How To Quick Swap In Minecraft

This tutorial will help you become familiar with dual wielding, a mechanic added in the Combat Update.

Note that dual-wielding in Boulder Edition is much more limited. Most items cannot be put into the off-hand slot.

Main hand & Off-hand [ ]

Yous can alter your principal hand in the options. This might be handy for players who are left-handed.

Before we begin the tutorial, it is of import to recognize these two terms: main mitt and off-hand. Past default, the primary hand is the player'due south right manus. Respectively, the actor'due south off-manus is their left hand. Keep in mind that there is an selection located in Peel Customization labeled "Main Manus" to swap the main hand and off-hand. This option may be helpful for players that are left-handed.

What is information technology? [ ]

Dual wielding is when you hold two weapons, i in each hand, during combat. Despite the fact that dual wielding is not widely practiced in real life, it is used in diverse action and role-playing games, and is by and large designed to provide the player more effectiveness or convenience in boxing. Dual wielding in Minecraft tin can be used in combat, but information technology also can exist used in other everyday activities, such equally building, mining, and eating. It does have a few major limits, but learning through them and applying dual wielding to applied use tin can give players a large boost in productivity and a greater advantage above other players in PvP combat in-game.

How to equip something to your off-mitt [ ]

diamond Axe — The off-hand slot is highlighted on the lesser-right corner of the role player avatar.

In the inventory, there is a slot on the bottom-correct side of the player avatar that looks like an outline of a shield. This is called the off-hand

hand slot. When you put something in it, you should meet it beingness held on your off-hand (your left hand on default). Your other paw should also announced on the screen in first person view (you should see two hands on the screen). You should also see an extra slot with the off-hand particular appear abreast your HUD hotbar; this should be on the opposite side of your main manus.

For easy equipping to the off-manus slot, printing F by default in Java Edition. This is configurable in the Controls settings. Using this, y'all tin quickly equip something into your off-hand slot in your inventory and switch between the items in your hotbar and off-hand.

How the off-hand is used [ ]

*"The employ key will throw the ender pearl, because the sword doesn't accept a 'utilise'."*

The off-hand tin can use the item it holds when in that location are no items in the primary hand, or the item held on the main mitt is not usable, e.yard. swords and pickaxes.

Arrows that are held on the off-hand take priority over arrows in whatsoever other slot when you shoot a bow. This allows yous to fire a specific arrow by selecting it using your off-manus. Conveniently, y'all tin exercise vice-versa and hold the bow on the off-paw with arrows selected on your principal hand. This also allows you to fire a specific arrow by selecting it using your principal hand.

If y'all accept a crossbow and some firework rockets, though, you can put the latter in the off-hand slot and (even if you take normal arrows) burn down just that.

Limitations [ ]

*"Attacking only swings my main manus. The off-hand tin can't exist used for attacking."*

"	Yous cannot dual wield weapons. Well, I mean, you lot could, just you tin only attack from your master arm and so it'll exist pointless.	„
	— Dinnerbone ^[1]

Though putting 2 weapons into your main and offhand is pretty useless equally stated, the Mending effect is nevertheless used, meaning yous can grind XP and repair tools.

Players cannot apply both hands at the same time, and there is ever a slight delay between using the main paw and off-hand. Thus you cannot instantly perform two actions together, such equally placing and breaking blocks simultaneously or shooting two bows at one time.

The chief mitt e'er takes priority when trying to use an detail. For instance, if you had stone in your main hand and dirt in your off-hand, y'all will always place the stone. The item in the off-hand volition just be used if the item in the main hand lacks a employ, or if information technology'due south belongings nothing. If the item in the main hand cannot be used due to certain circumstances, then the off-hand is used. For example, if you have a block equipped on the main manus and a snowball on the off-hand, face anywhere you cannot accomplish a block (e.g. into the sky), and then printing use, the snowball will be thrown instead of placing the block. This is because the cake cannot be placed anywhere, and and then your off-hand is used instead.

The master manus is also the only manus that tin striking or break, even if there are no items in the chief hand. This means that items in the off-hand lose their left-click office, making most weapons and tools unusable in the off-hand, with the exception of ones that have a use function.

