Why Can’t I Repair My Overpowered Tools in Minecraft?

If you’ve been playing Minecraft for a while, you’ve probably encountered the frustrating “Too Expensive!” message when trying to repair your tools or weapons. This problem occurs because of how powerful your tool is and the vast amount of enchantments it contains.

The Anvil Mechanics

In Minecraft, the anvil is used for repairing, combining enchantments, and renaming items. However, there is a limit to how much work an anvil can perform before becoming “Too Expensive!” This limit is set at 40 levels, meaning that if the total cost of the repair or enchantment exceeds 40 levels, the anvil will refuse to perform the operation.

The cost of using an anvil increases with each use, and it stacks up quickly when combining enchantments or repairing items with a high “Prior Work” cost. This cost is equal to the largest number of anvil uses among the two parent items plus one.

Avoiding the “Too Expensive!” Message

To avoid the “Too Expensive!” message when repairing your tools or combining enchantments, follow these tips:

Get the Mending enchantment on your tools as soon as possible, as it allows them to be repaired using experience points instead of materials.
Combine enchantments in a “tree” manner, adding books to a tool one by one, rather than combining multiple books at once.
If you’ve already exceeded the anvil’s limit, you can use a grindstone to remove all enchantments from the item, resetting its “Prior Work” cost to zero.
In creative mode, the anvil’s cost limit is ignored, allowing you to perform unlimited repairs and enchantments.

By understanding the anvil’s mechanics and using these strategies, you can keep your powerful tools and weapons in top condition for longer, without the frustration of the “Too Expensive!” message.