In Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.11, craft a spear with two sticks placed diagonally and one material in the top-right slot of a crafting table. The weapon has two attacks: Jab is a quick, lower-damage attack with knockback and multi-target potential, while Charge is a held-and-released attack whose damage depends on the spear material, your view angle, and the velocities of you and your target. Spears reach farther than ordinary melee weapons, but targets that are too close fall inside the spear’s minimum range and take no damage.
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What the spear is in Minecraft Java 1.21.11
The spear arrived as a tiered weapon in Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.11. Available versions are Wood, Stone, Copper, Iron, Gold, Diamond and Netherite. The first six are crafted directly; Netherite is an upgrade of a Diamond Spear rather than a separate crafting recipe.
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Material affects attack timing, and the Charge attack responds to movement. The spear is therefore not simply a sword with a longer hitbox: choosing a tier involves balancing cooldown behavior, durability and how you intend to use movement during combat.
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How to craft every standard spear
The exact crafting-table arrangement
- Open a crafting table.
- Put a stick in the center slot.
- Put a second stick in the bottom-left slot.
- Put the material for your spear in the top-right slot.
- Take the resulting spear from the output slot.
The two sticks must run diagonally from the top-right area toward the bottom-left. A vertical stick arrangement does not make a spear; it produces a shovel instead.
| Top-right material | Result | How it is obtained |
|---|---|---|
| Plank | Wooden Spear | Use the recipe’s plank material. |
| Stone-tier block | Stone Spear | Use the recipe’s stone material. |
| Copper Ingot | Copper Spear | Place one Copper Ingot in the top-right slot. |
| Iron Ingot | Iron Spear | Place one Iron Ingot in the top-right slot. |
| Gold Ingot | Gold Spear | Place one Gold Ingot in the top-right slot. |
| Diamond | Diamond Spear | Place one Diamond in the top-right slot. |
The material goes in only one slot, while the two sticks supply the shaft. If the output is a shovel, check both stick positions before changing materials.
How to make a Netherite Spear
There is no direct Netherite Spear recipe. Start with a Diamond Spear and upgrade it in a Smithing Table using a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template and a Netherite Ingot.
- Obtain a Diamond Spear.
- Open a Smithing Table.
- Place the Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template in the template slot.
- Place the Diamond Spear in the equipment slot.
- Place a Netherite Ingot in the material slot.
- Collect the Netherite Spear from the result slot.
The cited Java notes describe the upgrade as primarily improving durability and resistance to being destroyed by fire or lava. They do not describe a separate melee-performance increase for the Netherite version, so do not assume that upgrading automatically gives a new fixed damage value or a different Charge formula.
Jab: the spear’s quick attack
Press the primary attack button to use Jab. Mojang describes it as a low-damage attack with knockback, a material-dependent cooldown and the ability to hit multiple enemies. It is the spear’s practical close-to-mid-range attack when you need a fast response rather than a movement setup.
- Damage profile: lower damage than the weapon’s more deliberate Charge attack.
- Control: applies knockback and can affect multiple enemies.
- Timing: cooldown changes with spear material.
- Blocks: Jab does not destroy blocks.
Because Jab uses a cooldown, repeated clicks are not equally effective. Let the attack recover according to the spear’s timing instead of assuming that rapid clicking produces full-strength hits.
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Charge: damage, movement and the three stages
How to perform Charge
- Face the target.
- Hold the secondary-use button.
- Build or maintain movement while keeping your view on the target.
- Release the button to trigger the attack.
Charge is not governed by one universal damage number. Mojang states that “Damage is based on Spear material, the player’s view angle, and the velocity of both the player and the target.” A stationary player looking at a target and a moving player meeting a moving target can therefore produce different results with the same spear.
Engaged
At sufficient speed, the Engaged stage can damage and knock back an enemy and can dismount a mounted enemy. This is the stage to seek when you want Charge to do more than register a hit: speed and a clean approach can turn the attack into displacement or a mount-breaking opening.
Tired
Tired Charge can still damage and knock back, but it no longer represents the fully effective movement state. If your approach loses speed before release, expect this reduced result rather than the Engaged behavior.
