How to Get XP Fast in Minecraft

By PickaxeKit Editorial Team · Updated 2026-11-08

Mob farms, mining XP-dropping ores and smelting are the fastest steady sources. Reaching level 30 from zero takes 1,395 experience points, so plan around that number.

How much XP you actually need

Levels get more expensive as you go up. Level 0 to 15 is only 315 points, but 0 to 30 is 1,395. Spending levels from the top (for example 30 down to 27 on an enchantment) costs far more points than the same number of levels near zero.

7 ways to earn XP

1. Mob farms. A spawner or dark-room farm that drops mobs to a kill spot gives a steady stream of XP while you stand still.
2. Mining ores that drop XP, such as coal, diamond, emerald, lapis lazuli, redstone and Nether quartz. Use Fortune for more drops, not Silk Touch.
3. Smelting. Collecting smelted items from a furnace gives XP, so cook big batches of raw ores and food.
4. Breeding animals. Every successful breed drops a little XP, and it adds up on a busy farm.
5. Fishing. Each catch gives some XP, with treasure as a bonus.
6. Trading with villagers. Each trade gives the player XP as well as items.
7. Bottles o' enchanting from trading or loot: throw them all at once when you need a quick top-up.

• Enchant at around level 30, not far above it. Enchanting and anvils cost levels, and 3 levels at level 40 are worth more points than 3 levels at 30.
• Use Mending on your best gear so XP orbs repair it instead of anvil repairs.
• Plan anvil work: every time an item goes through an anvil, its next anvil use costs more. Combining enchanted books first often saves levels.