Minecraft 2027 First Game Drop Adds Throwing Discs and Bedrock Off-Hand Parity

Mojang used its recent TwitchCon broadcast to unveil the headline features of the first game drop of 2027: a craftable throwing disc weapon and full off-hand item parity for Bedrock Edition. In a post on Minecraft.net, writer Sofia Dankis confirmed on 14 November 2026 that both additions will arrive together early next year, reshaping ranged combat across both editions while resolving a ten-year control gap for Bedrock players.

How the New Throwing Disc Works in Combat

Unlike expendable projectiles that vanish or drop on impact, the throwing disc behaves like a boomerang and returns to the player's hand after every throw, allowing for repeated attacks without gathering ammunition. According to Minecraft.net, the weapon has a relatively short natural flight path when thrown into open air, forcing players to position themselves closer than they would with a bow or crossbow.

To make up for its modest reach, the disc interacts directly with both terrain and groups of enemies. Banking a throw against hard surfaces causes the disc to ricochet, bouncing at an angle to travel noticeably farther than a straight toss. At the same time, the projectile does not stop at the first target it hits; instead, it passes straight through enemies standing in a line, damaging every mob along its trajectory before heading back to the thrower.

Players will be able to smith or assemble the weapon across five distinct material tiers to suit their progression and visual loadout. Notably, copper joins the traditional weapon materials alongside iron, gold, diamond, and netherite.

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  Copper IngotUsed to craft the copper tier of the new throwing disc.
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  Iron IngotStandard mid-game material for crafting an iron throwing disc.
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  Gold IngotCrafts the gold variant of the returning ranged weapon.
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  DiamondHigh-tier gem used to assemble a diamond throwing disc.
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  Netherite IngotTop-tier material for crafting the netherite throwing disc.

Bedrock Edition Finally Gets True Off-Hand Holding

Alongside the new weapon, the first 2027 drop removes one of the longest-standing differences between the game's two editions. While Java Edition introduced dual-wielding and full off-hand support back in 2016, Bedrock Edition has spent the last decade restricting its secondary hand slot to a tiny whitelist of items such as shields, maps, arrows, fireworks, and nautilus shells.

Once the 2027 update arrives, Bedrock players will be able to place tools like a pickaxe—or any other standard item they choose—into either hand. Minecraft.net highlighted that this change also applies to the new throwing disc, meaning players on both editions can throw and catch the returning weapon with whichever hand they prefer.

Community Reaction and Earlier Projectile Additions

Across community discussions following the TwitchCon announcement, Bedrock players have celebrated the off-hand overhaul as a long-overdue quality-of-life fix, though some commentators have questioned how touch controls on mobile devices will handle using active tools in both hands without cluttering the screen. Meanwhile, combat-focused players are eager to see how copper weapons fit into early-game progression, while raising questions about whether each material tier of the throwing disc will differ in damage, bounce count, or durability.

Before the 2027 drop enters testing, players still have the preceding game drop to explore, which Minecraft.net noted includes throwable ice balls and frostbites alongside classic snowballs. When test builds for these upcoming drops become available, you can get the latest Java Edition snapshots via the 9Minecraft wiki and download Bedrock Edition previews—including Android APK, iOS, Windows GDK, and patched builds—directly from our Android, iOS, Windows, patched and Java Edition download pages; always back up your survival worlds first and enable the relevant toggles under the Experiments menu when creating or editing a world.