Minecraft XP calculator: work out the XP between levels

How the Minecraft XP system works

Experience (XP, experience points) is a point system you build up by doing things in the game: killing mobs, mining ores, fishing, breeding animals and trading with villagers. XP points add up to experience levels, which work as currency for enchanting items at an enchanting table, repairing them at an anvil and renaming them.

The key mechanic: the XP cost of the next level keeps growing the higher you go. Going from level 0 to 1 takes just 7 XP. Collecting XP far past level 30-40 gets very expensive and is usually not worth it.

When you die, you lose all your XP. A small part of it drops as orbs where you died (a maximum of 100 points, whatever level you had). That is why experienced players enchant their items regularly once they reach level 30, instead of hoarding XP for higher levels.

The three XP formulas: why does the cost keep rising?

Minecraft splits the XP system into three level ranges, each with its own formula. That keeps the low levels quick to reach, while the higher ones take more and more effort. Here is each range in detail:

Levels 0-15: the cheap phase

Formula: XP to the next level = 2L + 7 (L is your current level). Total XP from 0 to level L: L² + 6L. In this range the cost climbs slowly, starting at just 7 XP for the first level. You need 352 XP in total to reach level 16, which is less than half of what level 30 costs. Most basic enchantments (Sharpness I-III, Protection I-II) are within reach in this range.

Levels 16-30: the acceleration phase

Formula: XP to the next level = 5L - 38. Total XP from 0 to level L: 2.5L² - 40.5L + 360. The cost climbs much faster here: at level 17 the next level costs 47 XP. Level 30 takes 1,395 XP in total from zero. That is the most important target for most players, because an enchanting table needs exactly 30 levels to offer its best enchantments. Remember: the enchantment itself only uses 1-3 levels, not 30.

Levels 31+: the expensive phase

Formula: XP to the next level = 9L - 158. Total XP from 0 to level L: 4.5L² - 162.5L + 2220. The cost climbs dramatically: at level 32 the next level costs 130 XP, and at the highest levels a single level takes over 1,000 XP. Level 50 takes 5,345 XP in total. In practice there is no point collecting XP past level 30-40, unless you play on a modded server that needs higher levels.

XP sources in Minecraft

Killing mobs

Most hostile mobs give 5 XP per kill (zombies, skeletons, creepers, endermen, spiders). The exceptions are the blaze (10 XP), the Ender Dragon (12,000 XP the first time, 500 after that), the Wither (50 XP) and the baby zombie (12 XP, more than an adult!). Passive mobs (cows, pigs, chickens) give 1-3 XP. Important: mob XP only counts if the player lands the final blow or the mob dies within 5 seconds of taking damage from the player.

Mining ores

Mining ores (without Silk Touch) gives XP right away. Diamond ore (3-7 XP), emerald ore (3-7 XP), lapis lazuli ore (2-5 XP), nether quartz ore (2-5 XP), coal ore (0-2 XP) and redstone ore (1-5 XP). Tip: mining quartz in the Nether is one of the fastest ways to get XP early in the game.

Smelting in a furnace

Every smelt gives XP, but only once you take the item out of the furnace. The XP piles up. Smelting iron or gold ore gives about 0.7-1.0 XP per item, so 100 ores taken out at once give roughly 70-100 XP in one go. Cooking meat gives 0.35 XP. Smelting sand into glass gives 0.1 XP. AFK furnace farms are a popular way to bank XP: build an automatic cactus farm, connect it to a furnace, and the XP collects while you are away.

Fishing

Every catch gives 1-6 XP (about 3.5 on average). Fishing is one of the better XP sources early on, because all you need is a fishing rod made from sticks and string (from spiders). With Lure III and Luck of the Sea III you catch fish faster and find treasure more often. Automatic AFK fishing farms have been weakened in newer versions, but fishing by hand is still worth it.

Breeding animals

Breeding animals gives 1-7 XP for every successful breeding. That is not much for a single feeding, but with a big herd you can collect XP quickly, every ~5 minutes (the breeding cooldown). Killing the surplus animals also gives 1-3 XP each, plus meat and leather.

