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.
Sword and Axe Kit Tips
The Sword kit is about combos and movement: sprint resets, S-taps, crits and jump resets. The Axe kit is a slower, tactical kit about shields: disabling the opponent's shield, autohitting, backstabbing and stunning, where each round may give you only one real opening.
How do you play the Sword kit?
minecraft.wiki's guide gives these basics for Sword PvP:
- Learn sprint resetting and S-tapping well.
- Use a lower DPI and sensitivity to keep your crosshair steady.
- Sword PvP is not only combos: learn to crit and jump-reset.
- Spacing and timing matter more than aim and strafing.
Advanced tips: crit high-ping players instead of comboing them; keep a backup playstyle; and in a p-crit trade, W-tap straight away to throw off their aim, which the guide calls a sprint hit deflection. See W-tapping and crit techniques.
How do you play the Axe kit?
The guide calls Axe a very strategic mode built on autohitting and backstabbing. A common pattern: let the opponent disable your shield, autohit them, shoot them with a crossbow to push them away, and run until your shield is back. Know what each player has left, bait them into jumping for a free crit, and bow them late in the round when their shield is down.
A stun is disabling their shield and landing a second hit straight away, which knocks them back out of range while their shield is down. See shield techniques.
Which weapon should you use?
Swords recover faster (attack speed 1.6) and sweep; axes hit harder per swing but recover slower and, above all, disable shields. The guide warns against using an axe just for damage: a Sharpness V netherite axe with Strength II does only about 11% more than a sword at under two-thirds the speed. Full comparison: sword vs axe and attack cooldown.
What about 1.8?
On 1.8 there are no shields or attack cooldown, so the Axe kit's shield game does not exist and swords dominate. See 1.8 vs 1.9+ combat.
Frequently asked questions
What is a stun in Axe PvP?
Disabling the opponent's shield with an axe and landing a second hit straight after.
Is an axe better than a sword in PvP?
minecraft.wiki's guide says the axe's real value is disabling shields; for raw damage per second the sword is usually better.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.