Crossbow ammunition
Load an arrow, hold a special item in your offhand, and fire to launch fish, potions, TNT, torches, string, and more.
Load an ordinary, tipped, or spectral arrow into a 
crossbow. Put a supported item in your offhand, then fire. The arrow shot uses that item to create a new projectile or effect. A crossbow loaded with a firework rocket will not trigger the offhand effect. There is no cartridge to craft or magazine to refill; you still load and fire the crossbow normally.
What you can fire
| Offhand item | Result |
|---|---|
| Bucket of cod, salmon, tropical fish, pufferfish, axolotl, or tadpole | Launches the live creature and leaves a water bucket. |
| Splash or lingering potion | Launches that potion, keeping its potion contents. |
| Fire charge | Fires a small fireball. |
| Wind charge | Fires a wind charge. |
| TNT | Launches primed TNT with a four-second fuse. Give yourself room to retreat. |
| Torch, soul torch, redstone torch, or copper torch | Sends a lit arrow that places the matching torch where it can attach. |
| Beehive or bee nest containing bees | Launches one bee from the held block. You keep the hive or nest, but it has one fewer bee inside. An empty one has no bee to fire. |
| String | Lays tripwire along a line when fired from an attached tripwire hook; carry spare string and a hook for the far end. |
Most special ammo is consumed in survival. A fish bucket becomes a water bucket, while a bee shot removes one bee from the held hive or nest. Multishot can produce several special projectiles from one shot. Some types use one offhand item per projectile, so carry spares. String, torches, TNT, fire charges, wind charges, and bee shots require permission to build; they do not run in Adventure mode.
To fire string, stand at the starting tripwire hook with the hook at head height or one block lower. Hold string in your offhand and aim nearly level along a north, south, east, or west line; the shot checks for a hook in your space and extends the tripwire in the direction you face. Each block spends one string, up to 40 blocks per shot. Carry a spare hook in your inventory so the line can attach at its far end; a blocking space also stops it. Test the route before relying on it for a zip rail.
See also
- Rails and ladders for minecarts carried by tripwire
- Enchant mastery for crossbow enchantments
- Combat overview for the rest of your kit
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