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How to Make a Lead in Minecraft

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Leads are tools used to leash and lead passive and neutral animals, golems, and some monsters in Minecraft. You can use leads one way to trail creatures behind you or make two-way leads to tie them up to places.

Finding the materials for a lead is easy, but not many players know how to craft it. It is one of the most flexible crafting items in the game and can be used on a bunch of animals and NPCs. If you are looking for a way to craft lead, here is a quick rundown on how to craft it, its uses, and more.

How to Craft Lead in Minecraft?

Image via Mojang Studios

To make a lead, you need to place two strings in the first two boxes of the first row, and you need to put a string and a slimeball in the row right below. Finally, set a string in the last box of the last row, and you will be able to move the lead right into your Minecraft inventory.

Materials Needed to Craft Lead in Minecraft

The materials needed to craft lead include: 

  • 1 Slimeball
  • 4 Strings

Slimeball: You can add slimeballs to your inventory in Minecraft’s Survival Mode by killing slimes. Slimes typically spawn in the dark and are much easier to find at night. If you have a hard time finding slimes, you can summon one using the “/summon” command. 

Strings: The easiest way to get strings is by killing spiders, but if you want to get hold of the material without engaging in combat, there are some ways to do that as well. If you break cobwebs or fish, you can get many strings to create a  lead. You can also loot jungles, temples, desert pyramids, and dungeons.

In case you have a pet cat, it can bring you strings from time to time. It’s not a reliable way to farm the material, but it’s a fun little thing to take note of.

How to Use A Leash in Minecraft?

You can use a leash by tying one end of the lead to a passive animal and right-clicking on it while the lead is equipped. You will notice that one of the ends of the lead is bound around the neck of the animal or NPC, while the other end is in your hand.

When holding the lead in your hand, you will be able to navigate the activities of any animal attached using the leash. You will now be able to guide the movements of the attached animal and get it to walk in your desired direction.

If you want to untie the animal or NPC, all you have to do is right-click on it or hit the attach button again, and you’ll be able to get rid of the lead.

Which Mobs and Entities Can Be Leashed With A Lead

Image via Mojang Studios

Here are all the mobs and entities that you can leash using a lead in Minecraft.

  • Axolotl
  • Bee
  • Bedrock Edition Boats
  • Tamed Cats
  • Chicken
  • Chicken Jockey Mounts
  • Cow
  • Dolphin
  • Donkey
  • Fox
  • Glow Squid
  • Goat
  • Hoglin
  • Horse
  • Iron Golem
  • Llama
  • Mooshroom
  • Mule
  • Ocelot
  • Parrot
  • Pig
  • Polar Bear
  • Rabbit
  • Sheep
  • Skeleton Horse
  • Skeleton Horseman Mounts
  • Snow Golem
  • Squid
  • Strider
  • Trader Llama
  • Wolf
  • Zoglin
  • Zombie Horse

Tips on Using Lead in Minecraft

Here are some tips to help you effectively use a lead in Minecraft.

Use leads on fences: You can attach leads near fences or walls, and you will notice that a knot automatically appears. This means that your lead is now securely attached to an object, and the animal or NPC will not run away.

Breaking Leads: If you want to break leads, you can use the press use item a second time, hit the knock, or remove the attached fence post. Any of the three methods will allow you to break the lead. You will also notice that leads can break when damaged by projectiles.

Take Advantage of the Length: A lead can go all the way up to 10 blocks before breaking, and you should take full advantage of the length in survival mode.

Be careful about your lead placements: If you tie a knot more than 7 blocks above the ground, the mob being unleashed can become suspended and dangles up and down. It causes fall damage and eventually kills the mob in most cases.

Use Leads to Create Zoglins: If you attach a lead to a hoglin, it can turn into a zoglin. If you need to get zoglin kills, it is a great way to convert them for farming materials.

Leads Don’t Always Work on Wolves: You have a short window to use leads on wolves. If they become angry, leads stop working on them. However, if a  wolf becomes angry after putting it on a leash, it will break free.

That is all you need to know about crafting a lead in Minecraft. It is a valuable tool to leash mobs and animals you want to transport to a different location. But not every creature can be tamped,  and some of them may run away when enraged. If you ever run out of materials to craft leads, you can always use the summon commands to make material farming a faster experience.

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AUTHOR

Freelance Gaming Writer specializing in news and guides for various games. Apart from being passionate about writing and gaming, Kanishka is also a professional actor.