Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Damage Immunity in Minecraft: The Hit Delay
After any mob or player takes damage, it flashes red and is immune for 10 game ticks (0.5 seconds). During that time, a hit that is not stronger than the one before does nothing, and a stronger hit only deals the difference. That is why spam-clicking does not deal more damage: at most 2 full hits per second land on one target.
How does the immunity work?
- Any damage starts the 0.5 second window, from any source.
- Hits no stronger than the first one deal no damage and do not wear down your weapon.
- A stronger hit deals only the extra: a 7 damage hit then a 12 damage hit does 5 more.
- Knockback from hits during the window is ignored too; see knockback.
Does clicking faster do more damage?
Not past a point. With immunity, a single target can take full damage at most twice a second. On Java the attack cooldown already makes spam weak; on 1.8-style combat fast clicking mainly helps you land hits at the right moment and keep combos. See CPS and clicking and attack cooldown.
Why do fire and lava not stack?
Fire, lava, cactus and other damage over time all respect the same window, which is why standing in fire does not stack with lava. Magma blocks keep hurting you while you stand on them, but immunity caps how often the damage lands; see magma blocks.
Why does it matter for mob farms?
A kill chamber that hits mobs too often wastes damage. Players time sword hits, or let fall damage and magma do the work. Sweeping Edge helps by damaging many mobs at once. Farm ideas: mob farms. Health basics: health and damage.
Hit delay in PvP
On servers you will hear it called hit delay or no-damage ticks. Arrows and melee hits share the window, so a hit that lands right after it ends does full damage.
Frequently asked questions
How long is damage immunity?
10 game ticks, or 0.5 seconds.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.