How to Block Damage Effectively with a Sword

Holding and Blocking

Equip a sword in either your main hand or off-hand. While holding the sword, hold right-click to raise your blade into a blocking stance. Your character will adopt the classic blocking pose, and you'll see a visual shield effect.

Damage Reduction

When actively blocking, you reduce all incoming damage by 50%. This applies to:

• Melee attacks from mobs and players
• Projectiles (arrows, snowballs, eggs)
• Most environmental damage sources

Note that blocking does not negate knockback entirely—you'll still be pushed back, but the damage is halved.

Combat Tips

• You can block in either hand, so dual-wield two swords or block with one while attacking with another weapon
• Blocking drains your sword's durability slowly; plan your repairs accordingly
• You cannot attack while blocking, so time your blocks carefully between strikes
• Blocking works best when you anticipate incoming damage rather than react after being hit