Channeling

Channeling

Other names	Channelling (AU, CA, GB, NZ)
Maximum level	I
Primary items
Secondary items	None
Enchantment weight	1
Incompatible with	Riptide
Overleveling behavior	No change

Channeling^[a] is an enchantment applied to tridents that causes a lightning strike when thrown at an entity or lightning rod during a thunderstorm‌^{[Java Edition only]} or at a lightning rod during any type of rain.‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

Obtaining

Channeling on enchanted books can be obtained from enchanting tables, drops from mobs spawned in a raid,‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]} fishing, librarian villagers, and in non-village structure loot.

Usage

Channeling summons a lightning bolt when an entity or lightning rod is hit by a thrown trident, if there is currently a thunderstorm occurring, including in dry biomes. This applies to most entities that the trident can collide with: mobs, players, armor stands, boats, minecarts, end crystals, item frames, paintings, leash knots, and even shulker bullets. It does not apply to ghast fireballs and wind charges, and to entities that the trident can't collide with (small fireballs, arrows, experience orbs, thrown item entities, primed TNT, falling blocks, wither projectiles, and so on).

Channeling effectively increases projectile damage through its lightning bolt damage. Due to a bug regarding the duration of the lightning damage hitbox, the lightning from Channeling will occasionally not deal damage after the initial projectile hits.^[1]

Type	Base damage			Channeling
Ranged	8HP			13HP × 6.5

For the enchantment to work, there must not be opaque or partially transparent blocks at any position above the target entity. This enchantment allows the player to transform some mobs into different mobs.

Mobs struck by lightning summoned by this enchantment react in the same way as they would if struck by lightning normally. The following mobs transform into another mob when hit:

As with a regular lightning strike, turtles are instantly killed and drop a bowl.

In Java Edition, Channeling doesn't affect mobs in some circumstances.^[2]^[3]^[4] A mob cannot be: in water, lava, powder snow, cobweb, on soul sand, honey block, mud, or snow (if snow layer is 8) while being hit with this enchantment. Humanoid mobs in a minecart or in a boat which have the "riding" posture (see Riding § Posture) also can't be struck with lightning, but other mobs in vehicles can be struck.

However, it should be noted that in the circumstances stated above, even though lightning cannot be summoned if the mob itself is hit by a Channeling trident, they are still affected by the lightning if it strikes nearby. For instance, if a Channeling trident hits an armor stand next to a creeper in water, the lightning is summoned as normal, and the creeper becomes charged from being in the affected radius of the lightning.

In Bedrock Edition, Channeling tridents thrown at lightning rods during rain create lightning without the need for a thunderstorm.

Lightning bolts summoned by Channeling tridents are not redirected by lightning rods.

Lightning from a Channeling trident never spawns a skeleton trap.

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Incompatibilities

Channeling and Riptide are mutually exclusive. If combined using commands, Riptide supersedes Channeling.

Sounds

Java Edition

Sounds
Sound	Closed captions	Source	Description	Identifier	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	Trident thunder cracks	Weather	When a trident with Channeling strikes a lightning rod	`item.trident.thunder`	`subtitles.item.trident.thunder`	5.0	1.0	16
	Trident thunder cracks	Friendly Mobs	When a Channeling trident hits a mob	`item.trident.thunder`	`subtitles.item.trident.thunder`	5.0	1.0	16

Bedrock Edition:

Sounds
Sound	Closed captions	Source	Description	Identifier	Translation key	Volume	Pitch
	?	Players	When a trident with Channeling strikes a mob^{[sound 1]}	`item.trident.thunder`	?	1.0^{[sound 2]}	1.0

↑ MCPE-173931 – Tridents don't make channeling sounds when striking a lightning rod
↑ MCPE-178265 – Trident thunder sound definition schema error

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Translation key
Channeling	`channeling`	`enchantment.minecraft.channeling`

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Translation key
Channeling	`channeling`	`32`	`enchantment.tridentChanneling`

