Experimental Combat Snapshot v5

Hey hey!

In the past few months – while working hard on Buzzy Bees and the Nether Update – we have had a series of experimental snapshots for trying out new combat mechanics. The purpose of these is to find a new system that can unify the Java and Bedrock variants of combat. The goal is to have a fun and flexible system for Player-vs-Environment, (PvE, monsters and such) that also happens to work well in Player-vs-Player (PvP) scenarios.

The development of these snapshots have been in a slow-cooker on the side of the main updates. The new mechanics will be introduced in an official update some time in the future for all current editions of Minecraft. Until this happens, these are only available as manually installed snapshots in Java Edition. Please check below for installation instructions.

This is the fifth version of these snapshots. It’s based upon the 1.15.2 pre-release, but is not compatible with other versions of Minecraft. Make sure you back-up your worlds! You can follow the conversation around this, and previous versions, on the feedback site and reddit.

Overview of changes (compared to Java Edition):

• Attack rates are generally faster
• You are only able to attack when the attack timer has recharged
• The attack timer only resets when attacking (compared to switching items)
• You can keep pressing the attack button to continuously attack
• Weapons deal less damage overall
• Weapons now have different reach (tridents and hoes reach farther, axes reach less)
• Natural healing from food has been rebalanced (no more saturation boost)
• Projectiles are more accurate and don’t inherit the shooter’s momentum
• Experimental enchantment called “Chopping” for axes
• Many other smaller changes to tridents, snowballs, shields, and knockback mechanics

Read can read about all the changes over time in the Reddit posts: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (this one)

Installation instructions:

• Download this zip file
• Unpack the folder into your "versions" folder of your local Minecraft application data folder (see below if you are confused)
• Create a new launch configuration in the launcher and select the "pending 1_15_combat-6" version
• Start the game and the remaining files will be downloaded
• Play in a new world! This version is not compatible with other snapshots!

Finding the Minecraft application folder:

• Windows: Press Win+R and type %appdata%\.minecraft and press Ok
• Mac OS X: In Finder, in the Go menu, select "Go to Folder" and enter ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft
• Linux: ~/.minecraft or /home/<your username>/.minecraft/

FAQ

How can I help?

• Submit feedback on the feedback site or in the reddit post. We also appreciate it if you show us video clips explaining the problem or suggestion. It’s ok to just say you like it too, of course =)

Will this come to Bedrock?

• Yes.
  

When?

• Once we are happy and the community seems as happy as it can get, we will put the combat changes on the update roadmap for all editions. In other words, “eventually.”