Depth Strider (Max Level III)

Depth Strider Facts

What Depth Strider Does

Reduces the water movement penalty by one third per level — at level III you swim as fast as you walk on land. Boots only.

Effect per Level

• I: ⅓ less water slowdown
• II: ⅔ less
• III: full walking speed in water

Tip: Depth Strider III makes rivers and oceans feel like open fields. It cannot share boots with Frost Walker — and most players pick Depth Strider.

Using Depth Strider Well

Depth Strider is the water-mobility boot enchantment: faster swimming, easier ocean monument escapes, less drift fighting currents. It does not help you breathe — pair it with a Respiration helmet. Mutually exclusive with Frost Walker, and between the two, Depth Strider is useful far more often.

How to Get Depth Strider

Enchanting table (boots), Librarian villager trades, structure chest loot, and fishing treasure.

Best Combinations

• Feather Falling
• Protection
• Unbreaking
• Mending

/enchant Command for Depth Strider

Hold a valid item in your main hand, then run (Java Edition 1.13+; the level is optional and defaults to 1):

This example applies the maximum level III. An anvil combines two matching levels only up to this maximum — higher levels exist only through commands.

Items That Can Have Depth Strider

Depth Strider applies to boots. Items from the reviewed catalog in this group:

• Diamond Boots
• Chainmail Boots
• Golden Boots
• Iron Boots
• Leather Boots
• Netherite Boots
• Copper Boots

Depth Strider Is Incompatible With

These enchantments cannot be on the same item as Depth Strider (source: minecraft-data 1.21 registry):

• Frost Walker

Depth Strider vs Other Enchantments

Depth Strider vs Frost Walker

Frost Walker freezes water under your feet so you walk across it; Depth Strider lets you swim through it at full speed. Mutually exclusive. Frost Walker is a novelty for crossing lakes; Depth Strider wins for any real water activity.

Depth Strider vs Swift Sneak

Both are mobility enchantments but on different slots: Depth Strider on boots speeds swimming, Swift Sneak on leggings speeds sneaking. They stack fine.

Depth Strider Version History

• Java Edition 1.8 (Bountiful Update, 2014): Added as a boot enchantment.

Bedrock Edition: Depth Strider works the same in Bedrock Edition, up to full walking speed in water at level III.