When fighting in Minecraft, there are many different weapon choices. You might be wondering which weapon or tool deals the most damage or which is the most efficient to use.
The weapon which is best will depend on your situation and there are some small differences if you are on Java or Bedrock Edition. Other factors such as weapon enchantments or weapon mods will also affect which weapons are stronger or weaker.
Although we have a table ranking weapons by damage per second, you also have to consider more than just raw damage output. For example, would a ranged weapon like a bow be more practical in your situation?
Minecraft Weapon Overview
Even though all tools can deal damage to enemies, only swords, axes, tridents, bows, and crossbows can be considered as real weapon choices in Minecraft. Sure, you could hit mobs repeatedly with a shovel or a pickaxe, but the damage is so weak that you’re way better off using one of the before mentioned weapons!
Here is an overview of each Minecraft weapon and their differences:
Swords Weapons
One of the most easily obtainable weapons and one of the strongest for melee combat. The damage per second is higher than axes and is similar to that of a trident. As an added advantage, in Java Edition swords have a “sweeping attack” which can attack multiple targets at the same time.
Just like tools, swords can be made of varying quality with wood being the weakest material and netherite being the strongest.
Axe Weapons
In Java Edition, axes hit enemies for more damage than swords, but you need to wait longer between each swing. The slower speed results in a lower damage per second when compared to swords. In Bedrock Edition, axes deal even less damage than swords.
Axes also take more durability damage per hit when compared to swords. Overall, an axe is an effective Minecraft weapon when you don’t have a sword with you.
Trident Weapons
Tridents deal similar damage to a sword, but have the added advantage that they can be thrown and deal similar damage. They are more difficult to obtain than other weapons and need to be found as a drop from Drowned mobs. The “Loyalty” enchantment is extremely useful for tridents, as it returns the trident to you after throwing it.
Bow Weapons
By far the main advantage of using a bow is the fact that it deals ranged damage. Regular bows are not very strong, but once you start adding enchantments they are very powerful!
Crossbow Weapons
Similar to bows, the main advantage is the ranged damage. Crossbows deal more damage and are more accurate than bows, but the tradeoff is that they are slower to use.
Minecraft Weapons Ranked by DPS
Here is a table of the best weapons in Minecraft and how their stats compare to each other in Java Edition. Keep in mind these values are for not enchanted weapons.
| Weapon | Damage | Recover Time | Damage Per Second (DPS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 Netherite Sword | 8 | 0.625s | 12.8 |
| #2 Diamond Sword | 7 | 0.625s | 11.2 |
| #3 Netherite Axe | 10 | 1.0s | 10.0 |
| #4 Trident (Melee) | 9 | 0.91s | 9.9 |
| #5 Diamond Axe | 9 | 1.0s | 9.0 |
| #6 Crossbow (Average) | 9 | 1.25s | 7.2 |
| #7 Bow (Fully Charged) | 6 | 1.0s | 6.0 |
The Best Minecraft Weapon
In summary, the netherite sword is generally the best weapon in Minecraft for most melee situations (in both Bedrock and Java Edition). If you don’t have a sword, an axe can be a good substitute. When fighting a boss, it may be useful to also use a ranged weapon like a bow, crossbow, or trident.
Depending on your playstyle, some players may prefer certain fighting techniques like using a Trident with the loyalty enchant or using bows exclusively. How you play the game is up to you and all of these weapons can be good choices.
Don’t forget to enchant your weapon! Check out our article on the best minecraft enchantments for everything for tips on which enchants to pick.