Elder Guardian

This article is about the mob in the base game. For the powerful mob in Minecraft Dungeons, see MCD:Elder Guardian. For the mob in Minecraft: Story Mode, see MCSM:Elder Guardian. For the unused mob, see Elder Guardian Ghost. For the joke mob, see Plaguewhale Slab.
Elder Guardian

Elder Guardian.gif: Infobox image for Elder Guardian the entity in Minecraft

Elder Guardian (Retracted).png: Infobox image for Elder Guardian the entity in Minecraft

Invicon Elder Guardian Spawn Egg.png: Inventory sprite for Elder Guardian Spawn Egg in Minecraft as shown in-game with description: Elder Guardian Spawn Egg
Health points

80HP♥ × 40

Behavior

Hostile

Mob type

Monster, Aquatic

Attack
strength

Laser:
Easy: 5HP♥♥♥
Normal: 8HP♥♥♥♥
Hard: 12HP♥ × 6
Spikes:
Easy and Normal: 2HP♥
Hard: 3HP♥♥

Hitbox size

Height: 1.9975 blocks
Width: 1.9975 blocks

Spawn

Ocean Monument 

{
    "title": "Elder Guardian",
    "rows": [
        {
            "field": "80<span class=\"hidden-alt-text\">HP</span><span class=\"nowrap mc-hearts\"><span class=\"iconbar pixel-image nowrap\" style=\"--icon-offset:-1px;\" title=\"1  heart\">(link to File:Heart (icon).png article, displayed as 9px|link=|alt=&#9829)</span> × 40</span>",
            "label": "(link to Health article, displayed as Health points)"
        },
        {
            "field": "Hostile",
            "label": "Behavior"
        },
        {
            "field": "(link to Monster article, displayed as Monster), (link to Aquatic article, displayed as Aquatic)",
            "label": "(link to Mob article, displayed as Mob) type"
        },
        {
            "field": "(values exceeds 1000 characters...)",
            "label": "Attack<br/>strength"
        },
        {
            "field": "Height: 1.9975 blocks<br>Width: 1.9975 blocks",
            "label": "(link to Hitbox article, displayed as Hitbox size)"
        },
        {
            "field": "<span class=\"nowrap\"><span class=\"sprite-file\" style=\"\">(link to File:EnvSprite ocean-monument.png article, displayed as 16x16px|link=Ocean Monument|alt=|class=pixel-image|)</span>(link to Ocean Monument article, displayed as <span class=\"sprite-text\">Ocean Monument</span>)</span>",
            "label": "(link to Mob spawning article, displayed as Spawn)"
        }
    ],
    "invimages": [
        "Elder Guardian Spawn Egg"
    ],
    "images": [
        "Elder Guardian.gif",
        "Elder Guardian (Retracted).png"
    ]
}

An elder guardian is a stronger and larger variant of the guardian, and the largest aquatic mob. It attacks the same way as a normal guardian, and it also applies Mining Fatigue to players in a large radius around itself. They are only found in ocean monuments; three of them generate in each one.

Spawning

Three elder guardians spawn naturally during the generation of each ocean monument:

  • One in the top room of the monument.
  • One in each of the two wings of the monument.

They are spawned with the ocean monument and thus they do not respawn.

Drops

Due to MCPE-57215, the elder guardian won't drop random fish in Bedrock Edition.

Java Edition:

ItemQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Wet Sponge[A]1100.00%1.001100.00%1.001100.00%1.001100.00%1.00
Tide Armor Trim0–120.00%0.200–120.00%0.200–120.00%0.200–120.00%0.20
Prismarine Shard0–266.67%1.000–383.33%1.500–491.67%2.000–594.44%2.50
Prismarine Crystals0–133.33%0.330–233.33%0.500–333.33%0.670–433.33%0.83
Raw Cod[B][C]0–150.00%0.500–250.00%0.750–350.00%1.000–450.00%1.25
Raw Cod[A][C]0–250.75%0.520–351.05%0.770–451.35%1.030–551.65%1.28
Cooked Cod[B][D]0–150.00%0.500–250.00%0.750–350.00%1.000–450.00%1.25
Cooked Cod[A][D]0–250.75%0.520–351.05%0.770–451.35%1.030–551.65%1.28
Raw Salmon[A][C]0–10.62%0.010–10.88%0.010–11.12%0.010–11.38%0.01
Cooked Salmon[A][D]0–10.62%0.010–10.88%0.010–11.12%0.010–11.38%0.01
Pufferfish[A]0–10.33%0.000–10.46%0.000–10.58%0.010–10.71%0.01
Tropical Fish[A]0–10.05%0.000–10.07%0.000–10.09%0.000–10.11%0.00

ItemQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Wet Sponge[A]111111111111
Tide Armor Trim0–11⁄51⁄50–11⁄51⁄50–11⁄51⁄50–11⁄51⁄5
Prismarine Shard0–22⁄310–35⁄63⁄20–411⁄1220–517⁄185⁄2
Prismarine Crystals0–11⁄31⁄30–21⁄31⁄20–31⁄32⁄30–41⁄35⁄6
Raw Cod[B][C]0–11⁄21⁄20–21⁄23⁄40–31⁄210–41⁄25⁄4
Raw Cod[A][C]0–2203⁄400103⁄2000–31021⁄2000771⁄10000–41027⁄20001027⁄10000–51033⁄20001283⁄1000
Cooked Cod[B][D]0–11⁄21⁄20–21⁄23⁄40–31⁄210–41⁄25⁄4
Cooked Cod[A][D]0–2203⁄400103⁄2000–31021⁄2000771⁄10000–41027⁄20001027⁄10000–51033⁄20001283⁄1000
Raw Salmon[A][C]0–11⁄1601⁄1600–17⁄8007⁄8000–19⁄8009⁄8000–111⁄80011⁄800
Cooked Salmon[A][D]0–11⁄1601⁄1600–17⁄8007⁄8000–19⁄8009⁄8000–111⁄80011⁄800
Pufferfish[A]0–113⁄400013⁄40000–191⁄2000091⁄200000–1117⁄20000117⁄200000–1143⁄20000143⁄20000
Tropical Fish[A]0–11⁄20001⁄20000–17⁄100007⁄100000–19⁄100009⁄100000–111⁄1000011⁄10000

