Bow




| Rarity tier |
Common |
|---|---|
| Attack damage |
|
| Durability |
384 |
| Enchantability |
1 |
| Renewable |
Yes |
| Stackable |
No |
{
"title": "Bow",
"rows": [
{
"field": "Common",
"label": "(link to Rarity article, displayed as Rarity tier)"
},
{
"field": "(values exceeds 1000 characters...)",
"label": "(link to Damage#Dealing damage article, displayed as Attack damage)"
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{
"field": "384 <sup class=\"noprint nowrap Inline-Template \" title=\"\">[<i><span title=\"This statement only applies to Java Edition\">(link to Java Edition article, displayed as JE) only</span></i>]</sup><br/>385 <sup class=\"noprint nowrap Inline-Template \" title=\"\">[<i><span title=\"This statement only applies to Bedrock Edition\">(link to Bedrock Edition article, displayed as BE) only</span></i>]</sup>",
"label": "(link to Durability article, displayed as Durability)"
},
{
"field": "1",
"label": "(link to Enchantability article, displayed as Enchantability)"
},
{
"field": "Yes",
"label": "(link to Renewable resource article, displayed as Renewable)"
},
{
"field": "No",
"label": "Stackable"
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"invimages": [
"Bow"
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"images": [
"Bow.png",
"Bow (Pull 0).png",
"Bow (Pull 1).png",
"Bow (Pull 2).png"
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A bow is a ranged weapon crafted with sticks and string that shoots arrows.
Obtaining
Crafting
| Ingredients | Crafting recipe |
|---|---|
| Stick + String |
Generated loot
| Item | Structure | Container | Quantity | Chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Java Edition | ||||
| Vault and reward chest | 1 | 10.4%{ "item": "Enchanted Bow", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.10434782608695647, "structure": "Trial Chambers", "container": "Vault and reward chest" }
| ||
| Bedrock Edition | ||||
| Vault and reward chest | 1 | 2.6%{ "item": "Enchanted Bow", "stacksize": 1, "chance": 0.02608695652173909, "structure": "Trial Chambers", "container": "Vault and reward chest" }
| ||
- ↑ a b Enchantment probabilities are the same as a level-5 to level-15 enchantment would be on an enchantment table that was able to apply treasure enchantments (except Soul Speed, Swift Sneak, and Wind Burst), and where the chance of multiple enchantments is not reduced.
Mob loot
Skeletons, strays, bogged and illusioners
Skeletons, strays, bogged and illusioners have an 8.5% chance of dropping a normal or enchanted bow on death when killed by a player or a tamed wolf.
The chance of dropping a bow is increased by 1% per level of Looting, allowing up to an 11.5% chance of dropping.
The chance of being enchanted depends on the difficulty level, but the random enchantment level (5–22) does not.
Bows of skeleton horsemen are always enchanted at a random level from 5 to 23. The exact level depends on regional difficulty, as on Easy it is always a level-5 enchantment.
Trading
| Villager | Probability | Villager wants | Player receives | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JE | BE | |||
| 100% | 100% | 2 × | ||
| 100% | 100% | 7–21 × | ||
- ↑ When creating an enchantment offer, the game uses a random enchantment level from 5 to 19. The enchantments are never treasure enchantments.
Fishing
Enchanted bows are obtainable through fishing, with a 0.8% chance per attempt. See fishing for more details. When caught, the bow may be damaged and contain random enchantments equivalent to a level 30 enchantment from an enchanting table, including treasure enchantments like Mending.
Usage
Weapon


Bows can be drawn back by using them. In order to use a bow, the player must have at least one arrow in their inventory or be in Creative mode. The arrow that is shown inside the bow always looks like a regular arrow, regardless of what kind of arrow is actually being shot from the bow.[1]
When drawing a bow, the display zooms in slightly. Charging the bow to its maximum causes it to visually shake as an indicator. Releasing the button shoots an arrow. Drawing a bow can be canceled by switching to another hotbar slot while holding use. Holding the bow at maximum charge for more than 72000 ticks (1 hour) results in the charge being reset without shooting an arrow.
While the bow is being charged or remains fully charged, the player is forced to move at sneaking speed, unless they are riding a horse, minecart or boat, or flying with elytra. It is not possible to sprint while charging a bow or holding a drawn bow. When the bow is released, normal motion resumes although any prior sprint is cancelled. Sneaking while drawing the bow makes the player move even slower.
