Highlights

  • Mojang's upcoming 1.21 update for Minecraft presents the perfect opportunity to introduce spears into the game's combat system.
  • The addition of spears would bridge the gap between close-range and long-range weapons, offering players new strategic options.
  • With a focus on crafting, combat, and exploration in the 1.21 update, spears could enhance the player's experience against new foes and challenges.

With Mojang advising players that the upcoming 1.21 update for Minecraft will focus on combat adventures, one particular type of weapon that has been missing from the base game has the perfect opportunity to make its official debut. Despite being among some of the most recognizable kinds of weapons alongside the likes of a bow and arrow or a sword, Minecraft has continued to overlook the potential of introducing spears to the game's combat system. But aside from fan-made mods, spears are still missing from the base game, while Minecraft's more unusual weapons find their way into the game first, such as crossbows and tridents.

But given that Mojang has assured players that Minecraft's 1.21 update will focus on crafting and combat, it seems this next update would be the ideal time to finally correct this oversight. Thanks to 2023's Mob Vote, Mojang has already inadvertently confirmed the possibility of extending a player's reach with in-game items, something that has created a niche only a spear could fill. With new Trial Chamber structures and Breeze mobs revealed to be part of Minecraft's next update, as well as its apparent focus on expanding the use of copper, Mojang has everything it needs for the long overdue introduction of spears.

Minecraft Trial Spawner
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Minecraft 1.21 Might Be the Perfect Time to Add One New Enemy Type

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Spears Could Be Perfect For Minecraft's Combat Adventures in 1.21

The last dedicated update that Minecraft's combat received was back in 2016 with the name 1.9 Combat Update, a somewhat controversial change to a core part of the game that introduced new features and mechanics, such as off-hand item slots, attack cooldown timers, and hunger saturation. The mixed reception to this update could be one reason why Mojang has generally avoided revisiting Minecraft's combat, as future updates focused on expanding its gameplay through new biomes, mobs, and blocks instead. But after eight years, Mojang finally seems ready to tackle and let Minecraft's combat shine with a proper adventure experience.

How Minecraft's 1.21 Update Could Introduce Spears

Due to Minecraft's current choice of weapons types being limited to close-range swords and axes and long-range bows, crossbows, and tridents, this does leave a potential gap between the two that a spear would suit. Without letting the scrapped crab claw's extended reach go to waste, a new spear weapon could give players extra breathing room when fending off Creepers or Pillager Raids while balancing it with inflicting less damage. Moreover, with its similarities to Minecraft's trident, the spear could also be used to attack in two ways between close-quarters combat and thrown at a distance.

Minecraft Combat Against Mobs In A Trial Chamber

Much like other tools and weapons, the durability of the spear might take inspiration from Minecraft's 1.21 current theme around copper, especially now that the ore is far more abundant following Caves and Cliffs: Part 2. Much like crafting arrows from flint instead of the traditional metals used in the player's other gear, spears could become the first weapon created using copper. This would provide justifications for both the spear's potentially weaker durability and its connection to 1.21's expanded use of copper, but ultimately offers players a safer strategy for dealing with hostile mobs despite the high risk of a spear breaking mid-combat.

Why Minecraft's 1.21 Update Should Introduce Spears

Beyond the prospective relationship with copper as part of the next Minecraft update, the mid to long-range capabilities of a spear may also suit 1.21's upcoming Breeze mobs and Trial Chamber structures. Given that Breezes can repel projectiles and deal high knockback damage to the player, adding a spear into the mix would "teach" players how to deal with the mob. Since players might struggle to get close enough to attack the Breeze before being knocked back and a thrown spear wouldn't hurt it, the extended range of the spear itself would demonstrate the weapon's usefulness all while adding a new layer to Minecraft's combat.