The answers will vary a lot depending on the version and edition and playstyle (PvP vs PvE); in Bedrock axes still behave as they did in Java prior to 1.9, dealing 1 less damage than swords, and in either case they lose 2 durability when used as a weapon, so swords are clearly superior outside of PvP (they do disable shields in Bedrock), and only swords can receive special enchantments like Knockback and Looting so even in newer versions of Java they can still be the preferred option, plus they are faster and a Sharpness V netherite sword can kill most mobs in two hits, although the sweep attack can be a disadvantage if you only want to damage a single target, like in an animal pen.
In my case, I play on 1.6.4 so a sword is the better option in every situation (no shields or sweep attacks), specifically, a diamond sword with Sharpness V, Knockback II, and Unbreaking III, which deals 14.25 damage (this is the same as a netherite sword in Bedrock or an amethyst sword in my own mod, where in both cases diamond and lower tiers deal 1 less damage than they do in vanilla 1.6.4. This also shows another disadvantage of an axe in these versions - it takes one more non-critical hit to kill an Enderman, one of the stronger mobs).
I typically have sword with sharpness 5/looting 3 used in most cases. But I also usually have smite 5 on my axe, mainly for zombies and an occasional wither.
Sword, because as TMC said, on bedrock they deal more damage than axes do, in addition to that you can use looting on Swords, which is important for the maximum loot yield per kill.
But, seeing as I am about to make a Java server soon, that's not going to matter as far as damage is concerned. I and others who frequent my worlds are worried that future nerfs are going to destroy our planned projects. Mojang is obsessed with nerfing and they've demonstrated that with what they did to the ore generation in 1.18. So I'm left without any choice here.
Where is this nonsense going to end? enchantments? armour and tool durability etc? it'll never be enough for people like them, because every time somebody finds a way to do something efficiently, there's always a demand for its nerf, and sometimes these demands are bourn of jealousy, not because of any broken mechanic.
That's why I hope in the future of the game, I hope bedrock edition gets a version lock feature,
which makes sense given that content parity taken to its logical conclusion, would mean, it having the same features as Java edition.
I always carry an axe with smite V for general purpose protection. Most of the threats you encounter while
building or mining are undead. And the odd creeper isn’t a problem usually. If I’m out exploring and expect to encounter other types of mobs I’ll bring a sharpness V looting III sword
I always carry an axe with smite V for general purpose protection. Most of the threats you encounter while
building or mining are undead. And the odd creeper isn’t a problem usually. If I’m out exploring and expect to encounter other types of mobs I’ll bring a sharpness V looting III sword
That's a valid choice too, when bedrock edition gets the combat update that would be sensible to do in that version of the game too. But until then, the Sword remains the prime weapon for close combat in most situations.
I'd say it would make sense for the axe to damage shields faster, and I would like to see Skeletons carry shields on harder difficulty modes,
to make combat more engaging in survival. The idea of the axe doing more damage to the player than the Sword however is a strange one, unless of course there is a delay between swings with the axe, because it does make sense that an axe would be heavier than a sword, therefore would carry more momentum and kinetic energy per strike.
Generally I'll carry a sword with sweeping edge, looting, etc when I'm out and about, but I usually use an axe to butcher cows and the like for the extra precision.
Generally I'll carry a sword with sweeping edge, looting, etc when I'm out and about, but I usually use an axe to butcher cows and the like for the extra precision.
When I travel I carry a loyalty trident if in the Overworld, in the Nether I can't seem to hit the Ghast successfully, but I can do it with a Bow without much issue, I don't know it's just my aim or it's the Ghast hitboxes being too small.
The Sword is the one I main with in Overworld, however in the Nether close range weapons like axe and sword just don't work in every situation.
You need a stationary Ghast that is trapped for the sword to be effective in dealing with them, otherwise they fly around making close combat impossible.
When I travel I carry a loyalty trident if in the Overworld, in the Nether I can't seem to hit the Ghast successfully, but I can do it with a Bow without much issue, I don't know it's just my aim or it's the Ghast hitboxes being too small.
The Sword is the one I main with in Overworld, however in the Nether close range weapons like axe and sword just don't work in every situation.
You need a stationary Ghast that is trapped for the sword to be effective in dealing with them, otherwise they fly around making close combat impossible.
Good point, I definitely bring a bow to the nether. I don't really spend that much time in the nether though, I try to avoid it as much as possible lol.
