You've finally reached the end of the line in a Trial Chamber, your inventory is a mess of oxidized copper and Tuff blocks, and you're staring at a Heavy Core. This is it. You want the most satisfying weapon Mojang has added to the game in a decade. But honestly, figuring out how do you craft a mace in Minecraft isn't just about sticking two items on a table and calling it a day. It’s a whole process. It’s an ordeal.
The mace isn't just another sword or an axe. It’s a statement. It’s a high-risk, high-reward smashing tool that scales its damage based on how far you’ve fallen before the hit. If you time it right, you’re basically a tactical nuke. If you miss? Well, you're probably going to see the "You Died" screen before you even realize you hit the ground.
The Two Ingredients You Actually Need
Forget wood planks. Forget diamonds. To get your hands on a mace, you need exactly two specific items: a Breeze Rod and a Heavy Core. That sounds simple enough, right? Wrong.
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The Breeze Rod is the easy part. You get these by hunting down Breezes—those annoying, jumping, wind-blasting mobs—inside Trial Chambers. They drop anywhere from one to two rods, and if you’ve got Looting III on your sword, you can walk away with a decent stack. You'll use these rods for more than just the mace, like crafting Wind Charges or Flow Armor Trims, but for now, save at least one.
Now, the Heavy Core? That's the real headache.
You can’t craft a Heavy Core. You can't find it in a chest. You have to get it from an Ominous Vault. This requires you to find a Trial Chamber, get the Bad Omen effect (usually by drinking an Ominous Bottle dropped by Raid Captains or found in regular Vaults), and then survive an Ominous Trial. Once you defeat the buffed-up mobs, they might drop an Ominous Trial Key. You take that key to an Ominous Vault, and you pray. The drop rate is roughly 2.25%.
Putting It All Together
Once you have both, head to a crafting table. This is the part where people get tripped up because they expect a complex recipe.
It’s just a vertical line. Place the Heavy Core in the top middle slot. Place the Breeze Rod directly underneath it in the center slot. That’s it. One Heavy Core, one Breeze Rod. The mace appears in the output slot, ready to wreck some skeletons.
Why the Mace Changes Everything
In the past, Minecraft combat was mostly about spamming clicks or timing your sweeps. The mace introduces "smash attack" logic.
Every block you fall before landing a hit increases the damage. According to the technical stats from the 1.21 update, the base damage is 6, but it adds 4 damage per block fallen for the first three blocks, then 2 per block for the next five, and 1 per block after that. With the Density enchantment, these numbers get even scarier.
But here is the catch: you have to land the hit.
If you land the hit, all your fall damage is negated. You could jump from the build limit, smack a Ravager on the head, and walk away with zero damage. If you miss by even a pixel? You’re a pancake.
The Enchantment Rabbit Hole
You can't just slap Sharpness on a mace. It has its own unique set of enchantments that dictate how it functions in the meta.
Density is the big one. It has five levels and increases the damage dealt per block fallen. If you're planning on doing "God-tier" damage, this is mandatory. Then there's Breach, which reduces the effectiveness of the enemy's armor. It goes up to level four and makes the mace a nightmare for players in full Netherite.
Then there’s Wind Burst. This one is a bit of a flex. It’s an enchantment you can only find in Ominous Vaults as a book. When you land a smash attack, it launches you back up into the air, allowing you to chain hits together like some kind of medieval pogo stick. It’s incredibly fun, but it will eat your durability faster than you can imagine.
Speaking of durability, the mace has 250 points. That’s not a lot. It’s basically the same as an iron sword. You absolutely need Mending and Unbreaking III if you don't want your hard-earned weapon to shatter after a few dozen fights. To repair it manually, you’ll need to use Breeze Rods at an anvil, which is way cheaper than trying to find another Heavy Core.
Common Mistakes People Make
Most players think they can just find a mace in a chest. You can't. You have to craft it. I’ve seen people spend hours looting every single chest in a Trial Chamber, getting frustrated that they only found "crap" like honeycomb or copper ingots.
Another mistake? Forgetting the height requirement.
A mace hit from the ground level is weak. It’s slower than a sword and does less consistent damage than an axe. The mace is built for verticality. If you aren't using Wind Charges to launch yourself or jumping off ledges, you're better off using a Sharpness V Netherite Sword.
Technical Limitations and Reality Checks
Let’s be real for a second: the mace is a niche weapon.
In tight caves or low-ceiling dungeons, it’s almost useless. You need headroom to make it work. In the End or the Nether, it’s a terrifying gamble. If you jump off a pillar to hit an Enderman and miss, you’re falling into the void or onto hard end stone.
Also, it doesn't work with Fire Aspect or Looting. It’s a pure damage tool. Its purpose is to end a fight in one singular, crushing blow. It’s the "high-noon" of Minecraft weapons.
How to Practice Without Dying
If you’re nervous about the fall damage, practice on a creative world or use a water bucket in your off-hand. Better yet, use Wind Charges. Throwing a Wind Charge at your feet launches you high enough to trigger the mace’s bonus damage without being high enough to kill you if you miss the landing.
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The timing is tricky. You want to swing just before you collide with the mob's hitbox. Because the mace has a slightly longer reach than a standard fist but isn't quite a polearm, that sweet spot is smaller than you’d think.
The Evolution of the Crafting Recipe
Early in the snapshot cycle, there was a lot of talk about making the mace more expensive. Some suggested using Netherite, others thought it should require multiple Breeze Rods. Mojang settled on the current version because it forces exploration.
You can't "mine" your way to a mace. You have to conquer a Trial Chamber. You have to engage with the new 1.21 content. It’s a trophy as much as it is a weapon. When you see a player on a server carrying a mace, you know they didn't just strip mine at Y-59 for six hours; they survived the Ominous Trials.
Actionable Next Steps for Crafters
Ready to go? Here is exactly what you need to do.
First, gear up with at least full Diamond armor and a decent bow. Locate a Trial Chamber—you can find these usually by digging around in the deepslate layers or by getting a trial map from a Cartographer villager.
Once inside, clear out the Breeze spawners first. Get your rods. Then, don't touch the Vaults yet. Find a Trial Omen bottle. Drink it. This triggers the Ominous Trial. The mobs will be harder, they’ll wear armor, and they’ll drop projectiles from the ceiling.
Survive the waves, get that Ominous Trial Key, and hit the Vault. If you don't get the Heavy Core on the first try, you’ll have to find another Vault or wait for the cooldown. Once that heavy gray block pops out, get to a crafting table immediately.
Combine the core and the rod. Get your mace. Head to an anvil. Prioritize Mending and Density. Now you’re ready to jump off a mountain and delete a Warden. Just don't miss.
The mace is arguably the most "fun" addition to the Minecraft arsenal since the Elytra. It changes the way you look at terrain. Suddenly, a high ledge isn't a danger; it's an opportunity. Just remember that the Breeze Rod goes on the bottom, the Heavy Core goes on the top, and the floor is your worst enemy if your aim is off.