Yo, PvP gang! Here are 10 weapons that each play totally differently, with scripted abilities and cooldowns shown live on your action bar. My tier list, loadouts and counters. Let's GO.
Damage check: vanilla swords hit iron 7, diamond 8, netherite 9. Heavy ones have a swing timer.
S TIER: the meta
- Backstab Dagger: 6 damage and no swing timer. The secret: hit someone from behind and you deal +7 bonus damage (13 total). Backstab recharges in 4 seconds.
- Parry Buckler (off hand): tap sneak to raise it. For 0.4 seconds you take zero damage, and if a melee hit lands in that window the attacker gets knocked back, Slowness III for 1.5s and Weakness for 3s. Cooldown 3s, or 5s after a parry.
- Grappling Hook: look at a block up to 28 blocks away and use it to get reeled in, with Slow Falling so you land clean (4s cooldown). Look at a player or mob within 14 blocks instead and you yank them to you (8s cooldown).
A TIER: strong picks
- Executioner Greatsword: 12 damage (3 more than netherite) with a 0.9s swing timer. Every hit also triggers Cleave: everyone else in a wide arc in front of you takes 6 damage and gets pushed back. Cleave recharges in 2.5s.
- War Hammer: 14 damage, the heaviest hitter here, with a 1.3s swing timer. Its ability Guard Crush: smack a player who is blocking with a shield and the shield gets knocked out of their hand into their inventory, plus 3 extra damage and Slowness II for 2s. 8s cooldown.
- Duelist Pike: 6 damage with a 5 block reach and a 0.8s swing timer. Sprint and hold use for a spear lunge. Ability Keep Back: a hit shoves the target far back so they can't close in (3s cooldown).
- Smoke Bomb: throw it and it pops into a smoke cloud for 6 seconds (about 8 blocks across). Everyone else inside is blinded. If YOU stand in your own smoke you get Invisibility and Speed. Stacks to 16.
B TIER: niche but nasty
- Throwing Knife: 4 damage per knife, 0.6s between throws, stacks to 16. Finish off runners.
- Burst Repeater: one use fires 3 arrows in a quick burst, one arrow from your inventory each, then a 3.5s reload. Each bolt hits lighter than a fully drawn bow.
THE MAIN EVENT: Duel Contract
Look at a player (12 blocks) and use it to challenge them. They have 15 seconds to use their own contract to accept. Then: 3, 2, 1 countdown (both slowed right down and unable to hurt each other), both healed to full and fed, FIGHT! The winner is announced in chat with their total duel wins. Leaving mid-duel counts as a forfeit.
Loadouts I actually run
- Assassin: Backstab Dagger + Parry Buckler in off hand + Smoke Bombs. Smoke, go invisible, backstab, parry the panic swing.
- Tank Buster: War Hammer + Grappling Hook. Hook the shield guy in and Guard Crush him.
- Zoner: Duelist Pike + Throwing Knives. Poke from 5 blocks, knife whoever walks in.
- Team Fight: Executioner Greatsword + Burst Repeater. Burst from range, then Cleave the pile.
Counters (read this before you rage)
- Dagger? Never show your back.
- Greatsword or Hammer? Punish the gap after their swing.
- Hammer? Don't turtle with a shield, parry instead.
- Buckler? Bait the parry, then go in during its cooldown.
- Smoke? Get out of the cloud, Blindness fades outside it.
- Pike? Get inside its reach, or hook them in.
HOW TO CRAFT (crafting table)
- Backstab Dagger: iron ingot top right, leather bottom left (fits 2x2).
- Executioner Greatsword: diamond top middle; middle row iron ingot, diamond, iron ingot; stick bottom middle.
- Duelist Pike: iron ingot top right, iron ingot middle right, stick in the centre, stick bottom left.
- War Hammer: top row iron block, iron ingot, iron block; two sticks down the middle column.
- Throwing Knife (gives 8): iron ingot top middle; middle row iron ingot, flint, iron ingot.
- Burst Repeater: crossbow in the centre, iron ingots left and right of it and in the top corners, redstone top middle, tripwire hook bottom middle.
- Parry Buckler: oak planks in the centre, iron ingots above, below, left and right.
- Grappling Hook: top row iron ingot, tripwire hook, iron ingot; string in the centre and string bottom middle.
- Smoke Bomb (gives 4): paper top middle and bottom middle; middle row gunpowder, coal, gunpowder.
- Duel Contract: 2x2 grid, feather and paper on top, paper and gold ingot below.
GG!