Axe, vast majority of the time.
Swords are good as crowd control in emergency or when strongly enchanted, otherwise I prefer axes because they are cheap, with critical hit from a jump they can 2-hit almost anything I want to kill, and exposes me much less when I use it in conjunction with shield. It also allows me to save an inventory slot since it can work both as a weapon and woodcutting tool and feels dwarfier than the sword.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Dwarf gamer found:
Buildings - square, not round
Materials - from rubble mound
Dark caves - lit 'n' cleaned out
Settlements - deep underground
Farmability - to grinder bound
Shields - made creepers but sound
Axes and crossbows - taking mobs out
Axe, vast majority of the time.
Swords are good as crowd control in emergency or when strongly enchanted, otherwise I prefer axes because they are cheap, with critical hit from a jump they can 2-hit almost anything I want to kill, and exposes me much less when I use it in conjunction with shield. It also allows me to save an inventory slot since it can work both as a weapon and woodcutting tool and feels dwarfier than the sword.
Yeah, swords are the standard medieval weapon, it may not be original but it works. Actually there is a trick you can do with swords too, you can sprint and then increase the knockback against mobs, this is useful for forcing mobs off of cliffs, as I had done on occasion in the Nether to save a friend from Magma Cubes in basalt deltas. He was carrying fire resistance potions, but I didn't want to take the risk of him getting killed by fall damage at the bottom as we were high up, and a group of Magma Cubes can easily leave players in a weakened state, even if their armour is fully enchanted.
Sometimes the smart thing to do is to go with friends in the Nether, it makes survival so much more fun when team work is involved in my opinion.
Yeah, swords are the standard medieval weapon, it may not be original but it works. Actually there is a trick you can do with swords too, you can sprint and then increase the knockback against mobs, this is useful for forcing mobs off of cliffs, as I had done on occasion in the Nether to save a friend from Magma Cubes in basalt deltas. He was carrying fire resistance potions, but I didn't want to take the risk of him getting killed by fall damage at the bottom as we were high up, and a group of Magma Cubes can easily leave players in a weakened state, even if their armour is fully enchanted.
Sometimes the smart thing to do is to go with friends in the Nether, it makes survival so much more fun when team work is involved in my opinion.
I know the sprint gimmick, I use it to murder creepers at below-iron-gear-level all the time.
However, I avoid fighting around cliffs as much as I can and when I do I prefer to switch to ranged weapons due to risks involved, so the mismodeled green pigs remain by far the most common target of my sprintstrikes.
Dwarf gamer found:
Buildings - square, not round
Materials - from rubble mound
Dark caves - lit 'n' cleaned out
Settlements - deep underground
Farmability - to grinder bound
Shields - made creepers but sound
Axes and crossbows - taking mobs out
I know the sprint gimmick, I use it to murder creepers at below-iron-gear-level all the time.
However, I avoid fighting around cliffs as much as I can and when I do I prefer to switch to ranged weapons due to risks involved, so the mismodeled green pigs remain by far the most common target of my sprintstrikes.
Cliffs do enable you to knock mobs down to their death, as I do when exploring ravines; even if they do not die they won't be a threat anymore until I get to the bottom and will be low on health. Of course, I use Knockback II on my sword, which gives greater and more consistent knockback than sprinting; early-game I try to get at least Knockback I on my sword as soon as possible, which can even help against skeletons as you can knock them back behind a corner, giving you more time before they come back around, same for when there are multiple mobs. I mainly use a bow against skeletons from a distance, or in an inaccessible location, like the other side of a ravine.
Cliffs do enable you to knock mobs down to their death, as I do when exploring ravines; even if they do not die they won't be a threat anymore until I get to the bottom and will be low on health. Of course, I use Knockback II on my sword, which gives greater and more consistent knockback than sprinting; early-game I try to get at least Knockback I on my sword as soon as possible, which can even help against skeletons as you can knock them back behind a corner, giving you more time before they come back around, same for when there are multiple mobs. I mainly use a bow against skeletons from a distance, or in an inaccessible location, like the other side of a ravine.
I like the risks with holes and ravines as long as there aren't too many of them. 1.18 doesn't appear to have a big issue with ravines and holes, however the savanna cliffs have gotten much deadlier compared to older versions as the plateaus now generate taller.