Disengaged
Disengaged Charge deals damage without knockback or dismounting. It is useful when you can complete the held attack but do not have the speed or engagement conditions needed to move the target.
Why aim and spacing matter
View angle is part of the damage calculation, so a glancing or poorly aligned release is not equivalent to facing the target squarely. Spacing matters in the opposite direction: the spear’s long reach does not eliminate its minimum range. An enemy pressed against you can be too close to hit, even though the same enemy would be vulnerable a short distance away.
How much damage does a Minecraft spear do?
There is no single authoritative damage number that applies to every spear attack. Charge damage varies with material, view angle and the relative velocities of the player and target. Jab has its own lower-damage behavior and a material-dependent cooldown rather than a universal timing.
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That makes a simple “spear damage” table misleading. The useful questions are:
- Which material gives the timing you want for Jab?
- Can you maintain spacing so the target is not inside minimum range?
- Can you control your approach and aim well enough to make Charge movement count?
- Do you need knockback or a dismount, or only a damage event?
Use Jab when reliability and multi-target knockback matter. Use Charge when you can manage distance, direction and velocity. Treat any damage number shown by an unofficial calculator as conditional unless it specifies the spear material, attack, angle and movement state.
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Spear tiers compared
All seven tiers share the same broad attack model, but material changes timing and the overall equipment trade-off. The official notes specifically state that Wooden Spears have the fastest cooldown and Netherite Spears the slowest. Exact durability values and a fixed ranking for every Charge outcome are not stated in the cited notes, so they should not be presented as a universal numeric chart.
| Spear tier | Jab timing | Durability information established here | Charge consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood | Fastest cooldown | Exact value not stated | Material participates in Charge damage calculation. |
| Stone | Material-dependent; slower than Wood is not quantified here | Exact value not stated | Material participates in Charge damage calculation. |
| Copper | Material-dependent | Exact value not stated | Material participates in Charge damage calculation. |
| Iron | Material-dependent | Exact value not stated | Material participates in Charge damage calculation. |
| Gold | Material-dependent | Exact value not stated | Material participates in Charge damage calculation. |
| Diamond | Material-dependent | Exact value not stated | Material participates in Charge damage calculation. |
| Netherite | Slowest cooldown | Upgrade primarily improves durability and fire/lava item resistance | Upgrade does not establish a separate melee formula in the cited notes. |
In practice, Wood is the timing choice if you value the fastest Jab cycle. Netherite is the durability and survival choice, especially where fire or lava can destroy dropped equipment. Diamond is the required base for the Netherite upgrade. For Charge, your movement and aim can matter as much as the tier choice, so a slower or more durable spear is not automatically the best weapon for every encounter.
Which spear should you use?
For fast repeated Jab attacks
Choose Wood if the fastest stated cooldown is your priority. This does not turn Jab into a high-damage attack; it simply gives the shortest material timing identified by Mojang.
For movement-focused Charge combat
Choose a material you can afford and practice with, then focus on approach speed, view alignment and spacing. Charge’s formula includes all three combat variables, so execution determines the result. Engaged Charge is the goal when you need knockback or a dismount.
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For long-term survival equipment
Netherite is the upgrade path when durability and resistance to fire or lava item loss matter more than a new melee effect. Remember that it requires a Diamond Spear, a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template and a Netherite Ingot.
For crowded fights
Jab’s ability to hit multiple enemies and apply knockback makes it the safer control tool when several mobs are within the spear’s attack area. Keep enough distance to avoid the minimum-range dead zone.
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Spears accept the enchantments usable on swords, with one important exception: Sweeping Edge is not compatible. They also accept Lunge, an enchantment exclusive to the spear.
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|---|---|---|
| Sword-compatible enchantments | Generally compatible | Use the sword enchantments that fit your damage, durability or utility priorities. |
| Sweeping Edge | Not compatible | Do not plan a spear build around this sword enchantment. |
| Lunge | Spear-exclusive | Works with Jab and propels the player horizontally in the view direction. |
Lunge levels and hunger cost
Lunge is a mobility choice, not a Charge damage multiplier. It works only with Jab and moves you horizontally in the direction you are looking.
