Mace and Spear Smash and Stab Combo Tutorial: PvP Guide

Want to dominate Minecraft PvP?

The Mace and Spear “Smash and Stab” combo is the ultimate strategy.

It combines gravity-crushing power with rapid piercing speed. Let’s learn how to master this move and catch your opponents off guard.

The Universal Strategy: Why the Mace & Spear Combo Dominates

Why is this “smash and stab combo” considered the ultimate strategy right now?

It’s simple: you are combining two completely different types of damage and movement into one devastating attack.

The Mace is like a gravity bomb. It needs height to activate its massive, critical damage.

The Trident-the “spear” in this combo-is your portable, rapid launchpad.

Together, these tools instantly address the single biggest weakness of the Mace: getting high enough, fast enough, to maximize your damage.

The Problem of Verticality

In most PvP fights, winning is about controlling horizontal space. You try to keep opponents close for melee hits or far away for bow shots.

The Mace throws that rule out the window. It forces a vertical fight.

If you stand on the ground and swing the Mace, the damage is only average. You need that fall distance to unlock its potential.

The Trident, especially with Riptide, bypasses the slow build-up of blocks or the reliance on limited consumables like Wind Charges.

You can instantly launch yourself into the sky, creating the perfect setup for the crushing slam.

This mastery of vertical movement is key to domination, similar to how Mastering Wind Charge Double Jump Timing gives you an edge.

Mixing Damage Types for Maximum Pain

The beauty of this combo is how the two weapons handle different combat roles.

The enemy has to defend against both a blunt, powerful aerial attack and a piercing, rapid stab.

• Mace (Smash): This delivers massive burst damage and heavy knockback when done correctly. It is designed to end a fight instantly or disable a shield.
• Trident (Stab): This offers reliable, piercing damage when you need speed and range. It sets up the Mace or finishes the opponent as they recover from the smash.
• Riptide Utility: The Trident grants the immediate vertical mobility needed to initiate the Mace’s critical blow, even in open fields (when conditions allow).

The Mace’s critical damage scales incredibly high based on your fall distance.

You can look at the data on the Mace damage per block fall chart to fully appreciate its power.

When you combine that potential with the Trident’s instant launch, the opponent has no time to react.

As the chart shows, a successful Mace setup is disproportionately effective compared to standard close-range weapons.

The Trident is simply the most efficient tool for guaranteeing that “successful setup” in a dynamic PvP environment.

It turns a risky maneuver (the Mace drop) into a predictable, fight-ending strategy.

You use the spear to fly up, smash the opponent down with the Mace, and then finish them with quick trident pokes before they can fully recover their shield or momentum.

This flow is fast, deadly, and hard to counter if your opponent doesn’t expect the vertical element.

Considering the Mace needs a setup, what other mobility items-besides the Trident-do you think could replace the spear in this crushing combo?

Phase 1: Mastering Mace Momentum Transfer (The Smash)

The entire combo starts with the devastating initial strike, which we call the “Smash.”

This is where the Mace truly shines. It isn’t just a basic hit; it’s a massive, critical strike based directly on how far you fall.

Think of yourself as a meteor. You need significant altitude to create a huge impact crater upon landing.

In game terms, we are mastering the momentum transfer-turning vertical velocity into raw offensive power.

Setting Up the Perfect Jump

To maximize damage, you must maximize your fall distance. Even a single extra block can make a huge difference in power.

For a detailed breakdown of how this scaling works, you can consult our guide on the ultimate Minecraft Mace damage per block fall chart.

In a fast PvP scenario, you need tools for instant height generation.

• Wind Charges: These offer a quick, controlled vertical boost that is easy to manage.
• Ender Pearls: They give you massive, instant height, but they are riskier due to the travel time.
• Vertical Blocks: Using Chorus Fruit or quickly building upward is slower, but viable in certain maps.

For the Mace and Spear combo, we highly recommend the Wind Charge or Trident launch.

It’s the quickest way to guarantee height and maintain control for the follow-up.

The chart illustrates why we need that height. Every block of extra distance adds significant exponential power to your strike.

Executing the Smash and Instant Swap

The Smash isn’t just falling, though. It’s about precision. You must hit your opponent in a tiny window right before you hit the ground yourself.

If you click too early, you lose the crucial momentum bonus and the power fizzles out.

If you click too late, you fail the critical hit and take massive fall damage, ending your combo prematurely.

Aim to hit the opponent when your character’s feet are approximately one block above their head, just before impact.

When the hit registers, two crucial things happen that set up Phase 2.

1. You deal massive damage, often staggering or fatally wounding the target.
2. The Mace landing generates immense vertical knockback, launching your opponent into the air.

That vertical knockback is your cue. As soon as you see the numbers flash and the enemy launch, you must initiate the weapon swap.

You need to swap the Mace out and pull the Spear into your hand instantly.

This quick transition is what makes D-Attribute Switching essential for maximizing your output damage.

Learn how to master this technique here: D-Attribute Switching: Your Guide to Max PvP Damage.

