Overview
A Spectral Arrow makes whatever it hits glow with a white outline visible through walls, terrain and darkness for 10 seconds. That sounds cosmetic and is not: it is the only way to keep track of a mob that has broken line of sight, which matters enormously against endermen that teleport, against a creeper that has slipped behind a hill, and in PvP where an opponent who runs is otherwise gone. Damage is identical to an ordinary arrow, so nothing is lost by using one; the cost is that the crafting recipe wants 4 glowstone dust for 2 arrows, and glowstone means a Nether trip. Practical uses go beyond combat. Shooting a spectral arrow at a mob you want to follow — a wandering trader's llama, a horse you are trying to lead home, a villager in a crowd — turns it into a beacon for the next 10 seconds. It also works from a dispenser and from a crossbow, and unlike a tipped arrow it needs no brewing stand, which makes it the easiest special arrow to keep a stack of.
Tagging a target so you can see it through blocks for 10 seconds — tracking a fleeing mob, marking one animal in a herd, or keeping sight of an enderman that keeps teleporting away.
Spectral Arrow is a weapon item in Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.4. Sixty-four fit in one inventory slot. Look for it in the loot of Bastion Remnant.
It is crafted from Glowstone Dust and Arrow. Nothing on the crafting grid is made from it.
How to get it
Craft 2 from 4 Glowstone Dust and 1 Arrow. Glowstone blocks in the Nether drop 2 to 4 dust each, so a single ceiling cluster supplies several stacks of arrows.
Tips
- The Glowing outline lasts 10 seconds and is visible through terrain, which is what makes it useful in caves.
- Damage is exactly the same as a normal arrow, so there is no combat downside to firing one.
- Infinity does not duplicate spectral arrows; each shot consumes one from the inventory.
- Use them in the End to keep track of an enderman that teleports behind you mid-fight.
Properties
One inventory slot holds 64, so a double chest holds 3,456.
- Stack size
- 64
- Category
- Weapons
Crafting recipe
Crafting Table
Spectral Arrow ×2
Found in
Spectral Arrow is in the loot tables of Bastion Remnant.
- Bastion Remnant — A ruined blackstone fortress in one of four layouts — bridge, hoglin stable, housing units and treasure room — each packed with piglins and, in the treasure variant, piglin brutes that ignore gold armour entirely.
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you make Spectral Arrow in Minecraft?
Spectral Arrow is crafted from Glowstone Dust and Arrow.
What is the stack size of Spectral Arrow?
Spectral Arrow stacks to 64.
