You're standing at the edge of a massive ocean biome. Your boat just broke because you hit a lily pad at the wrong angle—classic Minecraft—and now you're stuck swimming toward a monument that looks miles away. Your hunger bar is shaking. This is exactly where most players realize they messed up. They focused all their experience points on Sharpness V or Protection IV and completely ignored their boots. Honestly, Minecraft Depth Strider is one of those enchantments that feels like a "nice to have" until you’re actually underwater trying to outrun a Drowned with a trident. Then, it's everything.
The Basic Physics of Moving Underwater
Minecraft slows you down. A lot. When you're submerged, your movement speed drops by about 60% compared to walking on land. It’s sluggish, frustrating, and usually ends with you being a sitting duck for mobs. Depth Strider fixes this by reducing that drag.
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There are three levels to this enchantment. Each level reduces the water's "slowing effect" by one-third. If you manage to get Depth Strider III on your boots, you move just as fast in water as you do on dry land. It’s a total game-changer for anyone doing more than just standing on a pier fishing.
Actually, it gets even better if you’re a sprinter. If you have Depth Strider III and you start sprinting underwater, you’re technically moving faster than a player walking on grass. It feels like you have a built-in motor. You’ve probably seen pro speedrunners or technical players like those on the Hermitcraft server prioritize this early on because travel time is the biggest "tax" in the game. If you can cut your travel time in half during ocean crossings, you're basically gaining hours of your life back.
How to Actually Get Depth Strider Without Losing Your Mind
You can't just wish this onto your boots. Most people head straight for the enchantment table, toss in some lapis, and hope for the best. That works, sure, but it's inefficient. Since it's a primary enchantment for boots, it shows up pretty frequently at level 30. But if you’re looking for a guaranteed way to get Depth Strider III, you need to look at librarian villagers.
Trading is the "meta" for a reason. You can cycle a librarian's trades by breaking and replacing their lectern until they offer a Depth Strider III book. It might take you ten minutes. It might take you forty. But once you have that trade locked in, you have infinite access to the enchantment for your entire server-mate group.
Fishing is another way, though it's much more of a gamble. With a Luck of the Sea III rod, you’ll pull up "junk" that is actually treasure—enchanted books or even enchanted boots. I’ve found some of my best gear just sitting in a boat for an hour while watching a movie. Loot chests in Shipwrecks and Ocean Ruins are also hotspots. These structures almost always have gear themed around water, so the loot tables are heavily weighted toward things like Respiration, Aqua Affinity, and our speed-boosting friend here.
The Conflict: Depth Strider vs. Frost Walker
Here is where people get heated. You cannot have both Depth Strider and Frost Walker on the same pair of boots. If you try to combine them on an anvil, the game just won't let it happen. You have to pick a side.
Frost Walker sounds cool on paper. You walk on water, it turns to ice, and you feel like a god. But in practice? It’s kind of a nightmare. It ruins sheep farms if you walk over their water troughs. It makes it impossible to dive into a lake because the surface freezes before you hit it. It’s clunky.
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Depth Strider is the "pro" choice. Why? Because being inside the water is often more useful than being on top of it. If you need to mine clay, gather kelp, or raid an Ocean Monument, Frost Walker is useless. Depth Strider lets you navigate the 3D space of the ocean. Plus, if you have a Riptide trident, the synergy with Depth Strider is insane. You can launch yourself out of the water, glide with your Elytra, and land back in the drink without losing momentum.
Technical Limitations You Need to Know
- Armor Stands: Putting Depth Strider on an armor stand doesn't do anything for the stand (obviously), but it’s a good way to store your "water gear" separately from your "land gear."
- Horse Armor: Sorry, you can't put this on horses. They still swim like bricks.
- Depth Strider on other gear: Through creative mode or commands, you can put it on a helmet, but it won't work. The game specifically checks the boot slot for the enchantment's "speed" logic.
- Dolphin’s Grace: This is the ultimate combo. If you have Depth Strider III and the Dolphin’s Grace effect (from being near a dolphin), you move at terrifying speeds. You'll actually outrun the game’s ability to load chunks if your computer isn't beefy.
Why Technical Players Obsess Over This
If you're building an underground base or a massive farm, you're going to deal with water. Maybe you’re clearing out a flooded cave or building a guardian farm. Without this enchantment, you’re fighting the physics of the game every single second.
Think about the Wither fight. If you fight the Wither in an area with water—or if it rains and creates puddles—being slow means death. Or consider the simple act of escaping a creeper in a swamp. If you're bogged down in two-block deep water, you're dead. Depth Strider makes the environment your playground instead of your prison.
There’s also a niche use in PvP. Most players don't expect their opponent to be fast in the water. If you can lure someone into a river and you have Depth Strider while they don't, you win that fight 100% of the time. You can circle-strafe them while they’re stuck in the "slow-motion" animation. It’s essentially a cheat code for aquatic combat.
Stop Making These Mistakes
Don't settle for Depth Strider II. The difference between II and III is noticeable. It’s the difference between "slightly faster" and "natural movement." Also, make sure you pair it with Respiration III on your helmet. Being fast doesn't matter much if you drown three minutes into your exploration.
Another tip: don't put this on gold boots unless you're just doing a quick Piglin-run in the Nether (and even then, there's no water in the Nether, so why would you?). Put it on Diamond or Netherite. You want this to be part of your "forever" set.
Actionable Next Steps for Your World
If you’re currently rocking boots without this enchantment, here is exactly what you should do right now:
- Check your storage. You likely have an enchanted book with Depth Strider hidden in a "miscellaneous" chest from a random fishing trip or desert temple.
- Set up a villager trading hall. Even a small one with two or three librarians can get you the books you need.
- Combine your gear properly. If you have two pairs of boots with Depth Strider I, put them in an anvil to get Depth Strider II. Do it again for III. Just watch the "Too Expensive!" limit on the anvil—try to combine books first, then apply the high-level book to the boots.
- Test the "Sprinting Swim." Once you have level III, go to an ocean, dive down, and hold your sprint key. You'll see why people refuse to play without it.
You spend a massive portion of your Minecraft life interacting with water. Whether it's a decorative moat around your castle or the vast open sea, movement is the core of the experience. Don't let the game's default physics slow you down. Get the enchantment, fix your boots, and actually explore those shipwrecks you've been passing by.