Mastering the Smash means mastering your timing and maximizing your vertical gain before the swift hand-off to the second weapon.

Are you focusing more on raw fall distance or precise, lower-height timing for a safer, more consistent strike?

Phase 2: Instant Spear Transition and Input Mapping (The Stab)

You just landed the big Mace smash. Congratulations!

Now, the hard part begins: turning that massive impact into a guaranteed follow-up hit.

We call this the “Instant Transition.” You need to swap weapons faster than your opponent can react or land.

Hotkeys: Your Secret Weapon Swap

This entire combo lives and dies by your input mapping. If you rely on scrolling your mouse wheel, you will be too slow.

The core concept is near-simultaneous input: Smash (LMB) -> Swap (Key) -> Stab (LMB).

Your Mace should ideally be in Slot 1 and your Spear (or Trident) should be in Slot 2.

You must use the number keys (1 and 2) to switch instantly after the Mace hit registers.

Practice hitting the Mace (Slot 1) and immediately pressing 2. This must feel like one fluid motion.

If you need help optimizing your entire setup, check out your guide to the best Minecraft PvP keybinds in 2025.

As you can see, scrolling adds significant delay, giving your opponent time to recover or counter.

Executing the Stab Attack

Once you switch to the spear, your focus shifts to the vertical space.

The Mace sends them sky-high, giving you a crucial window of about 0.5 to 1 second before they start falling fast.

You need to aim high; your crosshair should follow their upward arc and meet them at the peak of their flight.

The required input sequence for the stab is very tight:

1. Mace Hit (Smash) and press Key 2 simultaneously.
2. Adjust aim to vertical tracking (aiming up).
3. Click Left Mouse Button (LMB) the instant the spear appears in your hand.
4. The spear’s reach guarantees the hit, delivering crucial follow-up damage.

The precise vertical aiming needed here can be tricky. It is less about horizontal tracking and more about predicting their drop speed.

To truly master this upward aim, you should study advanced vertical knockback and spacing techniques.

Why the Spear Wins Phase 2

Using a Spear or Trident is not just about aesthetics; it’s a strategic choice for maximum reach.

When an opponent is launched upward by the Mace’s smash, they are outside the optimal striking range of a typical sword.

The Spear extends your reach, letting you land that necessary stab damage that stabilizes the combo and keeps them off balance.

The stab guarantees you control the momentum you created with the initial smash.

It resets the combat phase, allowing you to choose whether to retreat, re-engage with another weapon, or block-hit them as they descend.

When practicing this transition, what part of the sequence-the key swap or the upward aim-do you find yourself struggling with the most?

Positional Mastery: Footwork and Optimal Range Control

Footwork is the invisible glue that holds the Mace and Spear combo together. Without it, you are just swinging two different weapons randomly.

This combo requires you to master two completely different ranges almost instantly.

It’s like being a boxer who can fight both at arm’s length and in a tight clinch.

The goal is always to use your Spear’s reach to initiate a fight safely, then close the distance instantly to execute the punishing Mace smash.

The Spear: Establishing Outer Range Control

The Spear or Trident gives you fantastic control over the mid-range. This is your “poke and pull” phase.

You want to constantly move laterally, side-to-side, while stabbing the opponent. This makes you a harder target to hit.

When you land a stab, the slight knockback should be used to your advantage.

It increases the gap between you and your target, giving you time to prepare the Mace swap.

You must practice a quick burst of backwards movement after the stab.

This is often achieved using simple S-tapping, which helps you maintain control of the range.

If you want to refine this skill, learning hit selecting and S-tapping is essential for keeping combos alive.

The Mace: Closing the Gap and Vertical Setup

Once you’ve successfully landed one or two spear hits, your opponent is usually reeling. This is your cue to switch tactics entirely.

You need to pivot from horizontal strafing to vertical closing. This means committing to a forward surge.

The Mace smash depends on one thing: getting above them as fast as possible. This requires explosive, precise movement.

Your footwork should bait the opponent into following you closely, setting them up for the vertical strike.

A great method is a sharp, diagonal sprint followed by a well-timed jump, often enhanced by a Wind Charge or Ender Pearl.

Mastering vertical movement, especially using advanced vertical knockback and spacing techniques, will make your Mace hits devastatingly consistent.

Footwork Sequence for the Smash-Stab Combo

This sequence shows the critical positional changes needed to execute the full combo safely:

1. Phase 1: Initiate (Spear Range): Use W + A/D keys to strafe laterally, maintaining 4-6 blocks distance. Poke with the spear.
2. Phase 2: Reset (Transition): Quick tap the ‘S’ key (backwards) right after the spear lands to guarantee space for the swap.
3. Phase 3: Surge (Mace Setup): Press ‘W’ aggressively and use a high jump (or Wind Charge boost) to gain vertical advantage over the enemy’s hitbox.
4. Phase 4: Execute (Smash): Land the Mace hit. The opponent flies away, restoring the distance.
5. Phase 5: Re-engage: Immediately re-swap to the spear, chasing the knockback trail to prepare the final stab.

