Will mace make other weapons useless in Minecraft 1.21 update?

After six years, Minecraft players have been unexpectedly blessed with a new melee weapon called the mace. Shortly after its introduction in the Minecraft 1.21 snapshots and beta updates, it became a favorite due to its detailed design and incredible damage-boosting ability. Thanks to it being so powerful, many players wonder if it will overshadow other weapons that have been in use since day one.

However, this is unlikely for several reasons: the mace is one of the most difficult-to-acquire weapons, and although it can deal high damage, it is not necessarily better than other weapons in every battle scenario.

In this article, we delve into the attack power and main uses of the mace and compare it to other Minecraft weapons.

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Can the mace completely replace other Minecraft weapons?

Sword, mace, and an axe (Image via Mojang)

The mace is a remarkable addition to one's weapon arsenal. Its unique ability to boost damage output by falling from a height before striking introduces a new strategy for tackling stronger mobs, significantly enhancing the previously monotonous combat mechanics.

However, despite being one of the strongest weapons for close-quarters combat, it cannot replace the sword or axe for several reasons.

The mace requires rare crafting ingredients (Image via Mojang)

Firstly, crafting the mace requires obtaining a heavy core and a blaze rod which are quite difficult to obtain, making it a mid/end game weapon. Furthermore, to acquire these items, players must fight the breeze and other mobs in the trial chambers. This shows the importance of having weapons like swords and axes that are strong and easy to craft for such battles.

Secondly, even after obtaining this formidable weapon, players will not always have the opportunity to jump from a high point to maximize its damage. In such situations where the player cannot take advantage of the mace's smash attack, its base damage is comparable to a diamond or a netherite sword, which are much easier to obtain.

The developers have thoughtfully designed this weapon to maintain balance among the various weapons and to add diversity. The mace is intended as a strategic option for potentially one-shotting strong mobs in planned attacks, rather than serving as the ultimate replacement for close-range combat.

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Comparing the attack power of the mace to other melee weapons

The mace vs the axe (Image via Mojang)

As mentioned, the mace in Minecraft is not a complete replacement for the sword or axe. Here is the damage per hit to see which weapon excels on paper:

	Mace	Netherite sword	Netherite axe	Trident
Java Edition	7	8	10	9
Bedrock Edition	8	9	8	9

In Minecraft Java Edition, the mace deals one point less damage than a netherite sword and three points less than a netherite axe, making it slightly weaker.

A slightly different trend is observed in the Bedrock Edition, where the mace is just as strong as a netherite axe but one point behind the netherite sword in terms of damage per hit.

The damage stats for the Trident are provided mainly to show how it compares to the mace. It is important to note that comparing them directly isn't entirely fair, as the trident also offers ranged attacks, a feature the mace lacks.

These figures further demonstrate that while the mace introduces a new fighting style where players continuously seek opportunities to strike from above, it is not a complete replacement for the sword or axe.