ItemAmountProbability
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Wet Sponge[A]11 (100.00%)1 (100.00%)1 (100.00%)1 (100.00%)
Average1 (1.00)1 (1.00)1 (1.00)1 (1.00)
Tide Armor Trim04⁄5 (80.00%)4⁄5 (80.00%)4⁄5 (80.00%)4⁄5 (80.00%)
11⁄5 (20.00%)1⁄5 (20.00%)1⁄5 (20.00%)1⁄5 (20.00%)
Average1⁄5 (0.20)1⁄5 (0.20)1⁄5 (0.20)1⁄5 (0.20)
Prismarine Shard01⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄6 (16.67%)1⁄12 (8.33%)1⁄18 (5.56%)
11⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄4 (25.00%)1⁄6 (16.67%)
21⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄3 (33.33%)5⁄18 (27.78%)
301⁄6 (16.67%)1⁄4 (25.00%)5⁄18 (27.78%)
4001⁄12 (8.33%)1⁄6 (16.67%)
50001⁄18 (5.56%)
Average1 (1.00)3⁄2 (1.50)2 (2.00)5⁄2 (2.50)
Prismarine Crystals02⁄3 (66.67%)2⁄3 (66.67%)2⁄3 (66.67%)2⁄3 (66.67%)
11⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄6 (16.67%)1⁄12 (8.33%)1⁄18 (5.56%)
201⁄6 (16.67%)1⁄6 (16.67%)1⁄9 (11.11%)
3001⁄12 (8.33%)1⁄9 (11.11%)
40001⁄18 (5.56%)
Average1⁄3 (0.33)1⁄2 (0.50)2⁄3 (0.67)5⁄6 (0.83)
Raw Cod[B][C]01⁄2 (50.00%)1⁄2 (50.00%)1⁄2 (50.00%)1⁄2 (50.00%)
11⁄2 (50.00%)1⁄4 (25.00%)1⁄8 (12.50%)1⁄12 (8.33%)
201⁄4 (25.00%)1⁄4 (25.00%)1⁄6 (16.67%)
3001⁄8 (12.50%)1⁄6 (16.67%)
40001⁄12 (8.33%)
Average1⁄2 (0.50)3⁄4 (0.75)1 (1.00)5⁄4 (1.25)
Raw Cod[A][C]0197⁄400 (49.25%)979⁄2000 (48.95%)973⁄2000 (48.65%)967⁄2000 (48.35%)
11⁄2 (50.00%)1021⁄4000 (25.52%)1081⁄8000 (13.51%)233⁄2400 (9.71%)
23⁄400 (0.75%)1⁄4 (25.00%)1973⁄8000 (24.66%)1967⁄12000 (16.39%)
3021⁄4000 (0.53%)1027⁄8000 (12.84%)1⁄6 (16.67%)
40027⁄8000 (0.34%)1033⁄12000 (8.61%)
500011⁄4000 (0.27%)
Average103⁄200 (0.52)771⁄1000 (0.77)1027⁄1000 (1.03)1283⁄1000 (1.28)
Cooked Cod[B][D]01⁄2 (50.00%)1⁄2 (50.00%)1⁄2 (50.00%)1⁄2 (50.00%)
11⁄2 (50.00%)1⁄4 (25.00%)1⁄8 (12.50%)1⁄12 (8.33%)
201⁄4 (25.00%)1⁄4 (25.00%)1⁄6 (16.67%)
3001⁄8 (12.50%)1⁄6 (16.67%)
40001⁄12 (8.33%)
Average1⁄2 (0.50)3⁄4 (0.75)1 (1.00)5⁄4 (1.25)
Cooked Cod[A][D]0197⁄400 (49.25%)979⁄2000 (48.95%)973⁄2000 (48.65%)967⁄2000 (48.35%)
11⁄2 (50.00%)1021⁄4000 (25.52%)1081⁄8000 (13.51%)233⁄2400 (9.71%)
23⁄400 (0.75%)1⁄4 (25.00%)1973⁄8000 (24.66%)1967⁄12000 (16.39%)
3021⁄4000 (0.53%)1027⁄8000 (12.84%)1⁄6 (16.67%)
40027⁄8000 (0.34%)1033⁄12000 (8.61%)
500011⁄4000 (0.27%)
Average103⁄200 (0.52)771⁄1000 (0.77)1027⁄1000 (1.03)1283⁄1000 (1.28)
Raw Salmon[A][C]0159⁄160 (99.38%)793⁄800 (99.12%)791⁄800 (98.88%)789⁄800 (98.62%)
11⁄160 (0.62%)7⁄800 (0.88%)9⁄800 (1.12%)11⁄800 (1.38%)
Average1⁄160 (0.01)7⁄800 (0.01)9⁄800 (0.01)11⁄800 (0.01)
Cooked Salmon[A][D]0159⁄160 (99.38%)793⁄800 (99.12%)791⁄800 (98.88%)789⁄800 (98.62%)
11⁄160 (0.62%)7⁄800 (0.88%)9⁄800 (1.12%)11⁄800 (1.38%)
Average1⁄160 (0.01)7⁄800 (0.01)9⁄800 (0.01)11⁄800 (0.01)
Pufferfish[A]03987⁄4000 (99.67%)19909⁄20000 (99.54%)19883⁄20000 (99.41%)19857⁄20000 (99.28%)
113⁄4000 (0.33%)91⁄20000 (0.46%)117⁄20000 (0.58%)143⁄20000 (0.71%)
Average13⁄4000 (0.00)91⁄20000 (0.00)117⁄20000 (0.01)143⁄20000 (0.01)
Tropical Fish[A]01999⁄2000 (99.95%)9993⁄10000 (99.93%)9991⁄10000 (99.91%)9989⁄10000 (99.89%)
11⁄2000 (0.05%)7⁄10000 (0.07%)9⁄10000 (0.09%)11⁄10000 (0.11%)
Average1⁄2000 (0.00)7⁄10000 (0.00)9⁄10000 (0.00)11⁄10000 (0.00)

