Taking Inventory: Mace

Maces can be swung, just like a sword. Any creature you hit will suffer 6 damage – about the same as an iron sword. But their weight means they’re slow – it takes almost two seconds to recover your strength afterwards. 

But here’s the fun bit. When you hit something while falling, you’ll do a “smash attack” – causing bonus damage depending on how far you fell before you hit it. Even better, you’ll then take no fall damage yourself. Fall two blocks and you’ll deal 14 damage. Fall nine blocks and you’ll deal 29 damage. Fall 100 blocks and you’ll deal... *gets out the calculator*... a whopping 120 damage.

It gets better. Maces have a bunch of exclusive enchantments – they can be enchanted with Density, which increases the damage dealt per block fallen, Breach, which reduces effectiveness of armor on the target, and Wind Burst, which will launch you upwards when you successfully execute a smash attack, allowing you to land on your target over and over again. You won’t find that last one in an enchanting table, you’ll need to get an enchanted book from an ominous vault instead. 

Weapons that can be described as “something heavy on a stick” have a long and rich history in the real world – going back at least 12,000 years. They’ve been found in stone age gravesites, often carved into ceremonial shapes, or inscribed with the names of kings.

Like in Minecraft, maces rely on momentum to cause damage. That’s why they’ve historically been more popular with cavalry than foot soldiers. But they also have an advantage when your opponent is heavily armored – chain mail will stop an edged weapon very effectively, but it does nothing against the bludgeoning of a blunt mace.

Maces fell out of favor as a combat weapon when guns became more popular, in the same way that swords did. But like swords, they’re still used in ceremonial functions today. Many parliaments around the world use a ceremonial mace to indicate that the chamber is in session, which is removed when the session ends. They’re also often seen in processions and parades.

A Minecraft mace might not always be the best option to whip out when you’re battling a crowd of zombies, but in a situation where you can get the drop on your opponent? Well, all I can say is “look out below!”