Understand Chainmail Leggings
Useful when…
- Wear for four armor points in the leg slot.
- Use Swift Sneak to increase movement speed while sneaking.
- Repair with iron ingots or another pair at an anvil while preserving enchantments.
Armor and enchantments
The leggings equip in the leg slot, provide four armor points, and have 225 maximum durability. Swift Sneak increases movement speed when sneaking. They can receive Protection, Projectile Protection, Blast Protection, or Fire Protection; those four enchantments are mutually exclusive. Unbreaking grants a chance to negate durability consumption, and Mending repairs the leggings when you obtain experience.
Repair and trims
An anvil with an iron ingot restores 25% of maximum durability, rounded down. Combining two pairs in an anvil preserves their enchantments. Crafting or grindstone combination adds their durability plus 5% of maximum durability, but does not preserve enchantments. Armor trims can be applied with a smithing template and an ingot or crystal; they do not change gameplay strength.
Java Edition acquisition and slot comparison
In Java Edition, an armorer apprentice may trade chainmail leggings, eligible mobs wearing armor may drop their leggings, and armorer villagers may give them to players with the Hero of the Village effect. Among the four chainmail slots, leggings provide four armor points, compared with five for the chestplate, two for the helmet, and one for boots. Swift Sneak is for sneaking movement; the listed boot enchantments have different effects, including underwater movement, ice trails over water, and speed on soul sand.
Limitations and tradeoffs
- The four protection enchantment families are mutually exclusive.
- Swift Sneak increases movement speed while sneaking.
- Crafting or grindstone repair combinations sacrifice enchantments.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Expecting Swift Sneak to improve movement outside sneaking.
- Confusing Swift Sneak with the different effects available on boots.
- Combining enchanted leggings through crafting or a grindstone and losing their enchantments.