4 reasons why crossbows are unpopular among Minecraft fans

While Minecraft might seem like a peaceful game, many elements can force players to bring out their weapons. Hostile mobs such as zombies, ghasts, skeletons, and creepers are some examples that can create big problems in short time. Out of the many weapons at their disposal, players have some favorites and some are less favored.

Swords, bows, axes, and even a trident that can be used as weapons in Minecraft. However, players aren't very keen on getting a crossbow. If the weapon is more powerful than the bow, why don’t players use it? Here's why.

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4 reasons why crossbow is an unpopular weapon in Minecraft

1) Crossbows aren't great in most gameplay modes

Crossbow in Minecraft is not a great option for many gameplay mode such as PvP (Image via Mojang Studios)

One of the biggest reasons crossbows are unpopular among Minecraft players is their slower firing speed compared to regular bows. In both PvE and PvP scenarios, the delay between shots can make a major difference. If one factors in enchantments, the bow easily comes out on top.

Considering alternatives, a Power-enchanted bow does more damage per shot, and Infinity ensures players won’t burn through arrows—something crossbows do quickly without offering much in return. Bows can also land critical hits, sometimes even one-shotting mobs, which conssiderably lowers shots-to-kill and time-to-kill. Crossbows simply don’t keep up in actual combat situations.

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2) Clunky and unintuitive

Crossbow takes a lot of time to load the arrows (Image via Mojang Studios)

Another reason crossbows are often overlooked is that they feel clunky and unintuitive compared to bows. The basic mechanics of using a crossbow—loading, waiting, and then firing—don’t flow as smoothly, especially in fast-paced gameplay.

Their raw strength also can't be meaningfully scaled outside of limited enchantments like Piercing, and while tipped arrows like Harming exist, crafting them is tedious and resource-heavy. A change like making their arrows fly straighter than bows—maybe scaled by a special enchantment—could make them feel sharper and more usable.

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3) The bow is a better alternative

Bow in Minecraft offers a better experience and is quite cheap to make (Image via Mojang Studios)

One of the core reasons crossbows are unpopular is that they offer no real advantage over bows. When enchantments are factored in, the gap becomes even wider. A fully enchanted bow with Power V easily outperforms a crossbow in terms of damage. Add enchantments like Flame and Infinity, and the bow becomes even more efficient—not only dealing more damage but also requiring little to no ammo.

Meanwhile, the crossbow lacks damage-scaling enchantments and relies entirely on consumable ammunition. In practice, there's little incentive to use a weapon that’s slower, weaker, and less efficient when the bow or even the trident is simply better in every aspect.

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4) Crossbows are unreliable, but can be made better

There are ways the crossbow can be made interesting in Minecraft (Image via Mojang Studios)

Crossbows can be unreliable, especially when compared to how quickly a bow can fire in rapid succession. While technically players can load an entire hotbar with crossbows and unleash a heavy barrage of bolts, it’s more of a gimmick than a practical strategy.

Most players still prefer swords or axes for close-quarters combat. The lack of flexibility in enchantments is another issue. Crossbows are locked out of key upgrades like Power, Flame, or Punch—ones that could significantly improve their usability.

A more balanced and fun solution would be allowing overlap: crossbows with Power and Flame, and bows with Piercing and Quick Charge. Infinity and Multishot can stay exclusive, but giving players more enchantment options could bring real variety to combat rather than forcing them into predictable choices.

With the addition of the mace, the developers showed that they can come up with creative weapons. The mace can be made more powerful if the player delivers a blow from a height. This makes combat more fun. Perhaps Mojang can do something similar with the crossbow and make it exciting again with the future updates.