Is the Minecraft Mace an OP Weapon? Here’s What I Think

As you probably know, mace is the new weapon added with the Minecraft 1.21 Tricky Trials update. It is extremely powerful and is able to one-shot every single mob in the game. Not only that, the mace makes players even more overpowered, thanks to its enchantments. But a pressing question remains: Is the Minecraft mace too powerful? Well, bear with me as I talk about just that and break my opinion down on this new weapon.

Let’s divide our opinion on the Minecraft mace into its pros and cons. That will help decide its actual utility in the game.

Minecraft Mace: The Good

1. Mace’s Damage Is Unlimited

The mace can pack a punch of infinite damage. The longer you fall, the higher the damage. The way the game calculates this is it adds 4 points of damage for the first 3 blocks, 2 points for the next 5 blocks, and 1 point for every single block fallen after that to the base mace stats, which is a total of 6 attack damage.

So essentially, if you fall from a rather high elevation, it’s possible to not only easily defeat all the Minecraft mobs and bosses but literally one shot them. I don’t need to tell you that sounds plenty overpowered to me.

2. Mace Enchantments are Powerful

The mace can be enchanted with a host of Minecraft enchantments, including mending, unbreaking, smite, bane of arthropods, density, breach, and wind burst. It cannot have sharpness or looting. The density enchantment increases the mace’s damage while falling, whereas the breach enchantment allows it to make armor less effective and wind burst launches you into the air upon landing a hit.

These three best mace enchantments are incredibly powerful both in single-player and multiplayer Minecraft worlds. With the combination of density and wind burst, you can repeatedly deal a ton of damage to your enemies and take them out quickly.

The breach on its maximum level can ignore 60% of the armor value, so even players with netherite armor aren’t safe. Though it is incompatible with density for balancing reasons.

Unbreaking makes it so the mace lasts for approximately 4 times longer and mending allows you to simply repair it with XP. The smite and bane of arthropods enchantments increase damage dealt to undead mobs and spiders respectively. Though, they are mutually exclusive with each other and also density and breach. So, out of these four damage-related enchantments, you can only have one on a mace at a time.

3. Mace + Elytra Combo Is Insane

The elytra allows you to very quickly rise in the air. It’s not really possible to use the elytra and gain a fall damage boost with the mace. Instead, you can drop on your target from the sky by positioning yourself above the target and swapping the elytra for the chestplate.

If you have the mace in your main hand and hit the target with it, you’ll deal a ton of damage and also survive. Then quickly swap the elytra back on and fly away.

Minecraft Mace: The Bad

1. Heavy Core Is Extremely Rare

Primarily, the mace in Minecraft requires two ingredients to be crafted:

The heavy core is the bottleneck here. You will likely spend a lot of time completing ominous trials and unlocking the ominous vaults.

In fact, since there is about an 8.3% chance of it being ejected, you will probably search several trial chambers before obtaining one of these items. So, the mace is probably achievable in the mid to late game for most players, only if they are determined to make it.

2. It’s Not Useful Everywhere

When you think about the mace, you think about the damage it can deal while falling. But what about the places where there’s no room to begin with? This makes the mace effectively useless in places with low ceilings, such as caves.

Moreover, underwater battles also make the mace pretty much behave like a worse version of an iron sword, so you won’t need it in raiding an ocean monument that’s for sure.

3. Mace Has a Learning Curve

Finally, let’s talk about the practicality of using the mace. The fact of the matter is that the mace is not easy to use. The point is to fall from a great height and deal a lot of damage with one blow, but hitting your target is quite a tricky task.

This is not only the case when the mob or player moves, but also if they are standing still. You need to accurately calculate the time you need to attack, similar to how water bucket clutch works. So, even though the mace is super OP technically, it’s also fairly difficult to use in Minecraft.

Is the Minecraft Mace Well Balanced?

Now that we have gone over all the pros and cons of mace in Minecraft, I feel I can answer my own question. In my opinion, yes, the mace is well-balanced. Its damage is not absurd in most gameplay situations where it’s easiest to use.

If you’d like to deal one crazy blow to your enemy, you will need to fall from a greater height, which may prove fatal if you’re inexperienced. Furthermore, enchantments do a great job of highlighting the mace’s true potential. They aren’t essential to use this weapon but complement its abilities.

I believe the mace received some amazing nerfs during beta tests and is now far less ridiculous now. I know many people loved the old OP version of this weapon, but personally, I believe it’s perfect now.

Does the Mace Fit into Minecraft Weapon Arsenal?

Most combat games host several different types of weapons. Those games usually include a heavy hammer-like weapon that’s super slow but deals a ton of damage. That’s the role the mace fills in Minecraft. There is no other weapon in Minecraft that behaves like that. As such, the mace is not redundant and only provides players with a different combat style opportunity.

In addition, the mace also makes sense for the game’s lore. It is heavy, strong and slow. It’s crafted with a rare item and possesses extraordinary powers. Do note that it’s only useful in the hands of a skillful player. So, if you want to master the mace, you’ll need to put in the effort. But if you do so, you’ll feel an incredible sense of accomplishment.

Mace is also one of the most satisfying features in the game. The animation, particles, and its polished state just make you fall in love with it. Having said that, the mace is a great addition to the game and the Minecraft 1.21 update will be forever remembered by it.

These were my thoughts on the mace in Minecraft. Though, I’d like to know what you think. Do you believe the mace is OP, balanced, or perhaps underwhelming in Minecraft? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!