Weapons that can be used on the off-hand in Java Edition:

Bow
Chicken egg s
Lingering Potion southward
Snowball s
Splash Potion s
Trident
Crossbow

Tools that can be used on the off-hand in Java Edition:

Arrow
Bucket
Ender Pearl
Fishing Rod
Flint and Steel
Hoe (utilize on clay to turn information technology into farmland)
Lead
Shears (use on a sheep to cutting off its wool or on a pumpkin to carve information technology)
Shield
Shovel (use on a grass cake, podzol, mycelium, dirt or coarse clay to turn it into a path)
Axe (use on a log or wood to turn information technology into a stripped log or stripped wood)
Torch
Firework Rocket
Potion south
Totem of Undying
Map

Tools that tin can exist used on the off-hand in Bedrock Edition:

Shield
Totem of Undying
Map
Pointer
Firework Rocket

Summary [ ]

Players tin can now utilise both hands to practice different deportment with the left and correct mouse buttons.
- For example, if a histrion has a pickaxe in their chief manus and a torch in their off-hand, right-clicking will identify the torch.
  - This happens because a pickaxe lacks a correct-click employ, and therefore the game tries to then treat the other item as if information technology's being right-clicked.
Players can put an item on the "off-hand slot" in their inventory to agree information technology on their off-manus.
- Information technology is distinguished past an outline of a shield like symbol.
- Pressing F (past default) will switch whatsoever item is selected in the hotbar with the item in the off-mitt (including no detail).
- The off-paw slot is displayed next to the HUD when it'south not empty (left for right-handed players and vice versa).
Simply the main hand tin be used for attacking or breaking.
- An exception is items which exercise damage upon using them, such as bows or splash potions.
Bows determine what type of arrow to shoot based on the role player's inventory and off-hand.
- Arrows in the off-paw take priority over arrows in any other slot.
  - Otherwise, the closest stack of arrows to the first slot is used.
- If the bow is in the off-hand, the selected hotbar slot takes priority.
- If there are multiple arrow types and none held on the off-hand or principal hand, the arrow on the beginning hotbar slot volition shoot commencement.
The off-mitt is invisible in first person view while it'due south empty.

Final note [ ]

Dual wielding a pickaxe in the main manus and a torch in the off-manus. This reduces the time lighting upwardly tunnels when mining.

Dual wielding is a useful addition to the game with many applications. It is entirely optional for players whether or not they want to utilize dual wielding; players can completely ignore the off-mitt slot and, with few exceptions aside, continue to play like information technology was before 1.9. Some players who employ dual wielding may experience efficiency and relief, but others may simply feel more setbacks. Some may just apply dual wielding to its minimal extent. Ultimately it is up to each player and their own style of playing to employ this mechanic into their gameplay.

Uses [ ]

Below is a list of practical dual wielding uses.