If an arrow hits another player, the player that shoots the arrow hears a high-pitched "ding" sound.
Fully charged shots launch critical arrows that have a trail of particles behind them and deal up to damage, where is the damage after any enchantments. The listed values below describe maximum damage from a bow with no Power enchantments, assuming the target is at a distance where drag and gravity are negligible. The average damage of a shot at critical charge is around 9, as damage is dealt at a random value between and and it is rare to have minimum or maximum values. The damage dealt can ultimately be less than the maximum damage if the arrow slows down after being shot.
| Charging time | Attack damage |
|---|---|
| 1HP | |
| 5HP | |
| 6HP | |
| 6HP to 11HP × 5.5 |
The game stores the damage of arrows even in values with a decimal point. For example, it is possible for a critical arrow shot to cause damage values such as 6.4. In this case, the game can round up or down and store the amount for subsequent damage sources.
Any projectile thrown by the player is under the influence of momentum in current versions of Minecraft. Naturally, the player's movement speed can be modified under a number of circumstances, affecting the ballistic trajectory of projectiles, and as a result, the damage inflicted by arrows.
In Java Edition Combat Tests, to avoid sniping, arrows shot from fully-charged bows become non-critical if held drawn back for longer than three seconds. Instantaneous effects on tipped arrows are scaled by 1/8, just like the duration of other effects. For example, Instant Damage I arrow deals an additional 0.75HP × 0.375 magical damage.
Damage caused by the arrow is not affected by the Strength effect.
A few mobs cannot be shot using an arrow, because the arrow either disappears or it gets deflected. This includes:
- Endermen - even while immobile, the enderman is immune to damage from arrows;
- Breeze;
- Wither under half health, when it gains wither armor;
- Closed shulkers;
- Ender dragon, while sitting on top of the exit portal.
Also, a shield can block any attack from the bow.
Crafting ingredient
| Name | Ingredients | Crafting recipe | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dispenser | Cobblestone + + Redstone Dust |
The bow can be of any durability. Enchantments on the bow do not affect the resulting dispenser. |
Repairing
Combining
| Ingredients | Crafting recipe | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2× Damaged Bow | The durability of the two bows is added together, plus an extra 5% durability. |
| Ingredients | Grinding recipe | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2× Damaged Bow | The durability of the two bows is added together, plus an extra 5% durability. |
Unit repair
| Ingredients | Anvil recipe |
|---|---|
| Damaged | Bow
|
A bow can be combined with another bow in an anvil, preserving the enchantments of both.
Enchantments
Bows can receive several different enchantments and have a base enchantability of 1. Bow enchantments have no effect on arrow speed or the distance it travels. In Bedrock Edition if a bow is enchanted with any level 1 enchantment, it always gets Power I.
| Name | Description | Max Level | Method | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | Increases the damage dealt by bow-shot arrows. | V | 10 | |
| Punch | Increases the knockback dealt by bow-shot arrows. | II | 2 | |
| Flame | Ignites arrows, dealing fire damage to targets hit as well as igniting TNT and campfires. | I | 2 | |
| Infinity[note 1] | Stops the bow from consuming regular arrows when shot. | I | 1 | |
| Unbreaking | Grants a chance to negate durability consumption. | III | 5 | |
| Mending[note 1] | Repairs the bow when obtaining experience. | I | 2 | |
| Curse of Vanishing | The bow vanishes on death, not dropping as an item. | I | 1 |
A bow cannot be enchanted with Multishot in survival mode. However, when using commands to apply Multishot, the enchantment behaves as expected, allowing the bow to fire more arrows at once.
Fuel
A bow can be used as fuel in furnaces, smelting 1.5 items per bow in Java Edition or 1 item per bow in Bedrock Edition.
Arrows
As in real life, a flying arrow in Minecraft is affected by gravity. Its vertical speed is modified by one block downward every second, resulting in a parabolic flight path. An arrow slows down if shot through water, reducing its damage to near zero unless brought back into the air or otherwise given momentum.
Arrows that hit solid blocks become stuck and can be retrieved, unless the arrow was shot by a bow enchanted with Infinity, a player in Creative mode, or a mob.
An arrow shot through lava ignites, giving it the effect of the Flame enchantment, igniting any entity it hits. If not extinguished, the fire inflicts up to 4HP damage. Although a wither skeleton does not spawn naturally with a bow, it shoots flaming arrows if given a bow using commands.