Killed1
ItemExpected Drop
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Wet Sponge[A]1.001.001.001.00
Tide Armor Trim0.200.200.200.20
Prismarine Shard1.001.502.002.50
Prismarine Crystals0.330.500.670.83
Raw Cod[B][C]0.500.751.001.25
Raw Cod[A][C]0.520.771.031.28
Cooked Cod[B][D]0.500.751.001.25
Cooked Cod[A][D]0.520.771.031.28
Raw Salmon[A][C]0.010.010.010.01
Cooked Salmon[A][D]0.010.010.010.01
Pufferfish[A]0.000.000.010.01
Tropical Fish[A]0.000.000.000.00

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Only when killed by a player or a tamed wolf.
  2. ↑ a b Only dropped when not killed by a player or a tamed wolf.
  3. ↑ a b c Only when not on fire and not killed with a weapon enchanted with Fire Aspect.
  4. ↑ a b c Only when on fire or killed with a weapon enchanted with Fire Aspect.

Bedrock Edition:

ItemQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Wet Sponge[A]1100.00%1.001100.00%1.001100.00%1.001100.00%1.00
Tide Armor Trim0–120.00%0.200–120.00%0.200–120.00%0.200–120.00%0.20
Prismarine Shard0–266.67%1.000–366.67%1.330–466.67%1.670–566.67%2.00
Prismarine Crystals0–133.33%0.330–233.33%0.500–333.33%0.670–433.33%0.83
Raw Cod[B]0–150.00%0.500–250.00%0.750–350.00%1.000–450.00%1.25

ItemQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Wet Sponge[A]111111111111
Tide Armor Trim0–11⁄51⁄50–11⁄51⁄50–11⁄51⁄50–11⁄51⁄5
Prismarine Shard0–22⁄310–32⁄34⁄30–42⁄35⁄30–52⁄32
Prismarine Crystals0–11⁄31⁄30–21⁄31⁄20–31⁄32⁄30–41⁄35⁄6
Raw Cod[B]0–11⁄21⁄20–21⁄23⁄40–31⁄210–41⁄25⁄4

ItemAmountProbability
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Wet Sponge[A]11 (100.00%)1 (100.00%)1 (100.00%)1 (100.00%)
Average1 (1.00)1 (1.00)1 (1.00)1 (1.00)
Tide Armor Trim04⁄5 (80.00%)4⁄5 (80.00%)4⁄5 (80.00%)4⁄5 (80.00%)
11⁄5 (20.00%)1⁄5 (20.00%)1⁄5 (20.00%)1⁄5 (20.00%)
Average1⁄5 (0.20)1⁄5 (0.20)1⁄5 (0.20)1⁄5 (0.20)
Prismarine Shard01⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄3 (33.33%)
11⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄6 (16.67%)1⁄12 (8.33%)1⁄18 (5.56%)
21⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄4 (25.00%)1⁄6 (16.67%)
301⁄6 (16.67%)1⁄4 (25.00%)2⁄9 (22.22%)
4001⁄12 (8.33%)1⁄6 (16.67%)
50001⁄18 (5.56%)
Average1 (1.00)4⁄3 (1.33)5⁄3 (1.67)2 (2.00)
Prismarine Crystals02⁄3 (66.67%)2⁄3 (66.67%)2⁄3 (66.67%)2⁄3 (66.67%)
11⁄3 (33.33%)1⁄6 (16.67%)1⁄12 (8.33%)1⁄18 (5.56%)
201⁄6 (16.67%)1⁄6 (16.67%)1⁄9 (11.11%)
3001⁄12 (8.33%)1⁄9 (11.11%)
40001⁄18 (5.56%)
Average1⁄3 (0.33)1⁄2 (0.50)2⁄3 (0.67)5⁄6 (0.83)
Raw Cod[B]01⁄2 (50.00%)1⁄2 (50.00%)1⁄2 (50.00%)1⁄2 (50.00%)
11⁄2 (50.00%)1⁄4 (25.00%)1⁄8 (12.50%)1⁄12 (8.33%)
201⁄4 (25.00%)1⁄4 (25.00%)1⁄6 (16.67%)
3001⁄8 (12.50%)1⁄6 (16.67%)
40001⁄12 (8.33%)
Average1⁄2 (0.50)3⁄4 (0.75)1 (1.00)5⁄4 (1.25)

