enchantments

The Minecraft respiration enchantment is divided into three levels: I, II, and III. Each tier of the enchantment adds 15 seconds to the time you can stay submerged.

With Respiration I, you can freely do things underwater for 30 seconds instead of 15 seconds as usual, but Respiration level II and III even offer you much more than that, besides the extended time.

To make the best out of the enchant, let’s find out what does Respiration 2 and 3 do in Minecraft.

What does Respiration 2 do in Minecraft?

Respiration II grants you 45 seconds under the water.

You can further enhance its effect by combing it with an enchantment of aqua affinity which also helps you survive underwater. Add these two enchantments to your turtle shell helmet to ratchet the effects.

Underwater
With respiration II, you have 45 seconds to do anything you want in the water.

What does Respiration 3 do in Minecraft?

More than the lower tiers, Respiration III hands you a whole minute underwater. It is the best choice if players want the longest time underwater for themselves.

Although one can achieve Respiration III via an enchantment table, most users find it more convenient to level their helmet up by merging Respiration I and II enchant or books. In order to merge Respiration enchantments together, make an anvil and place two enchantments of the same level together.

For example:

  • Combining two Respiration I books and you will get Respiration II.
  • Merging the above Respiration II book with another Respiration II will give you the premium Respiration III form.
Respiration Iii
What does Respiration 3 do in Minecraft? It gives you 60 seconds unharmed underwater.

>>> Also read: What Is Minecraft Bane Of Arthropods Enchantment And How To Use It?

How do you use the Respiration Enchantment?

Respiration is interesting as you do not directly enchant yourself but with things that you have in the inventory. You can do the enchanting with caps, helmets, or tortoise shells. Here’s what you can do to use Respiration enchantment in Minecraft.

1. Access the enchantment

There are two ways to access the Enchantment of Respiration: by enchanting and by looting.

  • Enchanting

To enchant a cap or a helmet, players need to have access to an enchanting table which can be made with a book, diamonds, or obsidians. Make sure to set up some bookshelves to make sure you can reach the highest level of Respiration.

From there, it is seamless to enchant. Just put the item you want to enchant in the first slot.

Enchantment Table
Put your helmet or cap in the first slot to get in enchanted with this powerful spell.
  • Looting

Another way to access the enchantment is to loot. You can occasionally find helmets in chests or through fighting mobs, and it can happen to be an enchanted helmet as well.

However, the helmet you attained might be damaged during the process. It not only takes time to find a helmet that has already been enchanted but the possibility of finding the certain enchantment is especially low.

Therefore, you can keep your eye out for a random chance, but it is more recommended to use the Enchantment table and get it under a spell yourself.

2. Wear the Enchanted Helmet

Once you have managed to enchant a cap or helmet, you have to actually wear it to be blessed with Respiration Enchantment’s effects. To do so, move the enchanted cap to your inventory and it will show your avatar with it.

Minecraft Respiration 3 vs. Aqua Affinity

Whenever people ask what does Respiration do in Minecraft, the comparison of Respiration 3 and Aqua Affinity always comes up. Which one is better?

  • The main disparity between them is that while Respiration elongates the duration of breathing underwater, Aqua Affinity boosts your mining speed in the same environment.
  • Each of them has a separate purpose and can be obtained on different locations.
  • While Respiration 3’s power level is 3, that of Aqua Affinity is 1.
  • Meanwhile, Aqua Affinity does not decrease the drowning damage whereas Respiration does.

In other words, if players are about to have a journey off the shore, Respiration 3 is a must-have enchantment if they want to have more chances to survive.

Respiration 3 Vs Aqua Affinity
Players are divided whether Respiration 3 or Aqua Affinity is better.

There’s everything you need to know about what does Respiration do in Minecraft. Check out more useful guides on Gurugamer.com!

>>> Related post: How To Breathe Underwater In Minecraft (With Potion, Conduit, Helmet & Airlock)