Minecraft gets new melee weapon after six years

Do you remember the last time Minecraft received a new weapon? Yes, it was the Trident in the 2018 Aquatic Update, which brought new life to the oceanic aspect of the game. However, after that, the combat system remained dry for nearly six years. On March 14, 2024, Mojang finally ended this drought by announcing a new weapon called the mace for the upcoming Minecraft 1.21 update.

The Minecraft 1.21 update is shaping up to be another wonderful update by Mojang. At first, fans were worried about the update turning out to be another thin one, but developers have now been able to win back the community's love and trust by revealing exciting new content, like the mace.

The snapshot 24w11a and beta 1.20.80.22 brought the mace to both the Java and Bedrock Editions, leaving both communities in excitement. Here's what has been disclosed about the mace in Minecraft so far:

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New mace weapon in Minecraft: What we know so far

Steve fighting a job with a new mace weapon (Image via Mojang Studios)

The mace is a melee weapon coming with the Minecraft 1.21 update later this year. Compared to all other weapons, the mace requires a level of skill and mastery over movements to become a strong pick for your fights against mobs. Moreover, it is probably the strongest weapon when used correctly.

Like all weapons and items, the mace deals a base damage to the target when attacked at point-blank range. A mace deals the same damage as a diamond sword but falls short when compared to a netherite sword. On top of that, it has no enchantments available as of right now.

However, things become fun when players use the mace's unique smash attack. To use the mace's smash attack, players will have to jump from a height and hit the target at the right moment to perform the smash attack.

But what about the fall damage? Well, this weapon negates all fall damage as a reward for hitting the target. However, if you miss hitting the enemy, be prepared to take fall damage. The longer you fall, the more damage you deal. Along with more damage, players will deal knockback damage to enemies.

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How to make the mace in Minecraft

Crafting recipe for new mace weapon (Image via Mojang Studios)

The mace is a craftable weapon, but the items required to make this melee hammer aren't easy to get. To craft a mace, players will need to get a breeze rod and a heavy core block. Both of them are new items introduced alongside the mace weapon.

A breeze rod is a drop reward for defeating the breeze mob, while a heavy core block is a potential reward for opening vaults found in trial chambers. Players will have to find trial chambers to get their hands on both of these items.

Unfortunately, there aren't any effective ways to find trial chambers in Minecraft. Players will have to rely on their luck to come across these subterranean structures or use a seed map tool like chunkbase to locate trial chambers.