Multishot Enchantment: Three Arrows, One Cost
Multishot fires three crossbow projectiles for the cost of one arrow but uses 3 durability a shot. Fireworks, where to get it, and Multishot vs Piercing.
Multishot makes a crossbow fire three projectiles at once while using up only one. The two extra arrows fly out 10 degrees to each side of the center one. It has one level, goes only on crossbows, and conflicts with Piercing.
The details
- Ammo: one arrow or firework per shot. Tipped and spectral arrows get copied too.
- Durability: each projectile costs a point, so every shot uses 3 durability instead of 1. A Java crossbow has 465 durability (466 on Bedrock), so without Unbreaking a Multishot crossbow lasts about 155 shots. Unbreaking and Mending matter more here than on most weapons.
- Pickup: only the center arrow can be collected afterward.
- Same target: on Java, a mob can only be damaged by one arrow from a single shot. The other two bounce off it. So Multishot doesn’t triple your damage on one target, it spreads it across three.
Copied tipped arrows are the hidden bargain. One arrow of Slowness or Harming becomes three tipped arrows in flight, which makes Multishot a cheap way to spread potion effects across a group.
Fireworks
Multishot is at its best with firework rockets. Loaded with a firework star rocket, each shot sends out three explosive rockets, great for crowds of pillagers or a ravager in a raid. Be careful: firework explosions hurt you too if you shoot point blank.
Rockets without a firework star do no damage at all, so they’re useless as ammo. A one-star rocket hits for 5 to 6 damage and each extra star adds more, up to 11 to 18 with seven stars.
Getting it
Multishot rolls on the enchanting table for crossbows and comes on books from fishing, monster rooms and other chests. Its table weight is only 2, against 10 for Piercing, so a crossbow on the table rolls Piercing far more often. A librarian book is the reliable route: in default trading it costs 5 to 19 emeralds. The experimental Villager Trade Rebalance removes crossbow enchantments from trades.
Pillagers sometimes drop their crossbows, and these can be enchanted, but you can’t count on Multishot.
Multishot or Piercing?
| Multishot | Piercing | |
|---|---|---|
| Best against | Spread-out groups, raids | Mobs in a line, shields |
| Arrow use | 1 per shot, 1 recoverable | 1 per shot, all recoverable |
| Durability per shot | 3 | 1 |
| Fireworks | Triples them | No effect |
Our pick for a general crossbow is Multishot with Quick Charge III, Unbreaking III and Mending. If you mostly use tipped arrows, go Piercing so you can pick them back up. More detail in best crossbow enchantments.
Common questions
Is Multishot or Piercing better?
Multishot is better for crowds and firework rockets, since you hit a wider area. Piercing is better against lines of mobs and for reusing arrows, especially tipped ones. They can't be on the same crossbow.
Does Multishot use more arrows?
No, it uses one arrow per shot. It does use three durability per shot, and only the middle arrow can be picked up.
Sources & verification
Facts on this page are checked against these references and in-game behavior for the stated edition(s). how we verify.
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