Archer's Offhand
by Carloplayz
Archer's Offhand is a Fabric client mod that moves ammunition into the offhand slot so players can keep a bow or crossbow ready in the main hand.
What it does
When a player holds a bow or crossbow, the mod fetches arrows, fireworks or other ammunition from the inventory and places it in the offhand. Once the fight ends, the previous offhand item, such as a shield or a totem of undying, is put back at once. This keeps the offhand from being left empty or overwritten during combat.
The mod is set up for players who fire often and want to avoid digging through the inventory mid-fight. Its ammunition helper works for both bows and crossbows, and a configuration screen built on YACL, reachable through ModMenu, controls its behavior. Only the client needs it, so players can join servers without installing anything.
Archer's Offhand is published for Fabric only, across 1.21.8, 1.21.9, 1.21.10 and 1.21.11, with 1.0.0 for 1.21.11 as the latest file. It is open source under the MIT License, and its source code and issue tracker are public.
Key features
Smart ammo management
The helper locates arrows, rockets and other ammunition in the inventory and loads them into the offhand when a bow or crossbow is in use.
Dynamic restoration
The previous offhand item, such as a shield or totem, returns to the offhand as soon as the bow is put away.
Ammo selection modes
Three selection modes control the order of ammunition: the first stack found, a random special arrow or rocket stack, or a steady rotation through every ammo type one at a time.
Delay presets
Five delay profiles balance responsiveness against server and client load, with higher tick values reducing the impact.
Configuration screen
Options are edited in a structured screen built with YACL and opened from ModMenu.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
How it compares
TotemSwapper is a Fabric client mod under the MIT License for 1.21.1, and it is not open source. Arrow Helper covers only 1.21.11 on Fabric with All rights reserved. BowOptimizer is Apache License 2.0 on Fabric for 1.21.1 – 1.21.11 and is not open source. Archer's Offhand is open source under the MIT License for 1.21.8 – 1.21.11.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archer's Offhand | Fabric | 1.21.8 – 1.21.11 | Client-side only | 2026-02-26 |
| TotemSwapper | Fabric | 1.21.1 | Client-side only | 2026-06-26 |
| Arrow Helper | Fabric | 1.21.11 | Client-side only | 2026-09-01 |
| BowOptimizer | Fabric | 1.21.1 – 1.21.11 | Client-side only | 2026-09-11 |
Questions
Which loader does Archer's Offhand need?
Does the server need Archer's Offhand?
Which game versions does Archer's Offhand support?
In the catalog
Archer's Offhand is one of 17,631 Equipment mods on ModsFinder, and one of 8,894 Equipment mods for Fabric. 19,862 mods support Minecraft 1.21.11.
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What the author says
A powerful, highly configurable, and ethically-minded Minecraft Fabric mod that automates offhand inventory management for bow and crossbow users. Never scramble for arrows in the middle of a fight again. Encounter an issue or have a suggestion?
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/archers-offhand
- Owner
- Carloplayz
- Published
- 2025-10-10
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-02-26
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15