Why Positional Awareness Dominates

Many players focus only on raw damage numbers, but competitive data shows that positional mastery is often the key differentiator between good players and great ones.

Your ability to control the fight’s range dictates whether the Mace can land its critical smash damage at all.

Notice how positional control (Footwork/Spacing) outweighs raw damage by nearly two to one in this player-reported data.

This is your cue to spend less time boosting your CPS and more time perfecting your strafes and jumps.

If you can’t get into the perfect spot for the Mace, the smash simply won’t happen.

How much time do you spend practicing specific footwork sequences compared to just trying to hit targets?

Advanced Cadence: Achieving Uninterruptible Smash-to-Stab Flow

The Geometry of the Swap

Cadence is just a fancy word for rhythm. In the context of the Mace and Spear combo, it means turning two hits into one uninterrupted flow.

If you execute the rhythm perfectly, the enemy never gets a chance to react. They cannot throw a pearl, heal, or raise their shield.

The goal is to hit them with the secondary weapon while they are still stunned and vertically displaced from the Mace slam.

This is where most players fail. They smash the Mace, wait a tiny bit, and then swap. That tiny wait is the window the enemy needs to survive.

Mastering the Sub-Second Weapon Switch

The secret to an uninterruptible flow is timing your weapon swap perfectly with the Mace’s impact.

Don’t wait for the damage number to pop up. You should be switching to your sword or trident as the Mace makes contact with the target.

This bypasses the Mace’s long recovery animation. You are essentially canceling the Mace’s cooldown by initiating the swap immediately.

If you practice this, your second weapon is ready to strike much faster than if you had waited for the Mace to reset.

As you can see, waiting for the Mace cooldown is far too slow. The instant swap gives you the necessary time advantage.

Controlling the Follow-Up Distance

The Mace smash sends your opponent flying straight up, but usually with a slight horizontal knockback away from you.

You must use your movement immediately after the smash to close this new distance and prepare the stab.

Think of the trajectory as an arc. You need to run under the arc to meet the target as they begin their descent.

• Immediate W-Tap: As soon as the Mace hits, sprint forward again.
• Micro-Adjustments: Use A or D keys for tiny lateral movements to align your crosshair with the falling target.
• Aim High: Your crosshair should already be slightly above the target’s body to prepare for a critical hit.

The goal is to maintain close range, often called “stickiness,” so the stab connects before they hit the ground.

Ensuring the Crit Stab

The “stab” part of the combo must deliver maximum damage. This usually means securing a critical hit.

A crit hit applies 50% extra damage, which is vital for securing the kill if the Mace smash didn’t finish the job.

Since the Mace smash already launched the enemy vertically, you have a perfect opportunity to land the crit.

You need to connect with them while they are still airborne and rapidly falling.

Using precise hit selecting to time the strike is the mark of true mastery here.

The perfect moment is just before they stop falling. It feels like hitting them with the sword right as they are about to touch the ground.

This timing maximizes the vertical momentum damage and pushes them away once more, finishing the combo cleanly.

If you nail the smash-swap-stab cadence, your opponent will feel like they were struck by lightning twice without ever seeing it coming.

What other situational movement tricks, besides W-tapping, do you think are crucial for maintaining stickiness in complex combos?

Mastering the Vertical Battlefield

The Mace and Spear combination isn’t just a powerful gimmick; it’s a total shift in how we approach PvP. You are no longer fighting horizontally.

You are mastering the vertical dimension, turning slow setups into instant, devastating attacks that opponents simply aren’t ready for.

Remember that the key to this strategy is timing and hotkey mastery. The Mace provides the raw power, but the Trident gives you the speed and stability needed.

Practice the quick swap and the precise vertical aim. Once you nail the transition between the Smash and the Stab, you’ll see your win rate soar.

Go out there, fly high, smash hard, and dominate the vertical battlefield!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the Riptide Trident launch recommended over using Wind Charges?

The Riptide Trident offers immediate vertical mobility when water or rain is available.

It’s faster and more reliable for instant height gain in high-pressure PvP.

Wind Charges are fine, but they require inventory space and don’t offer the crucial piercing follow-up attack that the Trident provides in Phase 2.

What is the single most important factor for maximizing Mace damage?

Fall distance! The Mace’s critical damage scales exponentially based on how many blocks you fall before striking your opponent.

Even a few extra blocks can make the difference between a minor hit and a fight-ending, instant smash.

How fast do I really need to swap weapons between the Smash and the Stab?

You need to swap almost instantly-ideally under 150 milliseconds. Scrolling the mouse wheel is simply too slow for this advanced combo.

Use keyboard hotkeys (like keys 1 and 2) mapped to your weapon slots. This minimizes latency, ensuring you hit the enemy while they are still airborne.

If I miss the critical Mace hit, what should I do next?

If you miss the precise timing or altitude, immediately swap to the Trident anyway. Do not hesitate.

Your primary goal shifts from burst damage to controlling the spacing and using rapid stabs to finish them off before they can punish your failed drop.