Minimizing Anvil Costs When Stacking All Protections

Combining Books in Pairs

Applying four individual protection books one after another directly onto an armor piece causes the anvil's prior work penalty to rise quickly, which can eventually lead to the "Too Expensive!" error. To keep experience costs low, combine your books together before applying them to the gear.

1. Combine Book 1 (Protection) with Book 2 (Blast Protection) in an anvil to create a single book with two enchantments.

2. Combine Book 3 (Fire Protection) with Book 4 (Projectile Protection) in an anvil to create a second dual-enchanted book.

3. Combine the two dual-enchanted books together in the anvil to create one unified book holding all four protection enchantments.

Applying the Combined Book to Armor

After preparing your four-enchantment book:

1. Place your unenchanted armor piece in the left slot of the anvil.

2. Place the consolidated four-protection book in the middle slot.

3. Pay the experience cost to complete the transfer.

Because the armor itself only undergoes a single anvil operation, its prior work penalty remains low. This preserves your ability to add utility enchantments or perform future anvil repairs without hitting cost caps.