It is true that ravines can hurt us, but it can also hurt enemies. It's a risk vs reward gameplay I like and you can use it to efficiently dispose of Creepers or Skeletons, even Pillagers. But when you shove a Creeper into a ravine you don't even need to worry about it exploding, it'll die at the bottom, the only thing you may lose is the XP and gunpowder.
Cliffs do enable you to knock mobs down to their death, as I do when exploring ravines; even if they do not die they won't be a threat anymore until I get to the bottom and will be low on health. Of course, I use Knockback II on my sword, which gives greater and more consistent knockback than sprinting; early-game I try to get at least Knockback I on my sword as soon as possible, which can even help against skeletons as you can knock them back behind a corner, giving you more time before they come back around, same for when there are multiple mobs. I mainly use a bow against skeletons from a distance, or in an inaccessible location, like the other side of a ravine.
Ranged weapons, splatting enemy down a ravine - it's all fun and badass until ya gotta get the loot.
I prefer the classic axe+shield combo that kills on the spot, sometimes a piercing (conserving ammunition!) crossbow at mobs particularly dangerous at point blank like creepers with upper ground or skeletons in large numbers.
...well, high-Power bow against Blazes since they too frequently refuse to get on the level where I can chop them with axe or pick the crossbow bolts up from and I ain't got snowballs in every biome.
It is true that ravines can hurt us, but it can also hurt enemies. It's a risk vs reward gameplay I like and you can use it to efficiently dispose of Creepers or Skeletons, even Pillagers.
To me it's a loss no matter what - if I fall down I become a wet stain and have to get all the way down to loot my corpse, and if mob falls down and becomes a wet stain I have to get down to loot mob's corpse anyway.
No skeleton, creeper or pillager can get through mah shield if I don't get swarmed, and if I do, creepers act as improvised grenades to kill off the rest of the mob mob.
Dwarf gamer found:
Buildings - square, not round
Materials - from rubble mound
Dark caves - lit 'n' cleaned out
Settlements - deep underground
Farmability - to grinder bound
Shields - made creepers but sound
Axes and crossbows - taking mobs out
An axe of any grade kills the average mob in two crit hits and a silverfish in one.
Not sure about wooden or golden axe, but stone and better axes need only one of the two strikes to crit,
Good thing because first strike can be sprintstrike and that reduces chances of creeper exploding prematurely to minimum as opposed to going for dual jumpstrike crits.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Dwarf gamer found:
Buildings - square, not round
Materials - from rubble mound
Dark caves - lit 'n' cleaned out
Settlements - deep underground
Farmability - to grinder bound
Shields - made creepers but sound
Axes and crossbows - taking mobs out
Ranged weapons, splatting enemy down a ravine - it's all fun and badass until ya gotta get the loot.
I prefer the classic axe+shield combo that kills on the spot, sometimes a piercing (conserving ammunition!) crossbow at mobs particularly dangerous at point blank like creepers with upper ground or skeletons in large numbers.
...well, high-Power bow against Blazes since they too frequently refuse to get on the level where I can chop them with axe or pick the crossbow bolts up from and I ain't got snowballs in every biome.
To me it's a loss no matter what - if I fall down I become a wet stain and have to get all the way down to loot my corpse, and if mob falls down and becomes a wet stain I have to get down to loot mob's corpse anyway.
No skeleton, creeper or pillager can get through mah shield if I don't get swarmed, and if I do, creepers act as improvised grenades to kill off the rest of the mob mob.
Well, except for splash potions, fire charges, fireworks and TNT, I don't find Gunpowder to be all that useful. And if I wanted it in large quantities I'd design a gigantic Creeper spawning system using Obsidian, otherwise I don't bother and I just want Creepers out of the way, so I push them into the ravines or down deep holes whenever I can. What is considered a loss here is clearly different for each person, I consider it a loss if Creepers manage to leave craters all over my turf and delete some of the materials I use for my builds, they're a nuisance more than anything, additionally, if Creepers detonate you get nothing from them. There may be some advantages to letting them detonate in PVP, but I'm not strictly PVP, I only plan on doing PVP for events, not the entire playthrough on my world, so again Creepers detonating don't serve any purpose there.
In caves, they can be used as free TNT to expose hidden ores, but you've got to be careful when doing this, not only can they damage you and your armour, they can also destroy ores that are already exposed, and if you're unlucky, you may end up in a lava pit that was hidden beneath gravel. Generally speaking it is bad news when Creepers turn up and they are to be avoided like the plague.
