Best Minecraft Weapons

Choosing the right weapon

When it comes to picking the right weapon when you are going mob hunting in Minecraft, there are a couple of features you want to consider: how powerful the weapon is, its durability, whether it is a ranged weapon or a melee weapon and how easy it is to craft. And since there are many Minecraft weapons, we checked them out for you.

Ranged Weapons vs Melee Weapons

All weapons in Minecraft fall into either the category of being ranged weapons or melee weapons. Which one you use depends on the type of mob you are facing and the situation you are in.

A melee attack works better if you are going up against a mob that has a lower health bar. However if you are up against something that will take more effort to bring down and is too dangerous for close quarters combat, a ranged weapon will be your best friend.

We put together this list to give you a balanced overview of the weapons Minecraft has and to help you decide which one works best for any situation. 

What are the weapons in Minecraft

With so many contenders for the title of best weapon it's hard to pick! Though if we had to pick, taking into account how powerful a weapon is, its durability, ease of crafting, repairing your weapon and enchantments for bonuses, we’d say that the best weapon would be a tie between the Netherite Sword and Netherite Axe. They are both a very powerful weapon in their own right and definitely have an edge over any other Minecraft weapon.

Netherite Sword

A Netherite Sword deals some of the highest damage of any melee weapon in Minecraft and they are extremely durable. It is also one of the more powerful weapons that you can have in your inventory. It deals 8 DPS (4 hearts) and has an attack speed of 1.6 when in hand.

Landing a critical hit with a Netherite sword gives you a serious advantage. You can take this to the next level too if you enchant your sword to give yourself an edge in melee combat against mobs or in PvP. The Sharpness enchantment and Knockback enchantment are what you need to be looking for to stay ahead of the game.

Netherite swords are tricky to craft and require some exploration of the Nether first so proceed with caution. Also check out our guide on How to craft a Netherite ingot and How to craft a Sword to get your hands on your very own Netherite sword.

‌Netherite Axe

A Netherite Axe is another weapon that will get you far. It comes with the bonus of being both a weapon for melee combat and a tool for regular crafting purposes. A Netherite axe deals 10 DPS and has an attack speed of 1.0 when in hand.

Blows from a Netherite axe-or any axe- also cannot be blocked with a shield. This is a handy tip to remember when you are up against a player in PvP. Adding in an enchantment or two is a good idea. Sharpness is great if you are looking to deal massive damage to players with critical hits and Smite deals massive damage to undead mobs-useful against the zombies and skeletons.

Crafting a Netherite axe is the same as crafting a regular axe, How to craft an Axe might help you out just in case. They also require more Netherite than a Netherite sword but we’d say its worth it as one of the powerful weapons in the game and one of the best weapons in Minecraft.

‌Trident

Tridents are one of the most powerful weapons you can find in Minecraft, they are also the only weapons that work for either a melee or ranged attack. A trident used in melee combat can do 9.9 DPS and a critical hit from a trident can do up to 14.3 DPS. In ranged combat a trident can do 8 DPS.

When it comes to enchantments, there are many that are helpful with having a trident. These include Loyalty (which means the trident comes back even after being thrown), Channeling (which can summon lighting when a thrown trident hits a mob) and Riptide (throws you with the trident but only works when you are in water).

However getting a trident is tricky, you cannot craft one and instead they are a rare drop that comes from killing a Drowned mob.

Killing drowned mobs is best done from afar-either with a bow or crossbow. Though since Tridents cannot be repaired, we suggest trying to get either the Mending or Unbreaking enchantments to extend its durability. This is also likely the rarest weapon you can find in game.

‌Crossbow

A crossbow is one of the 3 ranged weapons that Minecraft has to offer. They work similar to bows by firing arrows but have the bonus of being able to use firework rockets as ammo as well. A crossbow's minimum damage with an arrow is 6 DPS and has a maximum damage of 11 DPS with critical hits and averages at 9 DPS.

