Java Edition Combat Tests

Combat Tests refers to multiple "snapshots" released with changes related to combat, which is currently in development. Six snapshots have been already released on Reddit, but they are not found in the launcher. While these snapshots are development versions for a future version, they are forks of 1.14.x, 1.15.x and 1.16.x releases and do not contain any features past the version it was forked from. These changes will be added to the main game when the new combat system is finalized.

Currently, they are only in Phase 1. When Phase 2 begins, there will be fewer system changes and more focus on number balancing, as well as focusing and balancing mobs.

Gameplay

 * Combat
 * New attribute: generic.attack_reach.
 * Represents the attack reach of a player.
 * Only used by players.
 * Default base: 2.5 ; minimum: 0.0 ; maximum: 6.0.
 * Value is the number of blocks away the player can attack from.
 * Weapon modifier now modifies generic.attack_reach with Operation 0 and UUID 26cb07a3-209d-4110-8e10-1010243614c8.
 * Added a "Combat Reach" parameter (using attribute generic.combat_reach ) to swords, hoes and tridents.


 * Enchantments
 * Added the Cleaving enchantment for axes.
 * Adds damage and 0.5 seconds of shield stunning per level.
 * Maximum level in survival is 3, though the effects continue scale as expected if higher levels are applied with commands.


 * Shields
 * Added a "Shield Indicator" option that displays when the shield is active, similar to the (now removed) attack indicator.
 * Found in video settings, the available options are "OFF," "Crosshair," or "Hotbar."
 * Added an option to enable or disable the use-shield-on-crouch.
 * Located in the Accessibility menu.
 * Only works when in the off-hand.

Items

 * Axes
 * Increased attack speed for all axes to 2 (0.5 seconds), was 0.8 (1.25 seconds) for wooden and stone axes, 0.9 (~1.11 seconds) for iron axes, and 1 (1 second) for gold, diamond, and netherite axes.
 * All axes are weaker and deal more damage than their sword counterparts.
 * Wooden and gold:, was.
 * Stone:, was.
 * Iron:, was.
 * Diamond:, was.
 * Netherite:, was.
 * Always disable shields for 1.6 seconds, instead of having a 25% chance to disable them for 5 seconds.
 * Now use 1 durability when attacking instead of 2.
 * Can no longer receive combat enchantments such as Sharpness, Smite and Bane of Arthropods without using an anvil.
 * Nerfed attack reach 2.5, was 3.
 * Now are able to receive the Sweeping Edge enchantment, performing sweep attacks.
 * All tools can have Sweeping Edge actually with commands or creative now, but axes can get it on survival.


 * Eggs
 * Now have a cooldown of 4 ticks.


 * Hoes
 * Changed the attack speed for most hoes:
 * Wooden: 2 (0.5 seconds), was 1 (1 second).
 * Gold: 3.5 (~0.29 seconds), was 1 (1 second).
 * Stone: 2.5 (0.4 seconds), was 2 (0.5 seconds).
 * Diamond and netherite: 3.5 (~0.29 seconds), was 4 (0.25 seconds).
 * Changed the attack damage for all hoes:
 * Wooden, gold, stone, and netherite:, was.
 * Iron and diamond:, was.
 * Buffed attack reach to 3.5 blocks, was 3.


 * Pickaxes
 * Increased attack speed for all pickaxes to 2.5 (0.4 seconds), was 1.2 (0.83 seconds).
 * Changed the attack damage for some pickaxes:
 * Wooden and gold:, was.
 * Netherite:, was.
 * Reach nerfed down to 2.5, was 3


 * Shield
 * Removed warm-up delay from shields (0.25 seconds activation cooldown).
 * When in the off-hand, shields will activate when sneaking.


 * Crouching player can't perform 200% attacks


 * Shields do not knockback attackers when they block.
 * The arc of available protection has been decreased to 100 degrees instead of 180 degrees (i.e., attacks from outside this arc of 100&deg; will not be blocked).
 * Now only block attacks of
 * Attacks which causes of above are not blocked totally and cause knockback.
 * Shields now grant knockback resistance against attack stronger than 5.
 * Shields now grant knockback resistance against attack stronger than 5.


 * Shovels
 * Increased attack speed for all shovels to 2 (0.5 seconds), was 1 (1 second).
 * Decreased damage for all shovels.
 * Wooden and gold:, was.
 * Stone:, was.
 * Iron:, was.
 * Diamond:, was.
 * Netherite:, was.
 * Reach nerfed down to 2.5, was 3.


 * Swords
 * Increased attack speed for all swords to 3 (0.33 seconds), was 1.6 (0.625 seconds).
 * Decreased damage for some swords.
 * Stone:, was.
 * Iron:, was.
 * Diamond:, was.
 * Reach is unchanged.


 * Trident
 * Increased attack speed to 2 (0.5 seconds), was 1.1 (~0.91 seconds).
 * Decreased melee damage from to.
 * Buffed attack reach to 3.5 blocks, was 3.
 * Can now be shot from dispensers.
 * Tridents with Loyalty that fall into the void will return to its owner.
 * Tridents with Impaling now deal enchantment damage to all mobs that are in water or rain.


 * Snowballs
 * Now stack to 64.
 * Now have a cooldown of 4 ticks.

Non-mob entities

 * Projectiles
 * No longer trigger a player or mob invulnerability timer, which means that Multishot can hit and deal damage to the same mob with all three arrows.


 * Arrows
 * Arrow uncertainty value has been decreased from 1.0 to 0.25, increasing accuracy.
 * Charging a bow for 2 seconds or more decreases the accuracy.


 * Players
 * Are now knocked back by less < 1 damage hits, including 0 damage hits such as snowballs.


 * Thrown eggs and snowballs
 * Not rendered for the first 2 ticks to prevent screen flickering.

Gameplay

 * Combat
 * Attack cooldown is now only 4 ticks when an attack is missed.
 * Attacking is no longer possible until the weapon is recharged.
 * Waiting the weapon to charge to 200% triggers a bonus reach of 1.25.
 * Weapons with shorter cooldowns give victims a shorter attack invulnerability time (invincibility frames).
 * The key can be held down to automatically attack when the attack meter is full.
 * Entities with bounding boxes smaller than 0.9 block (such as rabbits and bats, for example) now have them inflated to that value.
 * The attack timer is now unaffected by switching items, only resetting when the player performs an attack.
 * Changed the swing animation to emphasize the rhythm of the attacks.


 * Hunger
 * High saturation no longer gives a fast regeneration boost.
 * The player now naturally regenerates health starting at a hunger level of instead of 18.
 * The player now naturally heals every 40 ticks instead of every 80 ticks.
 * Natural healing drains food points half as fast.
 * Saturation is not used when healing damage, and is only relevant as a "pause" until food drains, similar to how it was before 1.11.


 * Critical Hits
 * Re-added for sprinting and flying players, to be like in 1.8 and Bedrock.


 * Sweep attack
 * Sweeping Edge has been nerfed.
 * Is now perfomed only on 200% charge and with Sweeping Edge enchantment.
 * All tools can now perform the sweep attack if they have the Sweeping Edge enchantment.
 * Sweeping Edge cannot be applied to non-sword tools in survival, except for axes.
 * Swords do not require the enchantment.

General

 * Attacking
 * Attacking with the player's bare fist now deals instead of, to match the behavior $$.