Well, except for splash potions, fire charges, fireworks and TNT, I don't find Gunpowder to be all that useful. And if I wanted it in large quantities I'd design a gigantic Creeper spawning system using Obsidian, otherwise I don't bother and I just want Creepers out of the way, so I push them into the ravines or down deep holes whenever I can. What is considered a loss here is clearly different for each person, I consider it a loss if Creepers manage to leave craters all over my turf and delete some of the materials I use for my builds, they're a nuisance more than anything, additionally, if Creepers detonate you get nothing from them. There may be some advantages to letting them detonate in PVP, but I'm not strictly PVP, I only plan on doing PVP for events, not the entire playthrough on my world, so again Creepers detonating don't serve any purpose there.
In caves, they can be used as free TNT to expose hidden ores, but you've got to be careful when doing this, not only can they damage you and your armour, they can also destroy ores that are already exposed, and if you're unlucky, you may end up in a lava pit that was hidden beneath gravel. Generally speaking it is bad news when Creepers turn up and they are to be avoided like the plague.
To me creepers are primarily a source of high-explosive crossbow ammunition to use against large swarms of mobs, particularly tough enemies, and I plan to try it out against the Wither since it blows right through projectile protection forcefield - and unlike with axe or more preferably smiting sword I can keep my distance.
Secondary creeper use is the aforementioned deliberate detonation with shield involved to take out surrounding mobs, but that's more of an emergency - whenever I can I try to kill creepers fast because I want that gunpowder and because I hate to spend up stacks of dirt to fill up the holes.
I never tried to deliberately detonate creepers to expose ores... but because of irregular shape of caves and high blast resistance of stone the collateral damage of explosions always seemed negligible to me when it happens down below.
Dwarf gamer found:
Buildings - square, not round
Materials - from rubble mound
Dark caves - lit 'n' cleaned out
Settlements - deep underground
Farmability - to grinder bound
Shields - made creepers but sound
Axes and crossbows - taking mobs out
Not sure about wooden or golden axe, but stone and better axes need only one of the two strikes to crit,
Good thing because first strike can be sprintstrike and that reduces chances of creeper exploding prematurely to minimum as opposed to going for dual jumpstrike crits.
Have tested and confirmed wooden is sufficient, even with zombies.
which weapon do you use to kill mobs?
i regularly use both
what about you?
The answers will vary a lot depending on the version and edition and playstyle (PvP vs PvE); in Bedrock axes still behave as they did in Java prior to 1.9, dealing 1 less damage than swords, and in either case they lose 2 durability when used as a weapon, so swords are clearly superior outside of PvP (they do disable shields in Bedrock), and only swords can receive special enchantments like Knockback and Looting so even in newer versions of Java they can still be the preferred option, plus they are faster and a Sharpness V netherite sword can kill most mobs in two hits, although the sweep attack can be a disadvantage if you only want to damage a single target, like in an animal pen.
In my case, I play on 1.6.4 so a sword is the better option in every situation (no shields or sweep attacks), specifically, a diamond sword with Sharpness V, Knockback II, and Unbreaking III, which deals 14.25 damage (this is the same as a netherite sword in Bedrock or an amethyst sword in my own mod, where in both cases diamond and lower tiers deal 1 less damage than they do in vanilla 1.6.4. This also shows another disadvantage of an axe in these versions - it takes one more non-critical hit to kill an Enderman, one of the stronger mobs).
TheMasterCaver's First World - possibly the most caved-out world in Minecraft history - includes world download.
TheMasterCaver's World - my own version of Minecraft largely based on my views of how the game should have evolved since 1.6.4.
Why do I still play in 1.6.4?
I typically have sword with sharpness 5/looting 3 used in most cases. But I also usually have smite 5 on my axe, mainly for zombies and an occasional wither.
Sword, because as TMC said, on bedrock they deal more damage than axes do, in addition to that you can use looting on Swords, which is important for the maximum loot yield per kill.
But, seeing as I am about to make a Java server soon, that's not going to matter as far as damage is concerned. I and others who frequent my worlds are worried that future nerfs are going to destroy our planned projects. Mojang is obsessed with nerfing and they've demonstrated that with what they did to the ore generation in 1.18. So I'm left without any choice here.
