Best Minecraft Weapons Ranked, 2025 Tier List

Weapon Tier List Overview

Minecraft has evolved well beyond the simple sword-and-bow combat of early versions. With the mace, trident, crossbow and revamped combat mechanics, choosing the right weapon for each situation matters more than ever. This tier list ranks every weapon by damage output, versatility, enchantment potential and practical value across survival, PvP and boss fights.

S-Tier Weapons

Mace, The mace is the newest weapon in Minecraft and immediately claims the top spot. Its unique mechanic scales damage based on fall distance, the farther you fall before landing a hit, the more damage you deal. A mace strike after a long fall can deal over 100 damage, enough to one-shot almost anything in the game, including other players in full netherite.

The mace also negates all fall damage for the user on a successful hit, making it a risk-reward weapon that rewards vertical positioning. The Wind Burst enchantment (exclusive to the mace) launches you back into the air after a hit, enabling chain attacks. The Density enchantment increases the per-block fall damage bonus, pushing single-hit numbers even higher. The mace is obtained from ominous trial vaults in trial chambers.

Netherite Sword, The reliable workhorse. A netherite sword deals 8 base damage (4 hearts) per hit with a 1.6 attack speed, giving it the highest sustained DPS of any melee weapon outside of mace fall attacks. With Sharpness V, each hit deals 11 damage. Add Sweeping Edge III on Java Edition and you clear groups of mobs in seconds.

The sword also has access to Looting III, Fire Aspect II and Knockback II, making it the most versatile weapon in terms of enchantment options. It is craftable, repairable and benefits from Mending. For consistent melee combat, nothing beats it.

A-Tier Weapons

Trident, The trident is the most versatile weapon in the game thanks to its exclusive enchantments. Riptide III turns the trident into a movement tool during rain or while in water, launching the player forward at high speed. Loyalty III makes thrown tridents return automatically. Channeling summons lightning on hit during thunderstorms, which can convert villagers, creepers and pigs into their transformed variants.

Base melee damage is 9 (4.5 hearts), slightly higher than a netherite sword, but the trident cannot be enchanted with Looting or Sharpness. Its main weakness is that it cannot be crafted, it only drops from drowned with a low drop rate. Keep at least two tridents: one with Riptide for movement, one with Loyalty and Channeling for combat.

Crossbow, The crossbow deals 6 to 11 damage per shot depending on charge level, with a maximum of 11 at full charge with firework rockets. Multishot fires three arrows at once, making it devastating at close range. Piercing lets bolts pass through multiple targets in a line. Quick Charge III reduces load time to near-instant.

The crossbow outperforms the bow in burst damage scenarios, pre-load a shot, switch to the crossbow, fire instantly, then switch back to your sword. Firework rockets loaded into a crossbow deal splash damage in an area, making it the best ranged option for groups of mobs.

Bow, The bow remains a staple ranged weapon with Power V adding up to 12.5 damage on a fully charged shot. Infinity means you never run out of arrows (though it conflicts with Mending). Flame adds fire damage. Punch II provides knockback at range.

The bow's main advantage over the crossbow is sustained fire rate, you can draw and release faster than a crossbow reloads, making the bow better for prolonged ranged combat. It is also simpler to craft and maintain.

B-Tier Weapons

Netherite Axe, Axes deal 10 base damage in Java Edition (5 hearts), more per hit than a sword, but swing much slower at 1.0 attacks per second. The axe also disables shields for 5 seconds on hit, making it a strong PvP pick. In Bedrock Edition, axes deal less damage and swing at the same speed as swords, reducing their combat value.

Axes cannot be enchanted with Looting or Sweeping Edge, so they produce fewer drops and cannot hit multiple targets. Use an axe for PvP shield-breaking, but stick to swords for general PvE.

Diamond Sword, Deals 7 base damage, one less than netherite. If you have not yet reached the nether or found ancient debris, a diamond sword with Sharpness V still handles virtually all overworld content. The upgrade to netherite adds durability and knockback resistance more than raw damage.

