Minecraft: The 10 Most Useful Weapons, Ranked (2024)

Despite sounding like it only has two parts to it (mining and crafting), Minecraft has always required its players to steel themselves for combat between the two main gameplay loops. And the deeper the player goes, the greater the loot and the deadlier the monsters come in equal measure.

By means of big damage, range, or other sneaky combat advantages, it's time to evaluate which anti-monster tool is the best to take into the blocky fields, chunky mountains, and perfectly cubic depths while gathering resources for those beautiful builds. For safety or glory, there are more than just a few options.

10 The Snowball

Mostly Zero Damage (But Causes Knockback)

Snowballs can be thrown incredibly fast, but while they damage armor, they don't technically damage entities. However, they do have some potential as crowd-control projectiles in the right hands and might be one way to send enemy mobs to fall to their doom. Unlike most other items, snowballs come in 16 instead of 64 stacks, making them useless in terms of damage and basically inventoried dead weight.

One place the snowball can come in handy is in the Nether. Blaze mobs, against which it does six points of damage, or in other words, three hearts (which might be the only example of a snowball causing meaningful damage) Otherwise, players can pretend they are an annoying ice mage as long as they happen to spawn in the right biome armed with a shovel.

9 Unarmed (Fist)

Base One Damage (Half A Heart)

Despite being strong enough to hack down trees and rip up earth, fists aren't the most potent weapon available in Minecraft. That being said, they are unbreakable and cause short-range knockback, making them a viable instinctual fallback for players caught with their pants down.

Holding a non-weapon item does increase damage dealt, but it doesn't lower it either. While magic potions can increase the damage an empty-handed attack deals, the same is true for weapons. Unfortunately for unarmed combat fans, punching enemies isn't all that viable. Stick to punching trees.

8 Flint & Steel

Fire Damage: One Damage Per Second

As well as being a useful replacement for torches at the bottom of a dark pit, flint and steel can be a handy defensive weapon against the undead and other monsters. The obvious downside is that the player can catch fire if they're not looking where they are walking or what they are lighting.

Enemies (or the player) take one damage (half a heart) for as long as they stand in the fire. Rounding the corner while running away from a small army of zombies? Lighting up that tight space will cause them to burn to a disgustingly rotten crisp. Just remember not to set any wood blocks on fire, as the flames will spread and consume them.

7 TNT

65 Damage (32 And A Half Hearts)

Give creepers a taste of their own explosive medicine with TNT, one of Minecraft's oldest and most dangerous tools. A direct hit will take 32 and a half hearts from any unarmed entity and will destroy any nearby blocks. The obvious downside is that the explosion can hit the player, take time to wind up, and damage any nearby structures.

On top of that, the player will need to use a flaming arrow, flint & steel, stray lava or fire, or redstone to set the block off. However, with some clever redstone design work, TNT can be turned into ammunition for an obsidian cannon that has the power to wreck mobs or structures in its line of sight.

6 The Lava Bucket

Four Damage For (At Least) Fifteen Seconds

Possibly the messiest and most destructive weapon, lava can be scooped up and poured all over the floor for a deadly game of "the floor is lava." Not only does it knock out four damage (two hearts) every second for fifteen seconds, but it also causes damage to all those inside it and sets nearby blocks on fire.

A skillful bucket of lava user will be able to deftly drop and pick up the lava source before things get out of hand or are consumed (along with their items) by the slowly rolling puddle of molten death.

5 The Classic Axe

The Second-Best Melee Choice

The placement of this weapon on the list depends on the version of Minecraft. For Java users, the axe deals slightly more damage (depending on the material). However, in Bedrock, the axe tends to do one point less damage compared to the best melee weapon in the game. The axe also takes more time to wind up between each swing.

Additionally, it erodes twice as fast as a weapon rather than a wood-cutting tool. However, the axe has one major advantage when it comes to PVP combat: it wins out against the shield, which, in the right hands, can cut incoming damage down by half by disabling their defenses for five seconds, leaving them open for a heavy swing to the face.

4 The Bow

Six Base Damage At Maximum Charge

The bow is an obvious early-game item for quick access to ranged attacks. It takes a little while to draw, and its range isn't as far as another major ranged weapon, but it gets the job done. The only trouble is collecting enough arrows to keep shooting.

Damage depends on the "charge" of the draw. At the maximum draw, an arrow fired from the bow does six damage (three hearts) with a chance to do extra damage upon the player landing a critical hit (in Java, there is a chance to land a critical hit only if the arrow is loosed after three seconds.

3 Trident

Nine Base Damage In Melee, Eight Ranged

The trident hits in melee combat for nine damage (four and a half hearts) but doubles as a thrown weapon, dealing eight damage at full strength (four hearts). Once thrown, the trident has to be recovered unless enchanted with "Loyalty." If the player throws it and loses it, unfortunately, they'll just have to hunt more drowned zombies, as there is no way to craft a trident.

One advantage to using a trident underwater is that tridents do not slow when thrown as a ranged attack, unlike arrows shot from a bow or crossbow. One enchantment makes the player swim faster by throwing the trident and taking it for a ride while underwater or in the rain.

2 The Crossbow

Nine Base Damage (But Slow To Reload)

In a rare case of video game realism with the crossbow, the weapon is quite slow to reload. However, once loaded, it can be fired instantly. A loaded crossbow can be carried around, too. A particularly paranoid player might be tempted to load their hotbar slots with loaded crossbows, but there is an exceptional ranged enchantment to make them load significantly faster.

With a slightly longer range, the crossbow wins out over the bow. Plus, it can be used to shoot fireworks (definitely not something anyone should try in real life). The crossbow is a little more pricey crafting-wise, as it requires an iron ingot and a tripwire hook, but it can also be looted from pillagers.

1 The Sword

Versatile, Enduring, And Made For Battle

Quick, sharp, and to the point, the sword wins out as the deadliest weapon in Minecraft, not for its sheer might but for its versatility and endurance as a killing tool. Unlike the axe, the sword is made to cut down enemies and lasts the longest in a fight. After all, it's not always about doing the most damage in a battle; it's often more about lasting the longest.

The sword swings faster than any other weapon and does slightly more damage than an axe (in the Bedrock version). With a suite of powerful melee enchantments available for the sword, the blade is an essential part of any adventure's kit.

Minecraft

Sandbox

Survival

Platform(s)

3DS , Android , iOS , Nintendo Switch , Nintendo Wii U , PC , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation 4 , PS Vita , Xbox One , Xbox 360

Released

November 18, 2011

Developer(s)

Mojang

See at Official Site