What Multishot does
Multishot is a crossbow-only enchantment that fires three projectiles per shot instead of one. Load a single arrow or firework rocket, pull the trigger, and your crossbow sends three of them out in a flat horizontal spread.
The center projectile flies straight at your crosshair. The two side projectiles angle off by 10 degrees, one to the left and one to the right. At close range, all three can hit the same target. At medium range, the spread widens enough to catch groups of mobs lined up shoulder to shoulder.
Multishot only has one level, written as Multishot I. There is no Multishot II or III, regardless of how many bookshelves you stack around your enchanting table.
The enchantment was added to Java Edition in version 1.14, the same update that introduced the crossbow itself. Bedrock players got it in the same release window. If you’re playing on any modern version of the game, Multishot is in the loot pool.
How to get Multishot
Multishot is one of the more common crossbow enchantments, so you have several reliable ways to add it to your gear.
Enchanting table
Put your crossbow on the enchanting table and you have a chance to roll Multishot at any experience level. Surround the table with 15 bookshelves to push the highest enchantment slot to level 30, which gives you the best odds of stronger enchantments overall. Multishot itself only goes to level I, so the bookshelf count matters more for landing the enchantment in the first place than for getting a higher tier.
Villager trades
Librarian villagers sell enchanted books. Set up a lectern next to an unemployed villager to assign the librarian profession, then break and replace the lectern until the librarian offers Multishot I in the trade window. Once you see it, lock the trade in by buying something from that villager. Multishot is on the common book trade pool, so the emerald cost usually lands in the low to middle range, depending on the librarian’s experience level. Trading is the most predictable way to guarantee the enchantment, since enchanting tables are random.
Loot chests
Pillager outposts, bastion remnants, ancient cities, and end city chests can all spawn enchanted books, and Multishot is one of the possible outcomes. Don’t make a special trip for it, but check the chests when you’re already in those structures.
Fishing
Enchanted books pull from a wide pool when you fish them up, so the odds of fishing up a Multishot book are low. The Luck of the Sea enchantment on your rod helps your overall treasure rate but does not target Multishot specifically.
How Multishot works in combat
Damage and arrow types
Each of the three projectiles deals its own full damage. If all three arrows connect with the same mob at point-blank range, you triple your damage output for that single shot. This is the main reason Multishot punishes single tough targets when you can close the gap and groups of mobs when you can’t.
The enchantment works with every arrow type the crossbow can fire. Tipped arrows, spectral arrows, and plain arrows all get the three-shot treatment. Splash effects from tipped arrows still apply per arrow, so a slowness or poison tipped arrow loaded into a Multishot crossbow puts three clouds of effect on a target instead of one.
Arrow cost
Multishot only consumes one arrow from your inventory per shot, not three. You load one arrow, fire one shot, and three arrows leave the crossbow. This makes it ammo-efficient compared to its damage output.
Crossbow durability
The trade-off lives in durability. Firing a Multishot crossbow costs three durability per shot instead of the normal one. That tripled wear is the main thing to plan around if you use Multishot as your primary weapon. Pair the crossbow with Mending or Unbreaking III if you don’t want to repair it constantly.
Pickup behavior
Only the center arrow can be picked back up after it lands. The two side arrows disappear after their flight, even if you sprint over to where they hit. If arrow recovery matters to you, this matters less than you might expect, since Multishot rewards aggressive close-range play where sustained damage matters more than arrow economy.
Best companion enchantments
Multishot stacks well with Quick Charge, Unbreaking, and Mending. Quick Charge cuts your draw time so you can fire more often, Unbreaking slows the durability drain from the tripled wear, and Mending repairs the crossbow as you pick up experience orbs. You can also pair Multishot with Power-like effects through tipped arrows rather than enchantments, since crossbows do not accept Power.