On impact, an arrow can trigger a wooden pressure plate, target block, wooden button, or tripwire. Arrows cannot trigger stone pressure plates or stone buttons.
The player can choose the type of arrow to shoot based on its location in the inventory. Arrows in the off-hand, or the selected hotbar slot if the bow is in the off-hand, are prioritized first. If there are no arrows in the off-hand or selected hotbar slot then the arrow closest to slot 0 is selected.
Sounds
| Sounds | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound | Subtitles | Source | Description | Resource location | Translation key | Volume | Pitch | Attenuation distance |
| Arrow hits | Friendly Mobs | When an arrow impacts something | entity | subtitles | 1.0 | 12⁄11-4⁄3 | 16 | |
| Arrow fired | Players | When a bow shoots an arrow | entity | subtitles | 1.0 | 4⁄3-1.125 [sound 1] | 16 | |
| Player hit | Players | When an arrow shot by a player hits another player | entity | subtitles | 0.18 | 0.45 | 16 | |
| Item breaks | Players | When a bow's durability is exhausted | entity | subtitles | 0.8 | 0.8-1.2 | 16 | |
- ↑ Depends on how long the bow has been charging. uncharged bows give 5⁄6-0.625
| Sounds | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound | Source | Description | Resource location | Volume | Pitch |
| Players | When an arrow impacts something | random | 1.0 | 1.09-1.3 | |
| Players | When a bow shoots an arrow | random | 1.0 | 0.83-1.25 | |
| Players | When a bow's durability is exhausted | random | 1.0 | 0.9 | |
Data values
ID
| Name | Identifier | Form | Translation key |
|---|---|---|---|
bow | Item | item |
| Name | Identifier | Numeric ID | Form | Translation key |
|---|---|---|---|---|
bow | 300 | Item | item |
Achievements
| Icon | Achievement | In-game description | Actual requirements (if different) | Gamerscore earned | Trophy type (PS) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS4 | Other | ||||||
| Archer | Kill a creeper with arrows. | — | 10 | Bronze | |||
| Bullseye | Hit the bullseye of a Target block | — | 15 | Bronze | |||
| Dispense With This | Construct a Dispenser. | — | 20 | Bronze | |||
| Sniper Duel | Kill a Skeleton with an arrow from more than 50 meters. | Use a launched arrow to kill a skeleton, wither skeleton, or stray from 50 or more blocks away, horizontally. | 30 | Bronze | |||
Advancements
| Icon | Advancement | In-game description | Actual requirements (if different) |
|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Bullseye | Hit the bullseye of a Target block from at least 30 meters away | Be at least 30 blocks away horizontally when the center of a target is shot with a projectile by the player. |
![]() | Sniper Duel | Kill a Skeleton from at least 50 meters away | Receive kill credit for a skeleton that is at least 50 blocks away horizontally and is killed by a projectile. |
![]() | Take Aim | Shoot something with an Arrow | Using a or a crossbow, shoot a mob with an arrow, tipped arrow, or spectral arrow. |
Video
History
| Java Edition Classic | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 14, 2009 | Notch discussed how bows and arrows would work in Survival mode: "Bows and arrows can be made out of wood. To use it, select the bow from your inventory and make sure you’ve got some arrows. Click in front of you, and an arrow goes flying using real physics. To actually HIT something, aim above it." | ||||||
| 0.24 SURVIVAL TEST | The player did not need a bow to shoot arrows. Instead, Tab ↹ was used to fire arrows. However, arrows still had to be collected to shoot. Launching arrows this way was much slower than the bow that now fires them. | ||||||
| Java Edition Indev | |||||||
| 0.31 | 20100110 | ||||||
| 20100122 | |||||||
| Bows often fail to interact with objects, but instead shoot. This is due to the fact that shooting arrows is an instantaneous action. | |||||||
| At this point, bows have no durability, and can essentially be used infinitely. | |||||||
| Java Edition Alpha | |||||||
| v1.2.6 | Interacting with objects (door, chest, etc.) while holding a bow no longer shoots the arrow. | ||||||
| Java Edition Beta | |||||||
| 1.2 | Bows are now used to craft dispensers. | ||||||