C-Tier Weapons

Iron Sword, 6 base damage. The early-game standard. Cheap to craft, easy to enchant and sufficient for the first few in-game days. Replace it as soon as diamonds become available.

Iron Axe, 9 base damage in Java, slow swing. A budget shield-breaker for early PvP encounters.

Snowballs and Eggs, Zero damage to most mobs but deal 3 damage per hit to blazes (snowballs) and can knock back mobs. Primarily utility items rather than serious weapons.

Weapon Loadout Recommendations

• Hotbar slot 1: Netherite Sword (Sharpness V, Looting III, Mending, Unbreaking III, Fire Aspect II, Sweeping Edge III)
• Hotbar slot 2: Mace (Wind Burst, Density V, Unbreaking III, Mending) for vertical engagements
• Hotbar slot 3: Bow (Power V, Infinity or Mending, Flame, Punch II) or Crossbow (Quick Charge III, Multishot or Piercing IV)
• Inventory: Trident with Loyalty III and Channeling, second Trident with Riptide III for water travel

Every melee item ranked twice, by hit and by second

A ranking by damage puts the netherite axe at the top with 10. A ranking by damage per second puts the netherite sword there instead, at 12.8 against the axe's 10, because the sword swings 1.6 times a second and the axe once. Both rankings are correct and they disagree, which is why the table below carries the columns rather than a verdict.

Weapon	Damage per hit	Full swings per second	Damage per second
Netherite Sword	8	1.6	12.8
Diamond Sword	7	1.6	11.2
Netherite Axe	10	1	10
Iron Sword	6	1.6	9.6
Diamond Axe	9	1	9
Iron Axe	9	0.9	8.1
Copper Sword	5	1.6	8
Stone Sword	5	1.6	8
Netherite Pickaxe	6	1.2	7.2
Copper Axe	9	0.8	7.2
Stone Axe	9	0.8	7.2
Golden Axe	7	1	7
Netherite Shovel	6.5	1	6.5
Wooden Sword	4	1.6	6.4
Golden Sword	4	1.6	6.4
Diamond Pickaxe	5	1.2	6
Wooden Axe	7	0.8	5.6
Diamond Shovel	5.5	1	5.5
Iron Pickaxe	4	1.2	4.8
Iron Shovel	4.5	1	4.5
Diamond Hoe	1	4	4
Netherite Hoe	1	4	4
Copper Pickaxe	3	1.2	3.6
Stone Pickaxe	3	1.2	3.6
Copper Shovel	3.5	1	3.5
Stone Shovel	3.5	1	3.5
Iron Hoe	1	3	3
Wooden Shovel	2.5	1	2.5
Golden Shovel	2.5	1	2.5
Wooden Pickaxe	2	1.2	2.4
Golden Pickaxe	2	1.2	2.4
Copper Hoe	1	2	2
Stone Hoe	1	2	2
Wooden Hoe	1	1	1
Golden Hoe	1	1	1

Frequently asked questions

What is the strongest weapon in Minecraft?

By raw damage the netherite axe, at 10 a hit. By damage over time the netherite sword, at 12.8 a second against the axe's 10. Which one is stronger depends entirely on whether your opponent stands still long enough for the axe to swing twice.

Is an axe better than a sword for PvP?

Only if you can guarantee the first hit and then disengage. The axe also disables shields for five seconds, which is its real advantage; the sword's advantage is that a mistake costs you 0.63 seconds rather than a full one.

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Questions about Minecraft Weapons Ranked

Minecraft Weapons Ranked: what is the short version?

Minecraft has evolved well beyond the simple sword-and-bow combat of early versions.

How much does Minecraft Weapons Ranked actually need?

A mace strike after a long fall can deal over 100 damage, enough to one-shot almost anything in the game, including other players in full netherite.

What separates the options in Minecraft Weapons Ranked?

For Netherite Sword, the table on this page lists Damage per hit: 8, Full swings per second: 1.6, Damage per second: 12.8.

What goes wrong with Minecraft Weapons Ranked?

The mace also negates all fall damage for the user on a successful hit, making it a risk-reward weapon that rewards vertical positioning.