I would like feedback on what is considered the best strategy for enchanting. Does one wait to get up to 50 and then enchant? Or is it better to do it at 30 or at 40? Obviously 50 gives you a better chance but xp points drop off considerably the higher you get. So is enchanting more often a lower points a better strategy?
They way I do it is enchant swords,picks,armor, and shovels at level 50. If you are going to enchant a bow level 45 is best.
Hmm buy lots of chicken eggs and then wait for them to grow up then wack them with a shovel for there xp.
Depends on what enchantments you want. If you want (swords) sharpness I or (pickaxes) unbreaking I, get a level 1 enhantment. But If you want (swords) sharpness V, Fire aspect II, Knockback I and Looting III or (pickaxes) Efficency V, Unbreaking III, Fortune II and Silk touch I, then do anywhere from 45-50. Just remember, the enchantments are loosely based on the level but are mostly random. Two enchantments of the same level can get you two different things.
You need more and more kills the higher your xp count gets (negative exponential) so probably doing enchantments at 30 or 35 is a better way.
Best strategy will depend on what you are after. I use this site quite often when enchanting. I use both the How do I get enchantment X? and What enchantments can I get for X levels? links. Under the "How do I get enchantment X?" link, you can see the local minima XP cost which should show you which level is most likely to get you a specific enchantment using the least amount of XP. This is the best resource I have seen for enchantment prediction and strategy. Let me know if you have questions about what you are looking at there.
LZBZ, I'm aware of that chart, but as Julien9999 says, the higher xp count you have the more kills are necessary to get to the next level. So at what point (xp) is it better to enchant?
I can't say it's the best strategy, but I try to balance time spent earning XP with the cost of the piece I'm enchanting. I go up to 48 for armor and stop in the lower 40's for picks, usually 42ish. If you check here: http://pernsteiner.org/minecraft/enchant/leveltables/Diamond_Armor_50.html A diamond armor piece has an 86% chance of taking on a Prot IV enchantment using 50 levels and 71% using 46 levels. Since I'm using 8 diamonds for a chest piece, I'd rather spend the extra time to make it more likely I don't end up with a crap armor piece. I's still possible, of course. I'm not so careful with picks and shovels. The cost in diamonds is less and I use more of them when I mine or work in town so I'm willing to trade the extra time grinding for a larger number of not so great picks. I couldn't find it, but I've seen a chart where someone attempted to calculate an optimal level for enchanting different pieces.
I would actually say hit it around 45-47. 50 has given me Knockback 2, where as 47 has given me efficiency 4, unbreaking 3, fortune 3. On multiple occasions.
I don't really do any of those things If i have alot of stuff to enchant but I'm low level I try each one with a level 1 enchantment, i got some sweet stuff on my diamond swords with that You really need to have luck though.
Have you ever enchanted a sword to Sharpness IV, Knockback II, Fire aspect II, Looting III at level 1?
Enchanting is pretty much 90% luck and 10% chance (as in, not gonna get 3 Silk Touch's in a row). I go from level 44-50. Those levels are generally going to give you the same maximum enchantments.