Where is this nonsense going to end? enchantments? armour and tool durability etc? it'll never be enough for people like them, because every time somebody finds a way to do something efficiently, there's always a demand for its nerf, and sometimes these demands are bourn of jealousy, not because of any broken mechanic.
That's why I hope in the future of the game, I hope bedrock edition gets a version lock feature,
which makes sense given that content parity taken to its logical conclusion, would mean, it having the same features as Java edition.
I always carry an axe with smite V for general purpose protection. Most of the threats you encounter while
building or mining are undead. And the odd creeper isn’t a problem usually. If I’m out exploring and expect to encounter other types of mobs I’ll bring a sharpness V looting III sword
That's a valid choice too, when bedrock edition gets the combat update that would be sensible to do in that version of the game too. But until then, the Sword remains the prime weapon for close combat in most situations.
I'd say it would make sense for the axe to damage shields faster, and I would like to see Skeletons carry shields on harder difficulty modes,
to make combat more engaging in survival. The idea of the axe doing more damage to the player than the Sword however is a strange one, unless of course there is a delay between swings with the axe, because it does make sense that an axe would be heavier than a sword, therefore would carry more momentum and kinetic energy per strike.
Generally I'll carry a sword with sweeping edge, looting, etc when I'm out and about, but I usually use an axe to butcher cows and the like for the extra precision.
When I travel I carry a loyalty trident if in the Overworld, in the Nether I can't seem to hit the Ghast successfully, but I can do it with a Bow without much issue, I don't know it's just my aim or it's the Ghast hitboxes being too small.
The Sword is the one I main with in Overworld, however in the Nether close range weapons like axe and sword just don't work in every situation.
You need a stationary Ghast that is trapped for the sword to be effective in dealing with them, otherwise they fly around making close combat impossible.
Good point, I definitely bring a bow to the nether. I don't really spend that much time in the nether though, I try to avoid it as much as possible lol.
Axe, vast majority of the time.
Swords are good as crowd control in emergency or when strongly enchanted, otherwise I prefer axes because they are cheap, with critical hit from a jump they can 2-hit almost anything I want to kill, and exposes me much less when I use it in conjunction with shield. It also allows me to save an inventory slot since it can work both as a weapon and woodcutting tool and feels dwarfier than the sword.
Dwarf gamer found:
Buildings - square, not round
Materials - from rubble mound
Dark caves - lit 'n' cleaned out
Settlements - deep underground
Farmability - to grinder bound
Shields - made creepers but sound
Axes and crossbows - taking mobs out
Yeah, swords are the standard medieval weapon, it may not be original but it works. Actually there is a trick you can do with swords too, you can sprint and then increase the knockback against mobs, this is useful for forcing mobs off of cliffs, as I had done on occasion in the Nether to save a friend from Magma Cubes in basalt deltas. He was carrying fire resistance potions, but I didn't want to take the risk of him getting killed by fall damage at the bottom as we were high up, and a group of Magma Cubes can easily leave players in a weakened state, even if their armour is fully enchanted.
Sometimes the smart thing to do is to go with friends in the Nether, it makes survival so much more fun when team work is involved in my opinion.
I know the sprint gimmick, I use it to murder creepers at below-iron-gear-level all the time.
However, I avoid fighting around cliffs as much as I can and when I do I prefer to switch to ranged weapons due to risks involved, so the mismodeled green pigs remain by far the most common target of my sprintstrikes.
Dwarf gamer found:
Buildings - square, not round
Materials - from rubble mound
Dark caves - lit 'n' cleaned out
Settlements - deep underground
Farmability - to grinder bound
Shields - made creepers but sound
Axes and crossbows - taking mobs out
Cliffs do enable you to knock mobs down to their death, as I do when exploring ravines; even if they do not die they won't be a threat anymore until I get to the bottom and will be low on health. Of course, I use Knockback II on my sword, which gives greater and more consistent knockback than sprinting; early-game I try to get at least Knockback I on my sword as soon as possible, which can even help against skeletons as you can knock them back behind a corner, giving you more time before they come back around, same for when there are multiple mobs. I mainly use a bow against skeletons from a distance, or in an inaccessible location, like the other side of a ravine.
TheMasterCaver's First World - possibly the most caved-out world in Minecraft history - includes world download.