Category	Use	Principal Hand	Off-mitt	Description
Basic	Eating	Empty/ Tool/Weapon	Nutrient	Having food in your off-hand can cut a large amount of time in your gameplay. Simply holding right-click will consume the food in the off-hand slot, regardless of what item is in the principal manus, saving time as the thespian does not have to select the food in the hotbar. Food is not wasted as yous tin can't consume food when the Hunger Bar is total. Having your food in the off-hand as well frees a space on your hotbar, so you can put another item to use. Equipping a Golden Apple tree on your off-mitt allows you lot to quickly consume your apple earlier going immediately into gainsay with your opponent, but do annotation that yous tin consume a golden apple tree while your hunger is still full, then this method may be reserved until you are certain that yous will become into battle soon.
Basic	Teleporting	Empty/ Tool/Weapon	Ender Pearl/Chorus Fruit	Use ender pearl s in the off-mitt to escape a fight or travel long distances without having to switch between items in the hotbar. Chorus fruit southward can be used for teleporting in enclosed spaces or caverns.
Combat	Blocking	Sword/Axe	Shield	Equip a shield on the off-hand for protection while having a melee weapon equipped on the main to attack. Left-click to hitting and block attacks by right-clicking. Shields are unusable with ranged weapons like bows as they both crave right-clicking.
	Arrow swapping	Bow	Arrows	Any arrow south in your off-hand is used upwards first when yous burn your bow. Switch between different arrows by selecting them on the hotbar with the main manus and pressing `F` to swap them with the arrows in the off-manus.
	Pointer swapping (alternative)	Arrows	Bow	This alternative method works as well, since any arrow in your main hand (selected on the hotbar) is prioritized offset when you fire a bow with your off-hand. This method is actually more efficient as yous can simply scroll between the arrows in your hotbar to select your desired armament.
	Melee-ranged set	Sword/Axe	Bow	Yous can burn down a bow with your off-hand and hit mobs and players with your sword or axe at shut range, giving you authorisation throughout the unabridged battlefield. Additionally, mobs killed past the bow this way are afflicted by the sword'due south Annexation enchantment.
	Imbue/Cure effects	Weapon	Potions/Milk	Have a potion readily equipped on your off-hand to drink it and boost you lot with condition effects right before going to battle. Alternatively, have milk bucket s equipped instead to quickly cure yourself when you get inflicted with a harmful event.
	Heal easily	Weapon	Healing Detail	Healing items in your off-mitt similar Golden Apple south can apace exist used if your health is starting to drop. However, some situations will go out y'all vulnerable if you stop to eat or drink a healing item. Splash Healing potions are ideal if you lot are facing a lot of Undead mobs because it will heal you and damage the zombies attacking yous at the same fourth dimension.
	Automatic Revival	Anything	Totem of Undying	Have a Totem of Undying in your off-hand at all times means you will be instantly revived if you take fatal harm no matter what yous are doing. This is extremely important on Hardcore mode, as a sudden creeper explosion or fall could otherwise end your globe.
Construction	Pillaring with ladders	Ladder	A block	Ladder s tin can merely be placed next to a block, so your off-hand will place a cake on the footing first before you identify the ladder on it. Moving forwards while holding right-click will repeatedly place blocks and ladders while simultaneously climbing upwardly.
Construction	TNT destruction	TNT	Flint and Steel	Run around your objective while correct-clicking, and once y'all can't identify anymore or run out of TNT , you'll proceed to ignite each of them with the Flint and Steel .
Farming	Plowing and planting crops	Hoe	Seeds	Players can right-click and hold to hoe clay into farmland then instantly institute a seed on that block. Since seeds cannot be planted on anywhere else except farmland , players don't have to worry about accidentally misplanting elsewhere.
	Carved Pumpkins	Axe	Shears	Right-click to carve the pumpkin (with the shears ) then left-click to chop-chop harvest the cake (with the axe ).
	Bonemeal crops	Bonemeal	Seeds	If there is already a patch of farmland, players tin can institute seeds so instantly grow them to crops if they hold bone meal on their principal mitt with seeds on the off-hand. This also works the other mode effectually, as bonemeal cannot be used on empty farmland.
	Herding animals	Anything	Nutrient	Agree a specific food item on the off-hand to herd or breed animals, while freeing up the main hand to perform other tasks. Players can besides hold two different foods on each hand and effortlessly pb multiple types of animals.
	Breeding animals	Tools	Nutrient	Hold a specific food detail on the off-hand to breed animals, while using the main hand to perform tasks on the animals. For case shearing Sheep and breeding them simultaneously.
Data	Mini-map	Annihilation	Map	Map s held on the off-hand shrinks downwards to a mini-map that is displayed on the bottom-left or right corner of the screen. This is extremely helpful for players who want to record a map or bespeak themselves in the earth while performing other tasks with the main paw.
	Keeping time	Anything	Clock	Clock due south held on the off-hand can exist used to conveniently display the time on-screen.
	Tracking the spawn point or a lodestone	Anything	Compass	Compass es held on the off-mitt can be used to display the management of the spawn indicate or a lodestone.
Mining	Lighting up caves	Pickaxe	Torch	Having a torch in the off-hand saves a considerable amount of time by eliminating the need to switch back and forth from your pickaxe when lighting up dark caves. Information technology also saves a slot in the hotbar for some other item.
	Cooling lava pools	Pickaxe	Water Bucket	Players can rapidly dump and refill h2o higher up pools of lava with a H2o Bucket while mining in the lower levels of caverns without having to constantly switch their tools.
	Nether mining	Pickaxe	A block	Mining in the Under is dangerous enough, until the player encounters one-block lava pockets. Lava in the Nether flows much quicker than in the Overworld, and then players need to act fast when blocking it earlier it comes to contact. Having a block already equipped on your off-hand can potentially save precious seconds from a possible fiery death.
Transport	Flying	Any, simply wear an Elytra	Firework	While in the air, flying with an Elytra , firework s placed in the off-hand slot tin can save you lots of hassle, without having to switch items. Information technology can too save you a lot of reaction time equally well, such every bit when yous take fallen a slap-up height accidentally.