Killed1
ItemExpected Drop
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Wet Sponge[A]1.001.001.001.00
Tide Armor Trim0.200.200.200.20
Prismarine Shard1.001.331.672.00
Prismarine Crystals0.330.500.670.83
Raw Cod[B]0.500.751.001.25

  1. ↑ Only when killed by a player.
  2. ↑ MCPE-122487 — Killing guardians on fire/lava does not drop cooked fish
  • 10XP – when killed by a player or tamed wolf.
Laser

Behavior

Elder guardians do not swim around as much as normal guardians, and they do not swim away when approached by a player they are targeting, unlike regular guardians. Like normal guardians, elder guardians attempt to attack the player, squid, glow squid, and axolotls.

The elder guardian's eye follows and stares at any nearby players and always looks directly at its target. The eye still follows a player under the effects of Invisibility or in Spectator mode, though the elder guardian does not attack.

Elder guardians are considered aquatic mobs, and thus are affected by the Impaling enchantment.‌‌

The elder guardian has three methods of attacking, including firing its laser, inflicting Mining Fatigue, and a defensive thorn-like attack.

The elder guardian pathfinds toward an ocean monument if it is not within one.

An elder guardian attacks axolotls that are not playing dead. Otherwise, an elder guardian does not attack mobs that attack it, although the attacking mob takes damage from the elder guardian's natural spikes defense.

The elder guardian, like a normal guardian, does not take suffocation damage when out of the water for a prolonged period of time.

Elder guardians cannot ride boats.

Clip of player in boat being cursed with mining fatigue by elder guardian in java.
Cursing player in Java Edition.

Laser

The laser takes several seconds to charge, doing no damage and allowing the player to move away in the meantime. As it charges, it changes from purple to bright yellow. Once charged, the beam flashes green, abruptly ends, and deals 12HP♥ × 6 damage on Hard difficulty. The elder guardian swims around for a few seconds before firing again. The beam cannot be dodged and has a maximum range of approximately 14 blocks. Once the player is out of range, if the beam is obstructed by solid blocks, or if the player has a shield, the guardian's beam disengages from the player and deals no damage.

Inflicting Mining Fatigue

In Java Edition, immediately after spawning and once each minute thereafter, the elder guardian searches for any player within a spherical radius of 50 blocks to afflict with Mining Fatigue III. In Bedrock Edition, the elder guardian inflicts any unafflicted player within range immediately.

When afflicted, the player sees a ghostly image of the elder guardian and hears a ghostly noise. The effect decreases a player's attack speed by 30% and decreases mining speed even more for 5 minutes. The attack targets players through blocks, even underground, and a potion of Invisibility offers no defense. This is not considered an attack in regards to the Thorns enchantment.

Clip of player in boat being cursed with mining fatigue by elder guardian in bedrock.
Cursing player in Bedrock Edition.

The image of the elder guardian is a particle effect that can be recreated by issuing the command /particle minecraft:elder_guardian.‌

Spikes defense

An elder guardian deals 2HP♥ (3HP♥♥ on Hard mode) of damage every time it is hit while its spikes are extended, similar to the Thorns enchantment on armor. If cornered by a player or axolotl, the elder guardian usually extends its spikes and fires at point-blank range.

Sounds

Java Edition:
Elder guardians use the Hostile Creatures sound category for entity-dependent sound events.

