Ultimate Guide to the Minecraft Spear: The Best Weapon For Exploration!

The spear is an exciting new addition to Minecraft, introduced in the Mounts of Mayhem update (starting with Snapshot 25w41a in 2025). Unlike traditional melee weapons like swords, the spear offers extended reach, velocity-based charge attacks, and unique mobility options. This makes it perfect for exploration, combat, and even traversing tricky terrain. Whether you're charging through biomes on a mount or jabbing at distant foes, the spear combines utility and power in ways that elevate it above other tools. This guide covers everything you need to know to craft, use, and master the spear.

Obtaining the Spear

Spears are not just crafted. They can also be found as loot or drops, adding an element of adventure to acquiring them.

• Crafting: The primary way to get spears. See the recipes below.
• Mob Drops: Zombies, husks, and zombie horsemen have an 8.5% chance (up to 11.5% with Looting III) to drop an iron spear. Piglins and zombified piglins drop golden spears at the same rate.
• Bartering: Trade with piglins by dropping a golden sword or crossbow nearby. They might give you a golden spear in return (be quick to pick it up!).
• Loot Chests:
  • Underwater ruins: Stone spears.
  • Villages: Copper or iron spears.
  • Buried treasure: Iron spears.
  • Bastion remnants or end cities: Diamond spears (sometimes damaged or enchanted).
• Rarity: Common, non-stackable. Most tiers are renewable, except diamond and netherite (unless from vaults).

Crafting Recipes

Spears follow a simple 2x3 grid pattern in the crafting table, using one material for the head and two sticks for the shaft. The Netherite variant requires a smithing table.

• Wooden Spear: Any planks (e.g., oak) in top-center + 2 sticks vertically below.
• Stone Spear: Any stone-tier block (e.g., cobblestone) in top-center + 2 sticks.
• Copper Spear: Copper ingot in top-center + 2 sticks.
• Iron Spear: Iron ingot in top-center + 2 sticks.
• Golden Spear: Gold ingot in top-center + 2 sticks.
• Diamond Spear: Diamond in top-center + 2 sticks.
• Netherite Spear: In a smithing table: Netherite Upgrade template + Diamond Spear + Netherite Ingot.

Repair spears by combining two in a crafting grid (adds durability +5% bonus in Java Edition) or using anvil with matching materials (restores 25% per unit).

Spear Tiers and Stats

Spears come in seven tiers, each with varying damage, durability, and charge multipliers. They have a base reach of 2-4.5 blocks (longer than swords' 3 blocks), inflated hitboxes for easier multi-hits, and can attack through non-solid blocks like grass or cobwebs. No critical hits or block-breaking, though.

Here's a comparison table:

• Notes: In Bedrock Edition, cooldowns are in ticks (e.g., wooden: 13 ticks/0.65s). Charge damage = multiplier × relative speed (blocks/s). Examples: Sprinting (5.6 blocks/s) deals ~3-6 HP; Horse at max speed (14 blocks/s) deals ~10-17 HP; Elytra with fireworks (33.5 blocks/s) deals ~23-40 HP.

Usage Mechanics

The spear shines in its dual attack modes, making it versatile for combat and exploration.

• Jab Attack: Quick press of the attack button. Deals fixed base damage per tier. Has a cooldown (can't spam like swords), but you can alternate with charges to effectively double your attack rate. Great for precise, long-reach pokes at distant mobs.
• Charge Attack: Hold the use button to lower the spear. Damage scales with your relative speed to the target. Faster movement means more pain! It goes through three stages:
  1. Engaged: Deals damage, knockback, and dismounts enemies from mounts (e.g., throw riders off horses).
  2. Tired: Damage + knockback only.
  3. Disengaged: Damage only.

  Higher tiers activate faster but tire quicker (e.g., netherite: 8.75s total hold time vs. wooden: 15s). Cancel anytime. Pro tip: Use while sprinting, riding mounts, or gliding with elytra for massive damage. Even if you're stationary, a moving target can trigger damage if it collides with you.

Spears hit multiple entities at once (but only once each) and ignore solid blocks for targeting, but can't attack through them.

Enchantments

Enchant your spear via enchanting table or anvil to boost its potential. Compatible ones include:

• Damage Boosters (mutually exclusive): Sharpness (up to V, +3 HP at max for netherite jab), Smite (V, +12.5 HP vs. undead), Bane of Arthropods (V, +12.5 HP vs. spiders, etc.).
• Utility: Looting (III, better drops), Knockback (II, stronger push), Fire Aspect (II, sets targets on fire; Bedrock: lights campfires/TNT).
• Spear-Exclusive: Lunge (III, launches you forward on jab for mobility. It's great for exploration! But consumes durability: 8/32/128 per use at I/II/III. Pair with Unbreaking to mitigate).
• Durability: Unbreaking (III, less wear), Mending (I, repairs with XP).
• Curse: Vanishing (I, disappears on death).

Lunge is a game-changer for traversing gaps or escaping, but avoid overusing on low-durability tiers like golden.

Tips for Using the Spear in Exploration and Combat

• Exploration Mastery: The extended reach lets you safely jab at mobs from afar while exploring caves or oceans. Use Lunge to leap over ravines or rivers. Combine with elytra for insane mobility. Charge attacks while on mounts (like horses or the new undead ones) turn you into a speedy explorer, dismounting threats and dealing high damage on the move.
• Combat Strategies: Alternate jab and charge for rapid attacks. In PvP, use velocity. Use sprint-charge or elytra-dive to one-shot armored foes (netherite can hit 40 HP!). Against groups, the multi-hit and reach shine. Mobs like zombies will charge back, so keep distance.
• Pro Tips:
  • Pair with fireworks and elytra for ultimate aerial charges.
  • Higher tiers are worth the investment for faster charges and better multipliers.
  • Repair often. Mending keeps it going during long expeditions.
  • In Bedrock, Fire Aspect adds utility for lighting paths.
  • Avoid Lunge on mounts or in water. It won't work.

Why the Spear is the Ultimate Exploration Tool or Weapon

The spear redefines Minecraft gameplay by blending melee power with mobility and strategy. Its velocity-scaling charges reward creative movement (e.g., mount-riding or elytra-gliding), turning exploration into dynamic adventures where speed equals strength. Unlike swords (fixed damage, short reach), the spear's 4.5-block range and multi-hits make it safer for scouting dangerous areas. Add Lunge for traversal, and it's not just a weapon. It's a tool for conquering biomes, dismounting foes, and surviving endgame threats. In a game about building and exploring, the spear empowers you to move faster, hit harder, and adapt like never before. Upgrade to netherite for peak performance, and you'll wonder how you ever adventured without it!