Minecrafthas been experimenting with some out-there crafting recipes recently, including major quality-of-life changes to some recipes and the left-field inclusion of others. This has led to manyMinecraftfans questioning whether it’s finally time for the Trident to get its own recipe.
The latestMinecraftsnapshothas continued Mojang’s experimentation with crafting recipes and has further cemented one decision that’s sparked some debate in the community. For starters, the crafting recipe for Leads has been buffed, with the Slimeball removed from the recipe and replaced with another piece of String, which follows the current trend of buffed recipes (such as the replacement of Netherite with Iron in the Lodestone). In addition, the recipe for the Dried Ghast has been tweaked slightly to include Soul Sand, which shows Mojang doubling down on this crafting recipe despite a portion of the community voicing caution.
The Pros And Cons Of Giving Minecraft’s Tridents A Crafting Recipe
Minecraft’s Dried Ghast recipeis a controversial one. Although some may argue that it makes access to the mob too easy, it allows players to more easily build a proper fleet and, importantly, to access the mob without loading new chunks. However, the player’s newfound ability to craft a living being has some fans questioning why other, simpler items can’t be crafted, such as Saddles or Name Tags. Included in this lineup is the Trident, an alternative weapon that’s never quite managed to compete with the Sword or Axe in terms of relevance. A crafting recipe could put Tridents back on the map, but it could also diminish the weapon’s unique attributes.
Minecraft’s Tridents Are Currently More Trouble Than They’re Worth
When it comes to thedifferences betweenMinecraftJava and Bedrock editions, Tridents are one of the items that have suffered the most from the parity disparity. The main way to get a Trident is by slaying a Drowned, but on Java Edition, Drowned only have a 6.25% chance of spawning with a Trident, and only an 8.5% chance of dropping one when killed (11.5% with Looting 3). Bedrock doesn’t suffer from this, with its version of Drowned having a 15% chance to spawn with the weapon, a 25% chance to drop the Trident when they’re holding it, and a 37% chance to drop the weapon when killed with Looting 3.
Java doesn’t only suffer when it comes tohow to get a Trident inMinecraft, but also with the Trident’s lack of use. The Trident has a number of niche uses, but it lacks enough DPS capability to work as a decent weapon. This is another area where Bedrock wins over Java, as the Impaling enchantment in Java only allows the Trident to do extra damage to a select few underwater mobs (excluding Drowned)—but the enchantment in Bedrock works on any mob touching water. Since the Trident can’t receive a general Sharpness enchantment, this middling Impaling buff is the best fans can hope for, and its best form isn’t available on Java. If the Trident had a crafting recipe, these problems would be far easier to swallow.
Minecraft Tridents Are More Special For Not Having A Recipe
On the other hand, the conventions ofMinecraft’s enchanting systemare also an argument against making the Trident craftable. Unlike most other enchantments, which typically boost what a piece of equipment already does well (save for specialized enchants like Soul Speed and Frost Walker, which aren’t available via the Enchantment Table), Trident enchantments mostly grant whole new abilities. For example, Riptide allows the player to soar through the sky, while Channeling allows fans to summon lightning, making it near-mandatory for the pursuit of mob heads.
Making Tridents craftable would rob them of their special quality; they aren’t a replacement for Swords, but a utility option with a unique undersea theme. It would make far more sense to give Tridents higher drop rates on Java than to sacrifice their identity.