Using Multishot with fireworks
Fireworks loaded into a Multishot crossbow produce three rockets per shot. Each rocket explodes on contact or after its normal fuse time, and each can carry firework stars with damage effects. A Multishot crossbow with explosion-loaded fireworks is one of the strongest ranged weapons in the game against grouped mobs.
The math is simple. A single firework crossbow shot can do well over 50 damage on a direct hit at higher star tiers. Triple that with Multishot when all three rockets land, and you have a clear answer to raids, packs of phantoms, or wither skeletons in fortress hallways.
Multishot vs Piercing
Multishot and Piercing are mutually exclusive on the same crossbow. You can pick one or the other, not both. Combining a Multishot book with a Piercing crossbow in an anvil will silently drop one of the two, depending on which item was placed first.
Multishot trades wider coverage for arrow loss. Three projectiles, no pass-through, only the center arrow is recoverable.
Piercing keeps you on one straight projectile that punches through up to four mobs per shot at Piercing IV. The whole arrow can be picked up at the end of its flight.
Multishot is the better pick when targets are spread roughly the same distance away and you want maximum damage against tough mobs at close range. Piercing is better for lined-up enemies (a column of zombies in a tight cave, for example) and for fights where every arrow needs to come back. Many players keep both, on separate crossbows, and swap based on the situation.
Tips and common mistakes
A few things that aren’t obvious until you’ve played with Multishot for a while:
- Side arrows can hit you. If you fire at a wall, mob, or floor close to your face, the angled projectiles can clip back into you. Keep a clear lane in front of the crossbow.
- Side arrows trigger pressure plates, tripwires, target blocks, and other arrow-sensitive contraptions. Useful for redstone, annoying when you’re trying not to set off your own traps.
- Multishot does not increase how many arrows you need to stock. One arrow loaded equals three fired.
- Multishot fireworks count as three rocket uses for any progress tracker or datapack that watches rocket spending.
- The center arrow follows the exact path it would without Multishot. If you can hit a target with a normal crossbow shot, you can hit it with Multishot, plus you might catch nearby mobs as a bonus.
Java vs Bedrock differences
Multishot behaves the same on both editions. Three projectiles, a 10-degree spread on either side of the center shot, three durability per shot, one arrow consumed per shot, and only the center arrow recoverable.
There is no functional difference worth planning around. Any small variation you notice is almost always down to how each edition rolls enchantments, not how Multishot itself works.
Frequently asked questions
What is the max level of Multishot?
Multishot maxes at level I. There is no level II or III in vanilla Minecraft. Anyone who claims otherwise is thinking of a mod or a different enchantment.
Can I have Multishot and Piercing on the same crossbow?
No. They are mutually exclusive. The enchanting table will not show both on the same crossbow, and you cannot combine the two books in an anvil to get both effects.
Does Multishot use three arrows from my inventory?
No. It uses one. Loading a crossbow with Multishot still costs one arrow. The crossbow generates three projectiles from that single arrow when it fires.
Can you pick up all three arrows after a Multishot shot?
No. Only the center arrow can be retrieved. The two side arrows vanish once they land or hit a target.
Does Multishot work with fireworks?
Yes. A Multishot crossbow loaded with a firework rocket fires three rockets per shot. This is one of the strongest single-shot damage outputs in the game when the rockets carry explosive star effects.
How do I get Multishot fastest?
Trade with a librarian villager. Set up a lectern, cycle the trades until the librarian offers Multishot I as a book, lock in the trade, and farm the emeralds. Faster and more predictable than gambling at the enchanting table.
Does Multishot damage the crossbow more?
Yes. Each Multishot shot costs three durability instead of one. Pair the crossbow with Unbreaking and Mending to keep it alive longer.
Is Multishot worth slotting on your main crossbow?
For most survival worlds, yes. Multishot turns a crossbow into a true ranged area weapon, especially when you load it with firework rockets in a raid or against a group of phantoms. If you also want a single-target tool that conserves arrows, build a second crossbow with Piercing and rotate between them based on the fight in front of you.