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Phantom in Minecraft, shown for the Two Birds, One Arrow advancement (Adventure tab)
Phantom in Minecraft, shown here for Two Birds, One Arrow in the Adventure tab. Image: BoatPhantom.png from minecraft.wiki, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.
AdventureHardChallenge
Two Birds, One Arrow advancement icon in Minecraft, Crossbow in hard difficulty

Two Birds, One Arrow

Kill two Phantoms with a piercing Arrow

Requirements: Enchant a crossbow with Piercing and kill two Phantoms with a single arrow.

Two Birds, One Arrow advancement icon in MinecraftChallenge Complete!Two Birds, One Arrow

Overview

Two Birds, One Arrow is a challenge advancement in the Adventure tab of Minecraft's advancement system, carrying the in-game description "Kill two Phantoms with a piercing Arrow." It branches directly off Ol' Betsy, 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. Two Birds, One Arrow was added in Minecraft 1.14 and is still in the 26.2 advancement set.

It is rated Hard difficulty on this site: requires significant effort, rare resources, or dangerous encounters. Because it is flagged as a challenge advancement, completing Two Birds, One Arrow makes a special toast and a sound play, and its frame in the advancement screen is the magenta challenge style rather than a normal square. Challenges are the hardest tier and usually represent a milestone rather than routine progress. Nothing else in the tree depends on it, so it is a leaf at the tip of its branch.

In tree terms, Two Birds, One Arrow sits second along its line: the full path from the Adventure root reads Adventure -> Ol' Betsy -> Two Birds, One Arrow. That means 2 advancements must be completed before this one becomes available, and Two Birds, One Arrow is one of 47 total advancements in the Adventure tab. It shares its parent with 2 sibling advancements (Who's the Pillager Now? and Arbalistic), all of which open from the same point in the tree.

How to Complete Two Birds, One Arrow

Earning Two Birds, One Arrow comes down to the following, performed in order:

  1. Enchant a crossbow with Piercing and kill two Phantoms with a single arrow.
  2. Phantoms spawn when you have not slept for 3+ in-game days.
  3. Wait for them to line up and fire through both.

Tips & Fastest Route

  • Fastest route: Use a Piercing crossbow to kill two phantoms with a single bolt.
  • Phantoms appear after three in-game days without sleep, so stay awake to summon them.
  • Wait until two phantoms line up on their swoop, then fire through both.
  • Make sure Ol' Betsy is already ticked off before you start, otherwise Two Birds, One Arrow will not be tracked even if you perform the steps correctly.
  • As a challenge advancement this is best saved until you are well-equipped; rushing Two Birds, One Arrow underprepared is the usual reason attempts fail, so gather everything the steps above require before you commit.

Common Mistakes

  • Remember that Two Birds, One Arrow will not appear as available until Ol' Betsy is done, since the game only tracks an advancement once its parent has been unlocked.

Reward & What It Unlocks

Completing Two Birds, One Arrow grants 65 experience points, reflecting its status as a challenge, and challenge advancements pay out far more XP than ordinary tasks. The XP drops at your position the moment the advancement fires.

It is a leaf advancement, so nothing further unlocks from it; it stands as a completed tip of its branch.

Details

Advancement ID
minecraft:adventure/two_birds_one_arrow
Icon Item
Crossbow
Category
Adventure
Difficulty
Hard
XP Reward
65 XP
Version Added
1.14

Advancement Tree

Parent Advancement

Ol' Betsy
Shoot a Crossbow

Child Advancements

Leaf advancement (no children)