Channeling in Minecraft is a type of enchantment that can only be put onto a Trident. When you throw a Trident enchanted with Channeling at an enemy during a thunderstorm, it will strike them with a bolt of lightning.
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How the Channeling Enchantment Works
There is only 1 level of Channeling, and it can let you deal a huge amount of damage to an enemy during certain times. When you throw a Trident, if it hits something during a thunderstorm, it will summon a bolt of lightning from the sky onto that location. However, this effect will only work outdoors, as Channeling will do nothing to targets hit while inside.
How Channeling Works in the Java Edition
In the Java Edition of Minecraft, there are some scenarios where a target can’t be struck directly by lightning. Although, strangely, they can still get affected by lightning if they’re close to the area the bolt of electricity strikes. If an enemy is standing on or in a certain kind of block, your Channeling Trident can’t summon lightning on them directly, even if the Trident can hit them.
A way around this is to throw your Trident at an entity next to your foe so that the lightning strike’s area of effect will hit the real target. Here is a list of the ways that make mobs immune to the direct lightning bolt of the Channeling enchantment:
- In Water
- In Lava
- On Soul Sand
- On Honey
- On Snow
- In a Cobweb
- In a Minecart
- In a Boat
Mobs That Transform When Hit by Lightning
Although most mobs will be toast after getting struck by lightning, there are a few that can transform if they’re shocked this way. Usually, this makes these few types of mobs more dangerous, so be careful when zapping some creatures.
- Creepers turn into Charged Creepers
- Villagers turn into Witches
- Pigs turn into Zombified Piglins
- Red Mooshrooms turn into Brown Mooshrooms
- Brown Mooshrooms turn into Red Mooshrooms
Ways to Get the Channeling Enchantment
The easiest way to get the Channeling enchantment is to place a Trident onto an Enchanting Table and hope for the Channeling enchantment to spawn. However, if this method doesn’t work, you can also get the Channeling enchantment as an Enchanted Book from various sources.
Here are all of the ways that you can get Channeling as an Enchanted Book:
- By fishing
- As loot in Minecart Chests
- As loot in Dungeon Chests
- Bought from Librarian Villagers
- As loot in overworld Chests (except Village Chests)
Incompatible Enchantments
You can’t enchant a Trident with both Channeling and Riptide. When you use the latter enchantment, it will launch you forward, which would be bad if combined with summoning lightning where you are pointing. As such, you can’t combine these enchantments for a good reason.
Other Interesting Facts About Channeling
When you throw a Channeling Trident at a Lightning Rod, lightning will always strike it. This is the only time that you can summon lightning without hitting a mob.
Even though Skeleton Horses can, on rare occasions, spawn when lightning strikes, they can’t spawn when you summon lightning with the Channeling enchantment.
