Ol' Betsy
Shoot a Crossbow
Overview
Ol' Betsy is a task advancement in the Adventure tab of Minecraft's advancement system, carrying the in-game description "Shoot a Crossbow." It branches directly off Adventure, so that earlier advancement is its prerequisite and must be earned first. The Adventure tab covers advancements focused on exploration, combat, trading, and interacting with the world and its inhabitants. Ol' Betsy was added in Minecraft 1.14 and remains part of the current 1.21 advancement set.
It is rated Easy difficulty on this site: can be completed quickly with minimal resources. Good for beginners. It uses the standard task frame, meaning it is a normal step in the tree rather than a goal or challenge milestone. 3 further advancements branch out of it: Two Birds, One Arrow, Who's the Pillager Now?, and Arbalistic.
In tree terms, Ol' Betsy sits first along its line: the full path from the Adventure root reads Adventure -> Ol' Betsy. That means 1 advancement must be completed before this one becomes available, and Ol' Betsy is one of 40 total advancements in the Adventure tab. It shares its parent with 16 sibling advancements (Voluntary Exile, Monster Hunter, What a Deal!, Sticky Situation, Surge Protector, Crafting a New Look, Adventuring Time, Sweet Dreams, Is It a Bird?, Caves & Cliffs, Under Lock and Key, Who Needs Rockets?, Blowback, Minecraft: Trial(s) Edition, Postmortal, and Respecting the Remnants), all of which open from the same point in the tree.
How to Complete Ol' Betsy
Earning Ol' Betsy comes down to the following, performed in order:
- Craft a crossbow from 3 sticks, 2 string, 1 iron ingot, and 1 tripwire hook.
- Load it by holding right-click, then release and click again to fire.
Tips & Fastest Route
Tips & Fastest Route- Fastest route: Craft a crossbow (3 sticks, 2 string, 1 iron ingot, 1 tripwire hook), load it and fire once.
- This branches into the crossbow challenges Arbalistic, Two Birds One Arrow and Who's the Pillager Now?
- Make sure Adventure is already ticked off before you start, otherwise Ol' Betsy will not be tracked even if you perform the steps correctly.
- This is one of the more approachable Adventure advancements, so it is a good early target while you build toward the harder entries deeper in the branch.
Common Mistakes
Common Mistakes- Remember that Ol' Betsy will not appear as available until Adventure is done, since the game only tracks an advancement once its parent has been unlocked.
Reward & What It Unlocks
Reward & What It UnlocksCompleting Ol' Betsy grants 10 experience points. The XP drops at your position the moment the advancement fires.
Earning it unlocks 3 follow-on advancements — Two Birds, One Arrow, Who's the Pillager Now?, and Arbalistic — each of which becomes trackable only once Ol' Betsy is complete.
Details
Advancement ID
Category
Version AddedAdvancement Tree
Parent Advancement
Ol' Betsy Advancement FAQ
How do you get the Ol' Betsy advancement in Minecraft?
Craft a crossbow (3 sticks, 2 string, 1 iron ingot, 1 tripwire hook), load it and fire once. In full, craft a crossbow from 3 sticks, 2 string, 1 iron ingot, and 1 tripwire hook. Load it by holding right-click, then release and click again to fire.
What do you need for Ol' Betsy?
Before you can work on it you must have completed Adventure. Craft a crossbow from 3 sticks, 2 string, 1 iron ingot, and 1 tripwire hook. Load it by holding right-click, then release and click again to fire.
Which advancement tab is Ol' Betsy in?
Ol' Betsy is in the Adventure tab, hanging beneath Adventure. Its in-game advancement ID is minecraft:adventure/ol_betsy.
Is Ol' Betsy part of the Adventure branch?
Yes. Ol' Betsy sits directly below Adventure in the Adventure tree, so you must earn Adventure first. Completing Ol' Betsy then opens Two Birds, One Arrow, Who's the Pillager Now?, and Arbalistic.
How much XP does Ol' Betsy give and how hard is it?
Ol' Betsy awards 10 XP and is rated Easy difficulty.
When was Ol' Betsy added to Minecraft?
Ol' Betsy was added in Minecraft Java Edition 1.14 and is present in the current 1.21 advancement set.