| 1.8 | July 8, 2011 | Notch teased hold-to-charge bows. | |||||
| July 13, 2011 | Notch indicated that along with bow charging, he would add an achievement based around shooting a skeleton at 50 meters, eventually to be known as Sniper duel. | ||||||
| Pre-release | Bow behavior has been overhauled; they now need to be charged to fire. | ||||||
| Java Edition | |||||||
| 1.0.0 | RC1 | A fully charged arrow from a bow now consistently deals 9HP damage, with a rare chance of dealing 10HP. | |||||
| Bows now have a durability of 385 uses. | |||||||
| Bows no longer need arrows for ammo in Creative mode. | |||||||
| The bow can now be enchanted via console commands, but no enchantment affects it. | |||||||
| 1.1 | release | Bows can now be legitimately enchanted. Four enchantments have been added: Flame, Punch, Power, and Infinity. | |||||
| 1.2.1 | 12w06a | Skeletons now have a 2.5% chance of dropping a bow. One fifth of the time, this bow is enchanted with Power I (20%). | |||||
| 1.4.6 | 12w50a | Bows can now be enchanted with Unbreaking using an anvil and an appropriate enchanted book. | |||||
| pre | When a player hits another player from far away with a bow it makes a high pitched "dinging" sound. | ||||||
| 1.7.2 | 13w36a | Bows can now be obtained as a "treasure" item from fishing. | |||||
| Bows can now be enchanted with Unbreaking directly in an enchantment table without the use of an anvil. | |||||||
| 1.8 | 14w02a | Fletcher villagers now sell 1 bow for 2–3 emeralds. | |||||
| 14w25a | Drawing a bow immediately after hitting no longer continues the swinging animation.[2] | ||||||
| 14w30a | Bow placement when drawing back has been slightly changed. | ||||||
| 1.9 | 15w31a | When shooting, the arrows are no longer offset to the right of the crosshair. | |||||
| The bow in the hotbar now shows an arrow when being drawn. | |||||||
| Bows can now shoot an additional 14 types of arrows, selected based on the arrow type held in the off-hand or closest to slot 0. | |||||||
| Bows cannot be used in the off-hand. | |||||||
| 15w37a | The bow can now be used in the off-hand. | ||||||
| Bows now prioritize the selected hotbar slot for arrows if the bow is in the off hand. | |||||||
| When using the bow in the off-hand, the bow does do the animation, but does not aim at the target. | |||||||
| ? | Momentum now affects the physics of arrows fired from bows. | ||||||
| 1.10 | 16w20a | Bows are now used by strays and can now sometimes be obtained as a rare drop. | |||||
| 1.11 | 16w33a | Bows can now be used to fuel furnaces. | |||||
| 1.11.1 | 16w50a | Infinity and Mending are now mutually exclusive for bows. | |||||
| 1.12 | 17w16a | Bows are now used by illusioners and can now sometimes be obtained as a rare drop, although unenchanted. | |||||
| 1.13.1 | 18w30a | MC-88356: Fixed a bug: When using the bow in the off-hand, the bow does do the animation, but does not aim at the target. | |||||
| 1.14 | 19w11a | Fletcher villagers now sell enchanted bows for 7-21 emeralds, and unenchanted bows for 2 emeralds. | |||||
| 1.16 | 20w12a | Enchanted bows can now only be caught when fishing in open water like any other treasure item. | |||||
| 1.20.3 Experiment | 23w45a | Enchanted bows now generate in trial chambers in reward chests. | |||||
| 1.20.5 Experiment | 24w05a | Enchanted bows can now be ejected as loot from vaults. | |||||
| 1.20.5 | 24w09a | Multishot and Piercing enchantments now work on bows. | |||||
| Pocket Edition Alpha | |||||||
| v0.3.3 | |||||||
| v0.4.0 | Bows now have a durability of 385 uses. | ||||||
| Bows also now slow down the player while aiming. | |||||||
| v0.5.0 | Bows are now obtainable after activating the nether reactor. | ||||||
| v0.8.0 | build 1 | ||||||
| build 7 | Bows can now be used as fuel in a furnace. | ||||||
| v0.11.0 | build 1 | Bows can now be obtained as a "treasure" item from fishing. | |||||
| v0.12.1 | build 1 | Fully charged bows now cause particles. | |||||
| Bows can now be enchanted. | |||||||
| Bows obtained by fishing can now be caught enchanted. | |||||||
| Bows are no longer available from the nether reactor. | |||||||
| v0.15.0 | build 1 | Added strays, which are equipped with a bow that can rarely be dropped by them. | |||||