When it comes to a firework rocket, crossbows have a minimum of 11 DPS , a maximum of 18 DPS and averages at 14.5 DPS. Enchant your crossbow with Quick Charge, Multishot or Piercing to make your hits deal more damage when they land.

Getting hold of a crossbow isn’t too hard as they are craftable and there is also the chance that it can be dropped by a pillager during a raid or by a piglin in the Nether. Here’s How to craft a Crossbow if you need the recipe too. We’d say a crossbow is one of the best weapons you can find ingame.

Diamond Axe

A diamond axe is also one of the best weapons you can find in Minecraft. They can do 9 DPS and have a speed of 1.0 when in hand- the same speed as a Netherite Axe. Also like any axe, it is durable and you can use it to chop down some wood when you’re crafting.

Add in the Sharpness, Unbreaking or Smite enchantments if you would like to take your diamond axe to the next level. A Diamond axe is also the predecessor to a Netherite Axe, all you need is some Netherite ingots and a smithing table.

Not sure how to make one? Here’s our guide on How to craft a Smithing Table to make things easier

Diamond sword

Diamond swords were previously one of the best melee weapons. Doing a solid 11.2 DPS with an attack speed of 1.6, it's no surprise that a diamond sword remains a contender for the title of the best weapon in Minecraft.

Try enchanting your diamond sword with Fire Aspect (for that fiery entrance), Smite, Sharpness or Knockback for an advantage against mobs or PvP. Diamond swords are also extremely durable and upgradable to Netherite swords too.

‌Bow

A bow is the original ranged Minecraft weapon. Shooting arrows that can deal damage, DPS from using a bow depends on how long you charge it.

On no charge you get 1DPS (0.5 hearts), a medium charge gives you 5 DPS (2.5 hearts), a full charge does 6 DPS (3 hearts) and a critical hit can do 11 DPS (5.5 hearts).

Bows can also be enchanted, the Infinity Enchantment is the best one you can get for your bow. Other enchantments range from having increased power, knockback or even flame.

They can also be dropped by skeletons but if you need it, here is the recipe on How to craft a Bow. They cannot be repaired but crafting materials for bows are easy to find. Taking aim has never been easier!

‌‌Iron Axe

An Iron axe is another weapon that can be useful to have in your inventory-at least until you can cover yourself in diamonds for a stat upgrade when it comes to one of the best weapons in Minecraft. An Iron axe does 8.1 DPS at a speed of 0.9 when in hand.

They are also easy to craft, enchant and can be repaired at an anvil with iron ingots.Find out How to craft and Anvil here or you can check in with Fletcher villagers. Iron axes are also extremely durable and can be used as a tool and a melee weapon, great for facing mobs

‌Iron sword

Who doesn’t know the iconic Iron sword from Minecraft? Iron swords are the one of the best weapons in game. They do 9.6 DPS at a speed of 1.6 when in hand-just as fast as a Diamond or Netherite Sword.

‍Add in an enchantment to increase your knockback, sharpness or fire aspect if you are looking to keep your sword at the top of the game. Much like iron axes, iron swords are also very easy to repair, needing only some ingots and an anvil.

‌Flint and steel

From all the weapons in Minecraft, a Flint and Steel is rather more unconventional. As a tool you can use this to light fires, as a weapon it also does the same by setting blocks on fire. Here’s How to craft a Flint and Steel.

You can also enchant a Flint and Steel, we suggest either Unbreaking or Mending to increase its durability. It works well against any hostile mobs.

Lava Bucket

Another one of the best weapons you can come across, a Lava Bucket is going to come in handy too. It is essentially a bucket filled with lava and you can use the lava much like the Flint and Steel-to set things on fire.

To obtain a lava bucket, you need two things: a bucket and some lava.Here’s How to craft a Bucket to get you started. Having one in your inventory is useful when mobs are near and lava buckets are also renewable as long as you know where you can find more lava for a refill.

If you enjoy Minecraft or want to start playing it, you might want to learn how you can get a free Minecraft account.