Enchantment definition

Press "show" to display json contents

{
  "anvil_cost": 8,
  "description": {
    "translate": "enchantment.minecraft.channeling"
  },
  "effects": {
    "minecraft:hit_block": [
      {
        "effect": {
          "type": "minecraft:all_of",
          "effects": [
            {
              "type": "minecraft:summon_entity",
              "entity": "minecraft:lightning_bolt"
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:play_sound",
              "pitch": 1.0,
              "sound": "minecraft:item.trident.thunder",
              "volume": 5.0
            }
          ]
        },
        "requirements": {
          "type": "minecraft:all_of",
          "terms": [
            {
              "type": "minecraft:weather_check",
              "thundering": true
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:entity_properties",
              "entity": "this",
              "predicate": {
                "minecraft:entity_type": "minecraft:trident"
              }
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:location_check",
              "predicate": {
                "block": {
                  "blocks": "#minecraft:lightning_rods"
                },
                "can_see_sky": true
              }
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    ],
    "minecraft:post_attack": [
      {
        "affected": "victim",
        "effect": {
          "type": "minecraft:all_of",
          "effects": [
            {
              "type": "minecraft:summon_entity",
              "entity": "minecraft:lightning_bolt"
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:play_sound",
              "pitch": 1.0,
              "sound": "minecraft:item.trident.thunder",
              "volume": 5.0
            }
          ]
        },
        "enchanted": "attacker",
        "requirements": {
          "type": "minecraft:all_of",
          "terms": [
            {
              "type": "minecraft:weather_check",
              "thundering": true
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:entity_properties",
              "entity": "this",
              "predicate": {
                "minecraft:location": {
                  "can_see_sky": true
                }
              }
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:entity_properties",
              "entity": "direct_attacker",
              "predicate": {
                "minecraft:entity_type": "minecraft:trident"
              }
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    ]
  },
  "max_cost": {
    "base": 50,
    "per_level_above_first": 0
  },
  "max_level": 1,
  "min_cost": {
    "base": 25,
    "per_level_above_first": 0
  },
  "slots": [
    "mainhand"
  ],
  "supported_items": "#minecraft:enchantable/trident",
  "weight": 1
}

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Advancements

Icon	Advancement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)
	Surge Protector	Protect a Villager from an undesired shock without starting a fire	Be within 30 blocks of a lightning strike that doesn't set any blocks on fire, while an unharmed villager is within or up to six blocks above a 30×30×30 volume centered on the lightning strike.
	Very Very Frightening	Strike a Villager with lightning	Hit a villager with lightning created by a trident with the Channeling enchantment, turning it into a witch.

History

Java Edition

Java Edition
1.13	18w07a	Channeling is added alongside tridents.
1.13	18w14a	Channeling is no longer compatible with Riptide.
1.17	20w45a	Channeling can now be triggered by hitting lightning rods.
1.21	24w18a	Drowned can now use the Channeling enchantment.^[5]
1.21	24w20a	Drowned can no longer use the Channeling enchantment.
1.21.2	24w33a	Drowned can now use the Channeling enchantment again.

Bedrock Edition

Bedrock Edition
1.2.13 Experiment Experimental Gameplay	beta 1.2.13.8	Added Channeling as part of Experimental Gameplay, able to be applied to the new tridents.
1.4.0	beta 1.2.14.2	Channeling has been fully implemented and is no longer part of Experimental Gameplay.
1.4.0	beta 1.2.14.2	Tridents are now fully implemented and can now be enchanted with Channeling.

Legacy Console Edition

Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360	Xbox One	PS3	PS4	PS Vita	Wii U	Switch
TU69		1.76	1.76	1.76	Patch 38		Channeling is added alongside tridents.

Issues

Issues relating to "Channeling" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Trivia

The Very Very Frightening advancement is a reference to the song Bohemian Rhapsody.

Notes

↑ Also known as Channelling in other English variants.

References

↑ 305643 – Lightning occasionally fails to deal its double damage tick correctly – resolved as "Unresolved".
↑ MC-125773
↑ MC-134920
↑ MC-217528
↑ MC-271629