Riptide is a Minecraft Java Edition enchantment in the trident group, with a maximum level of III.
minecraft:riptide
Throwing the trident while you are standing in water, underwater, or in rain launches you forward together with it — the trident never actually leaves your hand. Higher levels launch you further.
Tip: Riptide III in rain is one of the fastest travel methods in the game, and it can throw you straight into an elytra glide without fireworks. It conflicts with Loyalty and Channeling.
Riptide turns the trident into a movement tool: chain throws during rain to stay airborne, launch out of the ocean onto shore, or boost into an elytra takeoff. The lunge also damages mobs you pass through, so it doubles as a gap-closer in combat. The tradeoffs: a Riptide trident can never be thrown as a projectile, and with no water or rain nearby it does nothing at all.
Enchanting table, Librarian villager trades, structure chest loot, and fishing treasure. If you get Riptide as a book, apply it to a trident on an anvil.
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.
Or give yourself a Trident with Riptide III already applied (Java 1.20.5+ component format):
Riptide applies to the trident. Items from the reviewed catalog in this group:
These enchantments cannot be on the same item as Riptide (source: minecraft-data 1.21 registry):
Loyalty makes a thrown trident return to your hand; Riptide never throws the trident at all and launches you instead. They are mutually exclusive. Combat trident: Loyalty (or Channeling). Travel trident: Riptide. Many players carry one of each.
Channeling summons lightning onto a target during thunderstorms — used for charged creepers and mob heads. Riptide uses rain as fuel for movement. Also mutually exclusive. Neither works in clear weather, but only Riptide works in plain water.
Bedrock Edition: Riptide is also in Bedrock Edition (since 1.4.0, Update Aquatic), with the same rain-or-water launch mechanic and maximum level III.
The enchantment ID for Riptide is minecraft:riptide. Java Edition 1.13+ commands such as /enchant use this namespaced form.
Riptide goes up to level III (level 3). Run /enchant @p minecraft:riptide 3 while holding a valid item to apply the maximum level.
No. A trident with Riptide cannot be thrown as a projectile at all — the throw button only works as a self-launch, and only while you are in water or rain. If you want a throwable trident, use Loyalty instead.
Only if you are standing in water or underwater. In clear weather on dry land, Riptide does nothing. Snowy biome snowfall also counts as precipitation for the launch.
They are mutually exclusive by design: Loyalty returns a thrown trident to you, while Riptide replaces the throw with a self-launch. The same conflict applies to Channeling.
Yes. Mobs in your launch path take damage when you pass through them, so a Riptide lunge works as a melee engage. Combined with Impaling it is a strong aquatic combat setup.