Tutorials/Dual wielding

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

Main hand & off-hand


Before we begin the tutorial, it is important to recognize these two terms: main hand and off-hand. In default (and before 1.9), your main hand is your right hand. Respectively, your off-hand is your left hand. Keep in mind that there is an option located in Skin Customization labeled Main Hand to swap your main hand and off-hand. This option may be helpful (or handy) for players with left-handedness.

What is it?
Dual wielding is when you hold two weapons, one in each hand, during combat. Despite dual wielding not widely practiced in real life, it is used extensively in various action and role-playing games, and is generally designed to provide the player more effectiveness and convenience during battles. Dual wielding in Minecraft can be used in combat, but it also can be used in other everyday activities, such as building, mining, and eating. It does have a few major limits, but learning through them and applying dual wielding to practical use 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-hand


In the inventory, there is a slot on the bottom-right side of the player avatar that looks like an outline of a shield. This is called the off-hand slot. When you put something in it, you should see it being held on your off-hand (your left hand on default). Your other hand should also appear 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 item appear beside your HUD hotbar; this should be on the opposite side of your main hand.

For easy equipping to the off-hand slot, press by default. This is configurable in the Controls settings. Using this, you can quickly equip something into your off-hand slot in your inventory and switch between the items in your hotbar and off-hand. Practice using this key until you are able to fluently swap between items in your hotbar and your off-hand.

How the off-hand is used


The off-hand can (right-click) the item it holds when there are no items in the main hand, or the item held on the main hand is not usable (not right-clickable), e.g. swords and pickaxes.

Arrows that are held on the off-hand take priority over arrows in any other slot when you shoot a bow. This allows you to fire a specific arrow by selecting it using your off-hand. Conveniently, you can do vice-versa and hold the bow on the off-hand with arrows selected on your main hand. This also allows you to fire a specific arrow by selecting it using your main hand.

Limitations


Players cannot use both hands at the same time, and there is always a slight delay when using the main hand and off-hand. Hence, you cannot instantly preform two actions together, such as placing and breaking blocks simultaneously or swinging two swords at once.

The main hand always takes priority when trying to an item. For example, if you had stone in your main hand and dirt in your off-hand, you will always place the stone. The item in the off-hand will only be used if the item in the main hand lacks a use, or if it's holding 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 hand and a snowball on the off-hand, and then right-click towards an empty void, the snowball will be thrown instead of placing the block. This is because the block cannot be placed anywhere, and so your off-hand is used instead.

The main hand is also the only hand that can or  (left-click), even if there are no items in the main hand. This means that the off-hand cannot left-click with an item. This makes most weapons and tools unusable in the off-hand, with the exception of ones that have a right-click function.

Weapons that can be used on the off-hand:


 * s
 * s
 * s
 * s

Tools that can be used on the off-hand:


 * (e.g. right-click on dirt to turn it into farmland)
 * (right-click on a sheep)
 * (right-click on a grass block to turn it into a path)
 * (e.g. right-click on dirt to turn it into farmland)
 * (right-click on a sheep)
 * (right-click on a grass block to turn it into a path)
 * (right-click on a grass block to turn it into a path)
 * (right-click on a grass block to turn it into a path)

Summary

 * Players can now use both hands to do different actions with the left and right mouse buttons.
 * For example, if a player has a pickaxe in their main hand and a torch in their off-hand, right-clicking will place the torch.
 * This happens because because a pickaxe lacks a right-click use, and therefore the game tries to then treat the other item as if it's being right-clicked.
 * The player cannot click both buttons at the same time.
 * Players can put an item on the "off-hand slot" in their inventory to hold it on their off-hand.
 * It is distinguished by an outline of a shield like symbol.
 * Pressing (by default) will switch whatever item is selected in the hotbar with the item in the off-hand (including no item).
 * The off-hand slot is displayed next to the HUD when it's not empty (left for right-handed players and vice versa).
 * Only the main hand can be used for attacking or breaking.
 * An exception is items which do damage upon them, such as bows or splash potions.
 * Bows determine what type of arrow to shoot based on the player's inventory and off-hand.
 * Arrows in the off-hand 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 main hand, the arrow on the first hotbar slot will shoot first (how it used to be ordered before 1.9).
 * The off-hand is invisible in first person view while it's empty.

Final reminder
Dual wielding is a useful addition to the game with many applications. There is one more thing players should realize: dual wielding is not required. It is entirely optional for players whether or not they want to utilize dual wielding; players can completely ignore the off-hand slot, and with few exceptions aside, continue to play like it was before 1.9. Some players who use dual wielding may experience efficiency and relief, but others may just experience more setbacks. Some may only use 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
Here are simple and practical uses for dual wielding.