- Lunge I: costs 1 hunger point per use.
- Lunge II: costs 2 hunger points per use.
- Lunge III: costs 3 hunger points per use.
You need at least six hunger points for Lunge to work. It does not function in water or while flying with an Elytra, and the official Java notes state that each use costs one durability. Those costs make Lunge powerful for land-based repositioning but expensive for constant travel or low-food situations.
Building an enchantment plan
Start with the role you actually play:
- General combat: prioritize compatible sword enchantments that improve the spear’s ordinary use, survivability or utility.
- Mobility and gap closing: add Lunge if you can keep at least six hunger points and accept its hunger and durability costs.
- Water combat: do not depend on Lunge, because it is disabled in water.
- Elytra travel: do not select Lunge for aerial movement; it is disabled while flying with an Elytra.
Never treat Sweeping Edge as an available option, and do not transfer assumptions from trident-only enchantments to the spear.
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Where spears can appear as loot
Crafting is not the only way to obtain one. The official notes list these chest sources:
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| Location | Spear types listed |
|---|---|
| Buried Treasure | Iron Spears |
| Village Weaponsmith chests | Copper and Iron Spears |
| Ocean Ruin chests | Stone Spears |
| Bastion Remnants | Diamond Spears |
| End Cities | Diamond Spears |
Loot availability does not replace the recipe for a specific tier. If you need a Wood, Gold or Netherite Spear, crafting or upgrading remains the relevant route described above.
Practical combat routine
- Check distance first. Back away from an enemy that is touching you so it is not inside the spear’s minimum range.
- Choose the attack. Use Jab for a quick, lower-damage hit with knockback or multi-target potential; use Charge when you can control movement and aim.
- For Charge, face the target before releasing. View angle is part of the damage calculation.
- Preserve speed for Engaged Charge. A fast approach can add knockback and dismount capability; losing speed can leave you in Tired or Disengaged behavior.
- Reset your spacing after the hit. The spear’s reach is an advantage only while the enemy remains outside the minimum-range gap.
- Monitor hunger and durability when using Lunge. Lunge consumes hunger according to its level and one durability per use, and it is unavailable in water or Elytra flight.
Common problems and fixes
“My recipe makes a shovel.”
Move the sticks to the diagonal positions: one in the center and one in the bottom-left, with the material in the top-right. A vertical stick pattern is the shovel recipe.
“My spear does nothing at point-blank range.”
Move back. The spear has a minimum effective range, so a target that is too close takes no damage even though the weapon reaches farther than ordinary melee weapons.
“Charge damage changes from hit to hit.”
That is expected. Charge uses spear material, view angle and both combatants’ velocities, so different approaches and release angles produce different outcomes.
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“Charge damages but does not knock the enemy back.”
The attack may have been Disengaged, or it may not have reached the speed needed for Engaged behavior. Tired Charge can damage and knock back, while Disengaged Charge damages without knockback or dismounting.
“Lunge will not activate.”
Check the conditions: Lunge requires at least six hunger points, works only with Jab, and is disabled in water and during Elytra flight. It also consumes one durability each time it succeeds.
“I cannot add Sweeping Edge.”
That is a compatibility rule, not an anvil error. Spears accept sword-usable enchantments except Sweeping Edge, plus the spear-exclusive Lunge enchantment.
Quick Recap
Key takeaways
- Craft a standard spear with two diagonally placed sticks and one material in the top-right slot.
- Upgrade a Diamond Spear in a Smithing Table to make Netherite; Netherite is not crafted directly.
- Jab is the quick, lower-damage, knockback-capable attack and can hit multiple enemies.
- Charge damage has no universal fixed number because material, view angle and both combatants’ velocities affect it.
- Engaged Charge can knock back and dismount mounted enemies; Tired can damage and knock back; Disengaged damages without those effects.
- Long reach does not help against a target inside the spear’s minimum range.
- Wood has the fastest stated cooldown and Netherite the slowest; exact durability figures are not established here.
- Spears take sword-compatible enchantments except Sweeping Edge, and Lunge adds hunger-costing Jab mobility.
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