TheMasterCaver's World - my own version of Minecraft largely based on my views of how the game should have evolved since 1.6.4.
Why do I still play in 1.6.4?
I like the risks with holes and ravines as long as there aren't too many of them. 1.18 doesn't appear to have a big issue with ravines and holes, however the savanna cliffs have gotten much deadlier compared to older versions as the plateaus now generate taller.
It is true that ravines can hurt us, but it can also hurt enemies. It's a risk vs reward gameplay I like and you can use it to efficiently dispose of Creepers or Skeletons, even Pillagers. But when you shove a Creeper into a ravine you don't even need to worry about it exploding, it'll die at the bottom, the only thing you may lose is the XP and gunpowder.
An axe of any grade kills the average mob in two crit hits and a silverfish in one.
Ranged weapons, splatting enemy down a ravine - it's all fun and badass until ya gotta get the loot.
I prefer the classic axe+shield combo that kills on the spot, sometimes a piercing (conserving ammunition!) crossbow at mobs particularly dangerous at point blank like creepers with upper ground or skeletons in large numbers.
...well, high-Power bow against Blazes since they too frequently refuse to get on the level where I can chop them with axe or pick the crossbow bolts up from and I ain't got snowballs in every biome.
To me it's a loss no matter what - if I fall down I become a wet stain and have to get all the way down to loot my corpse, and if mob falls down and becomes a wet stain I have to get down to loot mob's corpse anyway.
No skeleton, creeper or pillager can get through mah shield if I don't get swarmed, and if I do, creepers act as improvised grenades to kill off the rest of the mob mob.
Dwarf gamer found:
Buildings - square, not round
Materials - from rubble mound
Dark caves - lit 'n' cleaned out
Settlements - deep underground
Farmability - to grinder bound
Shields - made creepers but sound
Axes and crossbows - taking mobs out
Not sure about wooden or golden axe, but stone and better axes need only one of the two strikes to crit,
Good thing because first strike can be sprintstrike and that reduces chances of creeper exploding prematurely to minimum as opposed to going for dual jumpstrike crits.
Dwarf gamer found:
Buildings - square, not round
Materials - from rubble mound
Dark caves - lit 'n' cleaned out
Settlements - deep underground
Farmability - to grinder bound
Shields - made creepers but sound
Axes and crossbows - taking mobs out
Well, except for splash potions, fire charges, fireworks and TNT, I don't find Gunpowder to be all that useful. And if I wanted it in large quantities I'd design a gigantic Creeper spawning system using Obsidian, otherwise I don't bother and I just want Creepers out of the way, so I push them into the ravines or down deep holes whenever I can. What is considered a loss here is clearly different for each person, I consider it a loss if Creepers manage to leave craters all over my turf and delete some of the materials I use for my builds, they're a nuisance more than anything, additionally, if Creepers detonate you get nothing from them. There may be some advantages to letting them detonate in PVP, but I'm not strictly PVP, I only plan on doing PVP for events, not the entire playthrough on my world, so again Creepers detonating don't serve any purpose there.
In caves, they can be used as free TNT to expose hidden ores, but you've got to be careful when doing this, not only can they damage you and your armour, they can also destroy ores that are already exposed, and if you're unlucky, you may end up in a lava pit that was hidden beneath gravel. Generally speaking it is bad news when Creepers turn up and they are to be avoided like the plague.
To me creepers are primarily a source of high-explosive crossbow ammunition to use against large swarms of mobs, particularly tough enemies, and I plan to try it out against the Wither since it blows right through projectile protection forcefield - and unlike with axe or more preferably smiting sword I can keep my distance.
Secondary creeper use is the aforementioned deliberate detonation with shield involved to take out surrounding mobs, but that's more of an emergency - whenever I can I try to kill creepers fast because I want that gunpowder and because I hate to spend up stacks of dirt to fill up the holes.
I never tried to deliberately detonate creepers to expose ores... but because of irregular shape of caves and high blast resistance of stone the collateral damage of explosions always seemed negligible to me when it happens down below.
Dwarf gamer found:
Buildings - square, not round
Materials - from rubble mound
Dark caves - lit 'n' cleaned out
Settlements - deep underground
Farmability - to grinder bound
Shields - made creepers but sound
Axes and crossbows - taking mobs out
Have tested and confirmed wooden is sufficient, even with zombies.
Axe is best and that is facts