How to craft and use a spear in Minecraft

Minecraft has answered the prayers of anyone looking for a longer-reach melee weapon rather than relying on the bow. That's right, the spear is here courtesy of the Mounts of Mayhem drop, and don't let its simplicity fool you—there's a lot to love about this little weapon.

Working out how to craft a spear is incredibly easy, depending on which material you want to use for it, but it can be a little tricky to master its moveset. It packs a serious punch within its attacks, and requires a little more training than just swinging a sword around. Here's everything you need to know about how to create one and how you can make the most of its moves.

How to craft a spear in Minecraft

To craft a spear in Minecraft, you need two sticks and your chosen material. Place one stick in the bottom left corner, one in the middle row and center square, plus your material in the top right corner. It's essential that these materials are placed diagonally, since if you place them vertically, you'll end up with a shovel which won't do much damage to your enemies.

Much like every other tool in Minecraft, there are various different forms for you to choose from, but since wood is the most accessible, we've got wooden planks in our screenshot above. If you've got something stronger to hand, or you're looking to upgrade, just replace the block in the top row with your required ingot or material. There are seven spear variants currently available in Minecraft:

• Wooden
• Stone
• Copper
• Iron
• Gold
• Diamond
• Netherite

One thing to note is that the Netherite spear cannot be crafted at a bench. Instead you need to craft a Diamond spear and take it to a smithing table with a Netherite ingot and a Netherite upgrade pack. Which is the exact same process you'd follow for upgrading any other Diamond tools or armour into Netherite.

How to use a spear in Minecraft

Unlike a lot of Minecraft's existing weaponry, the spear has different attacks to utilise. The first, your default attack, is a jab. This is done by quickly clicking the left click button on a mouse, in the same way you'd swing a sword. Which material your spear is made from will impact how much damage this attack does, but generally if you are engaging in close combat, it's still a decent attack to have on hand.

If you'd like to pack a little more power behind your punch, then you'll want to make the most of the second attack: the charge. This can be initiated by holding the right click button, facing the direction of your enemy, and releasing it. Not only will this cause more damage, but if you're attacking a mob on the back of a mount, it has the potential to knock them off.

It's worth noting that spears also have a longer attack range than any other weapon too, spanning 4.5 blocks rather than the standard 3. This makes them perfect for any ranged encounters, especially if you're making the most of the available mounts within the game. It may take some time to master both the jab and the charge attack, but it'll be well worth it.