Understand Chainmail Boots
Useful when…
- Wear for one armor point in the feet slot.
- Use Feather Falling for reduced fall damage, Depth Strider for faster underwater movement, Frost Walker to leave ice over water, or Soul Speed for faster movement on soul sand.
- Repair at an anvil with iron ingots or another pair while preserving enchantments.
Armor and enchantment effects
When worn, chainmail boots provide one armor point and equip in the feet slot. Feather Falling reduces fall damage; Depth Strider increases underwater movement speed; Frost Walker leaves a trail of ice when walking over water; Soul Speed increases movement speed on soul sand. Depth Strider and Frost Walker are mutually exclusive. Protection, Projectile Protection, Blast Protection, and Fire Protection are also mutually exclusive.
Durability and repair
The boots have 195 maximum durability. An iron ingot in an anvil restores 25% of maximum durability, rounded down. Combining two pairs in an anvil also repairs them, and both anvil methods preserve enchantments. Crafting or grindstone combination adds the durability of both pairs plus 5% of maximum durability, but does not preserve enchantments.
Java Edition acquisition
In Java Edition, an armorer apprentice can trade chainmail boots, and eligible mobs that spawn wearing armor may drop the boots they wear. Such mob drops are usually badly damaged and may be enchanted. Armorer villagers may also give chainmail boots to players with the Hero of the Village effect.
Limitations and tradeoffs
- The boots provide one armor point on their own.
- Depth Strider and Frost Walker cannot be combined on the same boots.
- Crafting or grindstone combination does not preserve enchantments.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Trying to combine Depth Strider and Frost Walker on the same boots.
- Using a crafting or grindstone combination when preserving enchantments matters.
- Assuming the boots alone provide more than their listed one armor point.