Secrets of Accurate Shooting: What I Learned About the "Sniper Duel" in Minecraft

Hello, friends! Today, I decided to put on an imaginary white lab coat and conduct a small scientific investigation. As you know, I recently completed the «Sniper Duel» achievement, but one question kept bothering me. There are legends and rumors in the community, and I decided to uncover the truth.

So, the topic of today's field test is: will the «Sniper Duel» achievement count if you kill a skeleton from a height or, conversely, from a low position, while being 50+ blocks away?

My first thought was: «What difference does it make? 50 blocks is 50 blocks!» But Minecraft — is a game full of surprises. So, I armed myself with a bow, arrows, and most importantly, a command block to summon our «volunteer».

Stage 1: Control Test

First, I needed to make sure everything worked under ideal conditions. I summoned a skeleton, measured exactly 50 blocks on a perfectly flat surface, aimed, and... shot. Bullseye! The achievement (hypothetically, since I already had it) would have been counted. Perfect, the system works.

Stage 2: Testing the "Sniper on the Tower" Hypothesis

Now for the interesting part. I built a 50-block-high pillar. At the base of the tower stood my lonely test skeleton. Honestly, the view from above was impressive. I felt like a real assassin preparing for a fatal shot. Holding my breath, I released the arrow. Perfect hit! The skeleton crumbled into dust.

And the achievement? Nothing. Silence. No notification. This was surprising! Apparently, vertical distance didn’t count.

Stage 3: Testing the "Shooting at a High Target" Hypothesis

Maybe it’s about who is higher? Not giving up, I conducted the reverse experiment. This time, the skeleton stood at the top of a 50-block tower, and I — was below, looking up. Aiming, to put it mildly, was not easy. After several attempts, the arrow finally hit its target. The skeleton gracefully fell from the height.

And again... silence. No coveted «ding».

Conclusions of My Scientific Investigation

It seems I’ve solved this mystery. Minecraft only considers the distance for this achievement horizontally! The game measures the distance between you and the target along the X and Z axes, practically ignoring the vertical Y axis.

So, if you plan to get the «Sniper Duel» achievement, forget about epic shots from high towers or deep canyons. Your path — is a flat field, a desert, or a frozen ocean. You need to move away from the skeleton in a straight line, on the ground.

That’s it, friends, another myth debunked! I hope my small investigation saves you time and nerves. Now you know exactly how to approach this task.

Have you made similar discoveries in Minecraft? Share your stories in the comments.