Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, community sites named in the text and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Spears, Crossbows and Tridents in PvP
Spears have extra reach and two attacks: a jab with a fixed cooldown and a charge attack that needs speed. Crossbows are the best ranged weapon for spreading tipped-arrow effects and firing a pre-loaded shot instantly. Tridents are mainly for Riptide escapes; minecraft.wiki's PvP guide rates them weak as weapons.
How do spears work in PvP?
- Extra attack reach, but they cannot hit players who are too close.
- Jab attack: a basic attack with a forced cooldown you cannot skip.
- Charge attack: held out and based on speed; it needs a 4.6 blocks per second speed difference to deal damage and 5.1 blocks per second to deal knockback, so it lands best on opponents sprinting at you.
- Charge attacks still work while the jab is on cooldown, so alternating the two is the way to combo.
- Speed effects make the thresholds easier; the guide notes Strength does not boost charge attacks (listed as an open bug).
- Lunge gives a burst of speed at the cost of hunger, best on a fast wooden spear.
Item basics: spear.
When is a crossbow better than a bow?
The PvP guide calls crossbows the best ranged weapon for spreading tipped-arrow effects, and useful because a charged shot can be fired instantly at any time. With maxed enchantments they tie tridents for fastest charge time and, with 7-star firework rockets and Quick Charge III, reach the highest damage per second of the ranged weapons. Piercing arrows go through shields and still apply tipped effects; Multishot fires a 3-arrow volley. minecraft.wiki's arrow page gives critical crossbow arrows a random 7 to 11 damage. Compare bow PvP and bows and crossbows.
Are tridents good in PvP?
Not as weapons, per the guide: excluding spears, a maxed trident has the lowest damage per second and lowest damage per hit. Its value is Riptide, which launches you in water or rain to escape. Loyalty is not recommended for PvP. See PvP myths and trident.
Where does the mace fit?
The guide calls the mace the best weapon for single high-damage hits thanks to Breach, with the highest damage per hit (excluding spears) even without smash attacks. See Vanilla and Mace PvP.
Can you use these on 1.8 servers?
No. Spears, crossbows, tridents and maces are newer items that 1.8 clients do not have. 1.8 PvP uses swords, bows and fishing rods; see fishing rod PvP.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my spear charge attack do no damage?
It needs a speed difference of 4.6 blocks per second between you and the target; it works best on someone sprinting at you.
Is a crossbow better than a bow for PvP?
For spreading tipped arrows and instant pre-loaded shots, yes; bows are better for chip spam and Flame.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.