You’ve finally built a decent bow. You’ve got the string, the bolts, or maybe you’ve upgraded to a Spartan Longbow that actually deals enough damage to tickle a dragon. Then you see it in an enchanting table or a village chest: Strafe.
It sounds like a movement buff. Most players assume it lets you walk faster while aiming. Honestly, that’s a fair guess, but it's completely wrong. In the chaotic, "everything wants to kill you" world of RLCraft, Strafe is actually the secret to turning your bow into a semi-automatic weapon. If you’ve ever wondered what does strafe do rlcraft, the short answer is speed. Pure, unadulterated fire rate.
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The "Minigun" Effect: What Strafe Actually Does
Basically, Strafe increases your bow draw speed.
In vanilla Minecraft, you pull back, wait for the ding, and fire. In RLCraft, waiting that second is usually how you get headshot by a skeleton or grabbed by a Roc. Strafe cuts that animation time down significantly. At higher levels—specifically Strafe VI—the draw time is almost non-existent. You can click and release nearly as fast as you can physically move your finger.
It’s a game-changer.
When you combine a high-level Strafe enchant with the L-Menu (Skill Tree) Archery perks, you aren't just shooting arrows anymore. You're suppressive firing. This is why people call it the "minigun" build. You can dump twenty arrows into a Lycanites boss before it even finishes its spawn animation.
Strafe vs. Rapid Fire: Which One Wins?
This is where the RLCraft community gets into heated debates. Both enchants modify speed.
- Rapid Fire: Generally easier to find. It’s a solid, reliable boost.
- Strafe: Harder to come by but scales much better.
If you have the choice, Strafe is almost always superior for raw speed. Some players actually stack them, but there's a point of diminishing returns. Once your draw speed is "instant," adding more speed doesn't do anything but waste enchantment capacity. Strafe VI by itself is usually enough to reach that "instant" threshold where the limiting factor is your own clicking speed rather than the game's mechanics.
The Big Catch: It Hates Infinity
Here is the part that ruins many people's day. You cannot have Strafe and Infinity on the same bow. They are mutually exclusive.
This creates a massive fork in how you build your character.
- The Infinity Path: You never worry about ammo. You can spam all day. But your fire rate is capped by how fast the bow naturally draws (plus whatever perks you have).
- The Strafe Path: You fire like a maniac, but you will go through a stack of arrows in ten seconds flat.
If you choose Strafe, you must have a plan for your inventory. Most high-level players solve this by using a Quiver (which holds multiple stacks of arrows) or the Arrow Recovery enchantment. Arrow Recovery III is pretty decent at giving you back the ammo you just spent, but it's never as convenient as Infinity.
Why You Might Actually Want Strafe over Infinity
You might think Infinity is a no-brainer. Why wouldn't you want infinite ammo? Well, late-game RLCraft isn't about saving resources; it's about DPS (Damage Per Second).
When you’re in the Lost Cities or fighting a stage 5 dragon, "infinite" arrows don't matter if you can't kill the thing before it reaches you. Strafe allows you to proc on-hit effects—like Viper or Envenomed—much faster. It also makes Multishot and Splitshot absolutely terrifying. Imagine firing seven arrows at once, three times per second.
That is why the Strafe RLCraft meta exists. It's about overwhelming the enemy's I-frames (invincibility frames) and raw health pool through sheer volume of fire.
Compatibility and Crossbows
Does it work on crossbows? Generally, no.
In the current versions of RLCraft (2.9.3 and beyond), the Heavy Crossbow from Spartan Weaponry uses its own set of rules. Crossbows usually rely on Quick Charge. Strafe is strictly a "Bow" thing. If you try to force it onto a crossbow in an anvil, the game will just laugh at you and keep your XP.
Also, watch out for the Sentient Greatbow. If you’re lucky enough to be crafting one of those endgame beasts, remember that it has its own weird quirks with draw speed. Power is actually more effective than Advanced Power on those specifically, but you’ll still want Strafe to mitigate the Greatbow's naturally slow draw time.
How to get the most out of Strafe
If you've managed to find a Strafe VI book, don't just slap it on a wooden bow and call it a day. To actually make it "Google Discover" worthy, you need the full kit:
- Get a Quiver: Seriously. You’ll be carrying 9 stacks of arrows. You need the space.
- Invest in the L-Menu: Max out your Draw Speed in the Archery skill tree. It stacks with the enchantment.
- Ditch the Flint: Use Iron or Diamond arrows. If you’re firing this fast, you want every hit to count. Diamond arrows with Strafe speed can melt a dragon in seconds.
- Check for Mending: Strafe is compatible with Advanced Mending, so your bow won't break from the high usage. Just don't try to put regular Mending on if you have certain other modded enchants—RLCraft's compatibility list is a nightmare.
Next time you see that book, don't ignore it just because it isn't Infinity. If you're tired of being a slow archer and want to start playing like a fantasy machine gunner, Strafe is exactly what you've been looking for. Just make sure you start farming chickens for feathers now—you’re going to need them.