Knowing the essentials to combat in Minecraft 1.20 Trails & Tales is an absolute necessity to survive in the unforgiving Minecraft world!
Whether you prefer close-range combat with Swords and Axes or being a marksman with an enchanted Bow – knowing what weapon to use is crucial. Fortunately, you have a ton of variety to choose from when selecting the best weapon for yourself.
There isn’t one undisputed winner when it comes to having combat effectiveness. However, 3 weapons particularly stand out when it comes to usefulness – and that’s exactly what we plan on covering for you today!
Most Powerful Weapon in Minecraft 1.20 – The Netherite Axe
A Netherite Axe is the most powerful weapon in Minecraft 1.20 Trails & Tales. One hit from the Axe deals 10 damage, which translates to 5 hearts worth of damage. The unenchanted version of the Axe is strong enough to kill mobs with a single hit!
It might come as a surprise, but the current strongest weapon in Minecraft is actually an Axe! This, however, is solely based on Damage. If we change our criteria to DPS (Damage Per Second) the Netherite Sword comes out to be the clear winner due to its decreased recovery time!
Nevertheless, the following table gives a detailed analysis of each variant of the Axe, as well as important values associated with them.
| Axe Type | Damage | DPS | Durability |
| Wooden | 7 | 5.6 | 59 |
| Gold | 7 | 7 | 32 |
| Stone | 9 | 7.2 | 131 |
| Iron | 9 | 8.1 | 250 |
| Diamond | 9 | 9 | 1561 |
| Netherite | 10 | 10 | 2031 |
2. Netherite Sword
Moving on to another fantastic weapon for your survival journey – the Netherite Sword is a brilliant option when choosing between speed and damage. Unlike the Netherite Axe, this weapon recovers quickly which translates to increased attack speed!
This also means that even though the Netherite Axe outperforms the Sword in terms of pure damage – the latter has a greater DPS (Damage Per Second) due to its increased attack rate. In those terms, the Netherite Sword turns out to be a better weapon than the Axe!
Considering durability – we have no clear winner since both of them have the exact same base stats (although an Axe would naturally wear out faster than a Sword).
The following table gives a detailed analysis of each variant of the Sword, as well as important values associated with them. Feel free to compare it with that of the Axe and see the difference for yourself!
| Sword Type | Damage | DPS | Durability |
| Wooden | 4 | 6.4 | 59 |
| Gold | 4 | 6.4 | 32 |
| Stone | 5 | 8 | 131 |
| Iron | 6 | 9.6 | 250 |
| Diamond | 7 | 11.2 | 1561 |
| Netherite | 8 | 12.8 | 2031 |
3. Infinity Bow
Bows are easily the most underrated weapons in Minecraft 1.20. They’re often overlooked because they fail to pack a punch (at least as big as that of Netherite weapons), but doing so would be a mistake.
The Bow can be an extremely effective weapon if used under the right circumstances – especially if you pair it with the correct enchantments. In this context, our best variant of a Bow is the one enchanted with ‘Infinity’.
An Infinity-enchanted Bow, or simply Infinity Bow, allows you to fire the same arrow repeatedly without it ever being consumed. This means that you’ll essentially have an endless supply of arrows (although you do need a minimum of 1 arrow for this to work).
You can further capitalize on this enchantment by creating an overpowered arrow with multiple status effects and using it with the Bow. The enchantment will prevent the arrow from being consumed – allowing you to fire it endlessly!
The table below gives a general overview of the different damage outputs of the Bow based upon its charging time.
| Charge Time | Max Damage |
| No (0.1 s) | 1 |
| Medium (0.2-0.9 s) | 5 |
| Full (1+ s) | 6 |
| Full + Critical | 11 |
Additionally, the added range and sniping capabilities provided by a Bow are unparalleled. Choosing the weapon thus provides an extra layer of security you otherwise wouldn’t have when selecting Netherite weapons.
Netherite Weapons Crafting Recipe
Getting your hands on the most powerful weapons in Minecraft 1.20 is a complicated task – and rightfully so! To obtain the first two Netherite weapons mentioned on this list, you’ll first have to find a Netherite Ingot.
These Ingots can be extremely difficult to gather, but fortunately for you, we’ve created a detailed step-by-step guide on how you can get them! You’ll also need a Diamond Axe/Sword, depending upon the weapon you’re trying to create. Both these items will combine together to create the fabled Netherite weapon!
Once you’ve collected a Netherite Ingot, follow these steps to create a Netherite weapon:
- Place down a Smithing Table and open it’s menu
- Insert your Diamond weapon in the left slot
- Insert the Netherite Ingot in the right slot
- Your Netherite weapon will pop up in the far-right slot of the Smithing Table
This completes our picks for the top 3 most powerful weapons in Minecraft 1.20 Trails & Tales. Let us know below if you agree or disagree with any of them!