| Bows can now shoot an additional 14 types of arrows, selected based on the arrow type closest to slot 0. | |||||||
| Pocket Edition | |||||||
| 1.0.4 | alpha 1.0.4.0 | Bows can now be obtained by trading with a fletcher villager. | |||||
| 1.1.0 | alpha 1.1.0.0 | Added the Mending enchantment, which can now be applied to bows and is mutually exclusive to the Infinity enchantment. | |||||
| Arrows can now be placed in the offhand slot and bows now prioritize the arrows in that slot. | |||||||
| Bedrock Edition | |||||||
| ? | Momentum now affects the physics of arrows fired from bows. | ||||||
| 1.8.0 | beta 1.8.0.10 | Bows in the hotbar now show an arrow when being drawn. | |||||
| 1.10.0 | beta 1.10.0.3 | | |||||
| 1.11.0 | beta 1.11.0.4 | Fletcher villagers now sell unenchanted bows for 2 emeralds, and enchanted bows for 8 emeralds. | |||||
| 1.16.210 | beta 1.16.210.58 | Bows in first-person view is now held differently.[3] | |||||
| 1.17.0 | beta 1.17.0.52 | Bows are now held like it was before 1.16.210.58 beta.[3] | |||||
| 1.20.60 Experiment | Preview 1.20.60.20 | Enchanted bows now generate in trial chambers in reward chests. | |||||
| 1.20.70 Experiment | Preview 1.20.70.21 | Enchanted bows can now be ejected as loot from vaults. | |||||
| Legacy Console Edition | |||||||
| Xbox 360 | Xbox One | PS3 | PS4 | PS Vita | Wii U | Switch | |
| TU1 | CU1 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | Patch 1 | 1.0.1 | |
| TU5 | Bow behavior is overhauled; they now need to be charged to fire. | ||||||
| TU7 | Bows can now be enchanted. | ||||||
| TU31 | CU19 | 1.22 | 1.22 | 1.22 | Patch 3 | Bows can now be obtained as a "treasure" item from fishing. | |
| Bows can now be obtained by trading with a fletcher villager. | |||||||
| Drawing a bow immediately after hitting no longer continues the swinging animation. | |||||||
| TU46 | CU36 | 1.38 | 1.38 | 1.38 | Patch 15 | Bows can now shoot an additional 14 types of arrows, selected based on arrow type held closest to slot 0. | |
| Bows are now used by strays and can now sometimes be obtained as a rare drop. | |||||||
| Bows can also be drawn while holding arrows or tipped arrows. The bow is selected based on the closest bow to slot 0. | |||||||
| The bow in the hotbar now shows an arrow when being drawn. | |||||||
| Momentum now affects the physics of arrows fired from bows. | |||||||
| TU53 | CU43 | 1.49 | 1.50 | 1.49 | Patch 23 | 1.0.3 | Bows can no longer be drawn while holding an arrow or tipped arrow. |
| Bows can now be used to fuel furnaces. | |||||||
| TU54 | CU44 | 1.52 | 1.52 | 1.52 | Patch 24 | 1.0.4 | Infinity and Mending are now mutually exclusive for bows. |
Historical sounds:
| Sound | From | to | Pitch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.31 | Sound Update | 1.0 |
Data history
| Java Edition | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.13 | 17w47a | Prior to The Flattening, this item's numeral ID was 261. | |||||
Issues
Issues relating to "Bow" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.
Trivia
- Bows were left unchanged in the Texture Update.[4]
- Dinnerbone got the idea for the high-pitched "ding" sound from playing on a former PvP server called Project Ares.[5][6]
Gallery
Renders
-
An enchanted bow.
Screenshots
-
Using the bow. -
Drawback animation. -
Using a bow to hunt rabbits.
In other media
-
Bow in the Super Duper Graphics Pack.
References
- ↑ MC-87685 — Drawn bow texture does not reflect arrow to be shot — resolved as "Won't Fix".
- ↑ MC-201394
- ↑ a b MCPE-116741 — Holding and shooting bow position are incorrect — resolved as "Fixed".
- ↑ MC-168156 — Bow texture not changed in Texture Update and looks inconsistent with crossbow — resolved as "Works As Intended".
- ↑ "Also things I learnt from pvping today: Bows need to ding when you hit people (it's so much fun/rewarding!) & arrows don't render far enough" – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on X (formerly Twitter), December 15, 2012
- ↑ "Minecraft PvP with Dinnerbone & Docm77 - Team DocBone @ 11:52" – docm77 on YouTube, December 7, 2013
External links
- Taking Inventory: Bow – Minecraft.net on April 13, 2023

