Mechanics and Anvil Systems = Limited Bow Repair Ability (Minecraft) The main reason why you cannot easily repair a bow in minecraft is due to mechanics of the enchanting/anvil systems. Here is a breakdown of why this happens:
Enchanting System Constraints
The enchanting system in Minecraft allows players to add betterments to their gear, however it limits the amount of how much can be applied. What is more, normally players can only add up to three enchantments per item. This limitation results in players needing to pick and choose which enchantments they want because it so resource-demanding to keep a bow with high-level of enchants13.
Anvil Repair Costs
With the exception of repairing through anvil · Each subsequent repair gives a larger and even bigger base cost. As an example, fixing a well worn bow after multiple alterations can take over 37 experience levels to merely repair the base cost, along with significantly more for any following repairs. This cost adds up very quickly and this is not even accounting for the need to keep other gear on level 20 via experience points, which can be prohibitively expensive.bow repair limitations (ad)
Effects of Mending and Unbreaking
Along with new enchantments like Mending, game dynamics have shifted a lot. While Mending allows players to repair items with the experience they gain while performing activities, it does not reduce the high costs of repairing multiple times via anvil. Consequently, players might not be able to repair their bows properly if they are highly enchanted and repaired in the past12.
The short answer is that Low enchantment slots + Increasing cost of repairing anvils + finnicky new-ish enchants (like Mending) make an interesting triangle which if doesn’t exactly against people upgrading their bow makes combining all mods on one item hard to achieve.