Trading with villagers

Trading with villagers is one of the best renewable XP sources, because villagers restock their trades twice a day. With a well-developed village (10-20 villagers with different professions) you can earn hundreds of XP a day while also getting useful items. The most profitable professions are farmer (wheat/carrots for emeralds), librarian (paper for emeralds) and mason (stone for emeralds).

Bottles o' Enchanting

A Bottle o' Enchanting gives 3-11 XP at random (7 on average). You can buy them from a cleric for emeralds (once you unlock the right trade level) or find them in chests, for example in ancient cities. On servers they often work as an XP currency.

The best XP farms, ranked by efficiency

Here are the most efficient XP farms in Minecraft, from fastest to slowest:

1. Enderman farm in the End: about 30 levels in 3-5 minutes. The fastest farm in the game, but you need to defeat the Ender Dragon first and build the platform.
2. Guardian farm (ocean monument): about 30 levels in 5-10 minutes. Requires draining an ocean monument. Very fast, but extremely labor-intensive to build (10-20 hours of work).
3. Blaze farm (Nether fortress): 10 XP per mob and a fast respawn. About 30 levels in 10-15 minutes. Easier to build than an Enderman farm. Bonus: blaze rods for brewing potions.
4. Furnace farm (AFK): slow, but fully automatic. Cactus goes into a furnace and the XP piles up for hours. Ideal overnight or while you do other things. Needs an automatic resource farm.
5. Zombie/skeleton farm (spawner): the classic, easy to build. About 30 levels in 15-25 minutes. Find a spawner in a dungeon and build a water channel into a kill chamber. Available very early in the game.
6. Villager trading: a renewable source that needs no farm. Combines XP with getting useful items.

XP and enchanting: what does it really cost?

An enchanting table needs level 30 to offer its best enchantments, but it does not use up 30 levels. The top enchantment option costs exactly 3 experience levels plus 3 lapis lazuli. The middle option costs 2 levels and the lowest costs 1 level. That is the key difference many players miss.

The anvil works differently: the level cost depends on the operation. Renaming costs 1 level. Combining enchantments costs anywhere from a few to a few dozen levels. The anvil limit in Java Edition is 39 levels: if an operation would cost more, the anvil shows "Too Expensive!" and refuses to do it. That is why the order in which you combine enchantments on an anvil matters so much (use our enchantment calculator).

The grindstone is the alternative: it removes enchantments from an item and gives you some XP back. The amount is random and typically lower than the original cost. Still, a grindstone is handy for recycling unwanted enchantments from loot and finds.

XP management tips

• Enchant at level 30, not higher. Hoarding XP past 30 is not worth it, because the costs climb steeply and you risk losing it all when you die.
• Use Mending. It repairs your item with XP orbs instead of adding them to your experience bar. Items with Mending do not wear out as long as you keep collecting XP.
• Build an XP farm early. Even a simple zombie/skeleton spawner farm saves hours of grinding. Look for spawners in dungeons underground.
• Run an AFK furnace farm overnight. Connect an automatic cactus farm to a furnace. The XP builds up while you sleep, and in the morning you take out the products and collect hundreds of XP.
• Let the smelting pile up before you take it out. Furnace XP is only added when you take out the product. If a furnace smelted 1,000 items, you get all of that XP at once.
• Mine quartz in the Nether. Quartz ore gives 2-5 XP and is very common. On a single trip to the Nether you can collect 5-10 levels from mining alone.
• Do not ignore fishing. Besides XP, it gives you a chance at enchanted bows, fishing rods, enchanted books and other treasure. Luck of the Sea raises the treasure chance.

Differences between Java and Bedrock Edition

The XP system is nearly identical in both editions. The formulas for the XP per level are the same. The main differences concern XP farms: some farm mechanics (for example moving mobs with water, or tick speed) work slightly differently in Bedrock. An Enderman farm in the End works in both editions, but the platform height needs adjusting. AFK furnace farms work the same way. Villager trading gives the same amounts of XP in both editions.

Frequently asked questions