Minecraft now offers a wide range of weapons to defend yourself against attackers, whether monsters or other players. While most people stick to a sword, shield, or axe, you shouldn’t overlook the many ranged options. And it’s not just the trusty bow—there are several ways to get the most out of the distance between you and your target. From the powerful crossbow to the deadly trident, there are plenty of tools to back you up in a fight. We’ll take a closer look at how they work, how to use them best, and which underrated features you should know.
Minecraft Bow Guide: Crafting, Enchantments, and Tipped Arrows
Bows are a classic ranged weapon in Minecraft. You can craft one yourself, trade for one from a Fletcher, or get them as drops from skeletons. They can also appear as loot in Trial Chambers or as catches while fishing, often already enchanted.
To attack with a bow, you need at least one arrow in your inventory. It will be used automatically. Equip the bow and hold down the mouse button to draw it back—the longer you draw, the more damage you deal. At a fully charged draw, a normal arrow deals 3 to 5 hearts of damage. The farther you shoot, the more you’ll need to lead your shots. Keep the arrow’s trajectory in mind to land hits at long range.
Of course, like other weapons and tools, you can improve a bow with enchantments. Some unique enchantments are bow-only.
All bow enchantments:
- Power: Increases overall bow damage up to level V. With a single shot you can deal up to 12.5 hearts of damage.
- Punch: Knocks enemies back farther on hit.
- Flame: Sets targets on fire.
- Infinity: You only need one arrow in your inventory and can shoot indefinitely. Incompatible with Mending.
- Unbreaking: Makes your bow break more slowly.
- Mending: Repairs your bow with XP. Incompatible with Infinity.
Another upgrade for the bow is tipped arrows, which many players forget about. These are arrows infused with potion status effects. Craft them with 8 arrows and the corresponding Lingering Potion. You can apply a wide range of effects, giving you a versatile and interesting arrow arsenal. Effects like Slowness or Weakness are especially useful. Note: undead mobs like zombies interact differently with some effects—most importantly, Instant Health damages undead, while Instant Damage heals them. Many other effects (such as Regeneration and Poison) don’t affect undead at all.
There are a few exceptions you can’t hit with a bow. The Enderman teleports away when you try to shoot it. A Breeze from the Trial Chambers also can’t be hit by arrows. You can only damage the Wither with arrows during its first phase. The Ender Dragon becomes immune to arrows once it perches on the central portal. For all these situations, you’ll still need a melee weapon like a sword or axe.
Minecraft Crossbow: Quick Charge, Multishot, and Rocket Damage
Added in update 1.14, the crossbow is another ranged weapon you should definitely try. It’s stronger than the bow and can shoot farther, but you must manually reload its ammo. That makes the crossbow slower overall, but more destructive per shot.
You can craft a crossbow yourself, and also find them in various chests and structures, including Nether bastions and pillager outposts. A Fletcher can trade one to you, or you might get one as a drop from a Pillager or Piglin.
Crossbows also have powerful enchantments. Used in the right situations, they can be extremely strong. As with bows, some are incompatible, so you’ll need to pick a playstyle.
All crossbow enchantments:
- Quick Charge: Reduces reload time by up to three levels.
- Multishot: Fires three arrows or rockets at once. Incompatible with Piercing.
- Piercing: Can pass through shields and multiple enemies—up to five targets. Incompatible with Multishot.
- Unbreaking: The crossbow breaks more slowly.
- Mending: The crossbow repairs with XP.
Pre-loading a crossbow with an arrow (including tipped arrows) is a strong tactical advantage: it’s ready the moment you enter combat. Regular arrows deal 3.5 to 5.5 hearts of damage. As an alternative ammo, you can also use fireworks, which can deal substantial damage. Simple rockets aren’t enough—you must craft them with firework stars. A rocket can include up to 7 stars, dealing 5.5 to 9 hearts of damage.
Minecraft Trident: Loyalty, Channeling, and Riptide explained
The trident is one of Minecraft’s most unique weapons and supports multiple playstyles. You can use it for melee attacks or throw it. It very rarely appears as loot in Trial Chambers, and it can also be dropped by Drowned.
You can charge and throw a trident, similar to a bow. Base damage doesn’t vary by charge; a thrown trident deals 4 hearts of damage (without enchantments). Once thrown, you must pick it up again—unless you use the Loyalty enchantment, which makes the trident return to you. That turns it into a true ranged weapon you can reuse.
All trident enchantments:
- Loyalty: The trident returns to you after being thrown. Incompatible with Riptide.
- Channeling: During a thunderstorm, you can summon a lightning strike on hit in open air. Incompatible with Riptide.
- Riptide: The trident can no longer be thrown at range; instead, it propels you through water and rain.
- Impaling: Deals extra damage to aquatic mobs, up to 10 hearts total.
- Unbreaking: The trident breaks more slowly.
- Mending: The trident repairs with XP.
If you want to switch things up and surprise your opponent, the trident is a great option. Beyond Loyalty, it’s especially devastating during thunderstorms and can deal serious damage.
Conclusion: Mastering ranged combat in Minecraft
Ranged combat is an essential strategy whether you’re fighting mobs or other players. Don’t rely solely on the bow—both the crossbow and trident are viable options that can make fights more dynamic. And don’t forget tipped arrows or fireworks as alternative ammo to catch your opponents off guard.
Rent your own Minecraft server from us and try out these combat techniques. For example, you can build an arena and test every weapon to see who’s the best ranged fighter among you.
