While several Minecraft enchantments are self-explanatory in their names, some, like Breath, can be somewhat difficult to understand when it comes to their functionality. If you’re familiar with terminology from the study of biology, you probably recognize “respiration” as the process of taking in oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. In other words, it is the simple act of breathing. Similarly, the breath enchantment is related to breath, but beginners may need clarification on what upgrade their character might need to breathe.
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How to Use the Breathing Charm in Minecraft
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The Breathing Charm in Minecraft increases the amount of time your character can hold their breath underwater. When you go underwater, you notice a bubble bar above your hunger meter. Every few moments, a bubble will burst. Over the course of 15 seconds, your character will begin to take drowning damage. However, each time you have Breath equipped, 15 seconds will be added to your default limit of 15 seconds, resulting in 30 seconds of possible breath. This number increases as you gain higher levels of this enchantment. You can refer to the following table for more details:
| enchantment level | Duration of apnea |
| Level 1 | +15 seconds (30 seconds total) |
| Level 2 | +30 seconds (45 seconds total) |
| Level 3 | +45 seconds (60 seconds total) |
It should be noted that only Minecraft helmets can be enchanted with Breath. Additionally, wearing a Turtle Shell with Breath will increase its buff by 10 seconds. While 10 seconds might not seem like a lot, that short amount of time can mean the difference between life and death when trying to surface after exploring a wreck on the ocean floor.
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Some players may confuse Breathing Charm with Aqua Affinity, which increases draw speed underwater, or Water Breathing, a status effect that removes the need to hold breath underwater. To clarify, drinking an Aquatic Breathing Potion will allow you to explore underwater areas without worrying about the need for air. However, once the effect wears off, you need to refresh it with another potion. On the other hand, Breath will be permanently available as long as you wear the helmet with the Enchantment.
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