The best weapon in Minecraft is the Mace for raw damage – its smash attack scales with fall distance and can one-shot almost anything – but for everyday combat the Netherite Sword is the best all-around weapon. For ranged fights the Bow is the top pick, and in water nothing beats the Trident.
So the honest answer is: it depends on what you’re doing. But if you want one weapon for general survival, make it a Netherite Sword. If you want the single most devastating hit in the game, that’s the Mace.
Here’s the full breakdown of every weapon, what it’s best at, and the enchantments to put on each.
Quick Answer
- Best all-around melee: Netherite Sword (8 damage, 12.8 DPS, versatile enchants).
- Highest damage in the game: Mace (unlimited fall-based smash damage – can one-shot).
- Best ranged: Bow (or Crossbow for burst and pre-loading).
- Best in water: Trident (returns to you, calls lightning, fast in rain).
- Hardest single melee hit (no mace): Netherite Axe (10 damage, but slow).
The Best All-Around Weapon: Netherite Sword
For 99% of the game, the Netherite Sword is the weapon you want in your hand.
It deals 8 attack damage with a fast 1.6 attack speed, giving it 12.8 damage per second – the best sustained melee DPS of any standard weapon.
It also has a sweep attack that hits multiple mobs at once (Java Edition), which makes clearing groups far easier than any other melee option.
Add its deep enchantment pool – Sharpness, Looting, Fire Aspect, Sweeping Edge – and it’s the most flexible, reliable weapon in Minecraft. Gear up with our best way to get netherite guide.
The Highest-Damage Weapon: Mace
If you measure “best” by pure damage, the Mace wins – nothing else comes close.
On flat ground it’s actually weak: 6 base damage and the slowest attack speed in the game (0.6), for just 3.6 DPS.
Its power comes from the smash attack. When you hit an enemy after falling 1.5 blocks or more, you deal massive bonus damage: +4 damage per block for the first 3 blocks, +2 per block for the next 5, and +1 per block after that – with no upper limit.
Fall far enough and you one-shot almost any mob or player, while taking no fall damage yourself.
Three mace-only enchantments push it even further:
- Density (max V) – adds more smash damage per block fallen.
- Breach (max IV) – ignores a chunk of the target’s armor (15% per level); a Breach IV mace has the highest damage per hit against diamond and netherite armor in the game.
- Wind Burst (max III) – launches you back up after a smash so you can chain attacks.
The catch: you need a heavy core (a 7.5% drop from ominous vaults) plus a breeze rod to craft one, and you need height to use it well – which is why players pair it with an Elytra for aerial smash attacks. For a head-to-head, see our Mace vs Netherite Sword comparison.
Best Ranged Weapon: Bow (and Crossbow)
For hitting enemies before they reach you, the Bow is the classic best ranged weapon.
A fully charged shot deals up to 9 damage, more on a critical hit, and enchantments like Power V add a large percentage on top.
With Infinity you never run out of arrows, and Flame turns every shot into fire damage.
The Crossbow is the alternative: it hits a little harder per bolt, can be loaded in advance and held ready, and can fire fireworks for burst damage or arrows with Multishot (three at once) and Piercing (through multiple targets). The trade-off is a slower reload.
Pick the Bow for sustained, mobile shooting; pick the Crossbow for pre-loaded burst.
Best Weapon for Water: Trident
The Trident is a situational weapon that’s unmatched in one place: water.
It deals 9 damage in melee and 8 when thrown, and it has enchantments no other weapon gets:
- Loyalty – the thrown trident flies back to your hand.
- Riptide – launches you forward when you throw it in water or rain (great for travel).
- Channeling – summons lightning on a hit during a thunderstorm.
- Impaling – bonus damage against aquatic mobs.
You can only get one by killing a drowned that’s holding it, which makes it rarer than crafted weapons, but for ocean play and mobility it’s the best tool there is.
The Axe: High Damage, Slow
The Netherite Axe is worth mentioning because it has the highest single-hit melee damage outside the mace: 10 damage per swing.
But its slow 1.0 attack speed means only 10 DPS – lower than the sword – and it has no sweep attack.
Its real perk is disabling shields, which makes it a strong pick in PvP. For pure survival, the sword is still better overall.
Minecraft Weapon Comparison
| Weapon | Damage per hit | Speed / DPS | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherite Sword | 8 | 1.6 speed, 12.8 DPS | All-around melee, groups |
| Mace | 6 base, unlimited with fall | 0.6 speed (slow) | Highest burst, bosses, PvP |
| Netherite Axe | 10 | 1.0 speed, 10 DPS | Single big hits, shield-breaking |
| Bow | up to 9 (+ crit) | Ranged | Fighting at a distance |
| Crossbow | slightly higher, pre-loadable | Ranged burst | Fireworks, Multishot, Piercing |
| Trident | 9 melee / 8 thrown | Ranged + melee | Water, mobility, lightning |
Best Enchantments for Each Weapon
The right enchantments matter as much as the weapon itself. Here’s the top setup for each – all of them want Unbreaking III and Mending so they last forever. Our best enchantments for all gear guide covers the full list.
- Sword: Sharpness V, Sweeping Edge III (Java), Looting III, Fire Aspect II, Unbreaking III, Mending.
- Mace: Density V (for PvE one-shots) or Breach IV (for armored/PvP targets), Wind Burst III, Unbreaking III, Mending.
- Bow: Power V, Flame, Infinity (or Mending instead), Punch II, Unbreaking III.
- Crossbow: Quick Charge III, plus Multishot or Piercing IV, Unbreaking III, Mending.
- Trident: Loyalty III + Channeling (throwing build) or Riptide III (movement build), Impaling V, Unbreaking III, Mending.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Mace deals the most damage of any weapon because its smash attack scales endlessly with fall distance and can one-shot almost anything. For everyday combat, though, the Netherite Sword is the best all-around weapon thanks to its high DPS, sweep attack, and versatile enchantments.
The mace does far more damage on a well-timed smash attack, but it’s slow and weak on flat ground. The sword is more reliable for normal fighting. Use the mace for big burst hits and bosses; use the sword for general survival.
By raw single-hit damage, the mace is strongest – a smash attack from a big fall can deal hundreds of damage. Outside the mace, the netherite axe hits hardest per swing (10 damage), but the netherite sword has the best sustained DPS.
The Bow is the best all-around ranged weapon. The Crossbow hits a bit harder and can be pre-loaded or fire fireworks, but reloads slower. Choose the bow for mobility and the crossbow for burst.
Sharpness V, Sweeping Edge III (Java), Looting III, Fire Aspect II, Unbreaking III, and Mending. Sharpness raises damage, Looting improves mob drops, and Mending keeps the sword repaired with XP.
Craft it with a heavy core and a breeze rod. The heavy core is a 7.5% drop from ominous vaults in trial chambers, and breeze rods come from killing breezes. It’s an endgame weapon.
It depends on your style: the mace (with Breach) for huge burst damage, the netherite sword for consistent DPS, and the axe for disabling shields. Many players carry a sword plus a mace or bow.
Yes, especially in water. With Loyalty it returns to your hand, Riptide launches you through water and rain, and Channeling calls lightning in storms. On land it’s outclassed by the sword, but for ocean play it’s the best option.
Bottom line: keep a Netherite Sword as your main weapon for its all-around reliability, and add a Mace when you want the single hardest hit in the game. Round out your kit with a Bow for range and a Trident for water, and you’re covered in every situation.
Enchant them all with Unbreaking and Mending so they last forever – see our best enchantments for all gear guide to finish the job.
