10 Most Useful Items To Equip On The Off-Hand In Minecraft

Dual wielding is an optional mechanic in Minecraft where players can equip an extra item on their off-hand. The off-hand can use the item it holds when there are no items in the main hand, or the item held on the main hand is not usable, e.g. swords and pickaxes.

In this article, Gurugamer is going to showcase the top 10 most useful items to equip on the Off-hand in Minecraft.

Keep in mind that there is an option located in Skin Customization labeled "Main Hand" to swap the main hand and off-hand. This option may be helpful for players that are left-handed.

1. Torches

The torch is the most common lighting source in the entire history of Minecraft, ever. All it takes to create torches are a furnace and a number of wood blocks for both charcoal and sticks.

Players can mass-produce and place torches whenever they want. These burning sticks have a surprisingly high light level of 14, just a bit lower than the highest light level in Minecraft. There are plenty of uses for torches, from spawn-proofing to marking your routes to avoid getting lost.

Holding torches on the off-hand allow players to explore and place them instantly without having to scroll and select from the hotbar.

2. Totems of Undying

Upon activation, the Totem of Undying restores half a heart of HP, removes all existing status effects, then grants 40-45 seconds of Regeneration II, depending on the version. Players also get 5 seconds of Absorption II and 40 seconds of Fire Resistance I as well. Lastly, an animation shows the totem of undying will appear in front of the players' screen.

They are useful when exploring dangerous areas - the trigger would prevent players from getting instantly killed.

3. Shield

A shield is a useful protection tool that can be used to block incoming attacks in Minecraft. It negates damage and knockback from both melee attacks and ranged attacks. If players are going to explore a structure filled with dangerous mobs like a Nether Fortress, having a shield equipped on the off-hand is a must.

Axes can disable shields for 5 seconds - players need to be careful when going against axes-wielding piglins.

4. Ender Pearls

An ender pearl is an item dropped by Enderman that can be used to teleport. This ability is always useful and can let you get out of sticky situations. Holding an Ender Pearl on the off-hand allows players to teleport away any time they want. This could prove useful in both exploration and PvP.

Ender Pearl also has certain other benefits, such as locating strongholds and creating Eyes of Enders, which are both useful in order to get to the End and beat Minecraft.

5. Potions of healing

Besides regeneration, Potions of healing are probably the best way to gain more HP at a moment's notice. These potions can restore up to 4 hearts, which can help players survive dangerous attacks. Players can also turn them into splash potions to save time.

Health potions can significantly help users survive in the Deep Dark, especially when a Warden is after them. They can be easily found in several chests.

6. Maps

To record the world on a map, that specific map must be held in the player's hands while the player moves around the world. If you want to map out the area, holding a map on the off-hand while moving around is a must.

If the world is modified, a player must revisit the area while holding the map to update the map's view.

7. Tipped Arrow

Instead of normal arrows, players can use special arrows alongside their bows and crossbows for deadly effects. For example, a multishot crossbow can hit all 3 arrows on the same target at close range, and if all three of them are Arrows of Harming II, the resulting damage can one-shot pretty much everyone.

Arrow of Harming II deals 6 hearts worth of damage, and with multishot, the bonus damage becomes 18 hearts. Tipped arrows can deal a lot of damage, especially when the enemy does not expect it.

8. Water bucket

The way players interact with water is pretty wonky in Minecraft. As long as you touch a water surface at the end, fall damage from any height gets reduced to zero. This results in a "Water bucket trick", in which you create a water surface right before the fall to eliminate fall damage.

Standing in a water bucket also makes you immune to the levitation effect of the Shulker's bullets.

9. Milk bucket

Milk in Minecraft is very useful. Dangerous mobs like the Wither or Elder Guardian can inflict annoying debuffs such as wither (decrease health over time) and mining fatigue (slow attack speed). By dinking milk, players can remove these buffs.

However, they still need to be careful, as milk also removes all positive buffs as well.

10. Firework Rocket

While in the air, flying with an Elytra, fireworks placed in the off-hand slot can save you lots of hassle, without having to switch items. It can also save you a lot of reaction time as well, such as when you have fallen a great height accidentally.