Sounds
SoundSubtitlesSourceDescriptionResource locationTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
​Elder Guardian moansHostile MobsRandomly while in waterentity.elder_guardian.ambientsubtitles.entity.elder_guardian.ambient​1.00.8-1.216
​Elder Guardian flapsHostile MobsRandomly while out of waterentity.elder_guardian.ambient_landsubtitles.entity.elder_guardian.ambient.land​1.00.8-1.216
​Elder Guardian cursesHostile MobsWhen an elder guardian inflicts Mining Fatigue on a playerentity.elder_guardian.cursesubtitles.entity.elder_guardian.curse​1.01.016
​Guardian shootsHostile MobsWhile an elder guardian uses its laser attackentity.guardian.attacksubtitles.entity.guardian.attack​0.0-1.0 [sound 1]0.7-1.2 [sound 2]16 (technical) / ∞ (effective)[1]
​Elder Guardian diesHostile MobsWhen an elder guardian dies while in waterentity.elder_guardian.deathsubtitles.entity.elder_guardian.death​1.00.8-1.216
​Elder Guardian diesHostile MobsWhen an elder guardian dies while out of waterentity.elder_guardian.death_landsubtitles.entity.elder_guardian.death​1.00.8-1.216
​Elder Guardian hurtsHostile MobsWhen an elder guardian is damaged while in waterentity.elder_guardian.hurtsubtitles.entity.elder_guardian.hurt​1.00.8-1.216
​Elder Guardian hurtsHostile MobsWhen an elder guardian is damaged while out of waterentity.elder_guardian.hurt_landsubtitles.entity.elder_guardian.hurt​1.00.8-1.216
​Elder Guardian flopsHostile MobsWhile an elder guardian is on landentity.elder_guardian.flopsubtitles.entity.elder_guardian.flop​1.01.016
  1. ↑ Increases quadratically from minimum to maximum as the attack goes on
  2. ↑ Increases linearly from minimum to maximum as the attack goes on

Bedrock Edition:

Sounds
SoundSourceDescriptionResource locationVolumePitch
Hostile Creatures‌
Hostile Mobs​		Randomly while in watermob.elderguardian.idle1.00.8-1.2
Hostile Creatures‌
Hostile Mobs​		Randomly while out of watermob.guardian.land_idle1.00.8-1.2
Hostile Creatures‌
Hostile Mobs​		When an elder guardian inflicts Mining Fatigue on a playermob.elderguardian.curse1.01.0
Hostile Creatures‌
Hostile Mobs​		While an elder guardian uses its laser attackmob.guardian.attack_loop??
Hostile Creatures‌
Hostile Mobs​		When an elder guardian diesmob.elderguardian.death1.00.8-1.2
Hostile Creatures‌
Hostile Mobs​		When an elder guardian is damaged while in watermob.elderguardian.hit1.00.8-1.2
Hostile Creatures‌
Hostile Mobs​		When an elder guardian is damaged while out of watermob.guardian.land_hit1.00.8-1.2
Hostile Creatures‌
Hostile Mobs​		While an elder guardian is on landmob.guardian.flop1.01.0

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

NameIdentifierEntity tagsTranslation key
EntitySprite elder-guardian.png: Sprite image for elder-guardian in Minecraft Elder Guardianelder_guardianaquatic
axolotl_always_hostiles
can_breathe_under_water
not_scary_for_pufferfish
sensitive_to_impaling		entity.minecraft.elder_guardian

Bedrock Edition:

NameIdentifierNumeric ID Translation key
EntitySprite elder-guardian.png: Sprite image for elder-guardian in Minecraft Elder Guardianelder_guardian50entity.elder_guardian.name

Entity data

Elder guardians have entity data associated with them that contains various properties.

Java Edition:

Main article: Entity format
  • [NBT Compound / JSON Object] Entity data
    • Tags common to all entities see Template:Nbt inherit/entity/template
    • Tags common to all mobs see Template:Nbt inherit/mob/template

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Entity format.

Achievements

IconAchievementIn-game descriptionActual requirements (if different)Gamerscore earnedTrophy type (PS)
PS4Other
It SpreadsKill a mob next to a catalyst—10Bronze
Monster HunterAttack and destroy a monster.Kill a hostile mob or one of the following neutral mobs: an enderman, a piglin, a zombified piglin, a spider, or a cave spider.15Bronze
OverkillDeal nine hearts of damage in a single hit.Damage can be dealt to any mob, even those that do not have nine hearts of health overall.30Bronze
Over-OverkillDeal 50 hearts of damage in a single hit using the MaceDamage can be dealt to any mob, even those that do not have 50 hearts of health overall.20Silver
The Deep EndDefeat an —30Silver

Advancements

IconAdvancementIn-game descriptionActual requirements (if different)
A Throwaway JokeThrow a Trident at something.
Note: Throwing away your only weapon is not a good idea.		Hit a mob with a thrown trident.
AdventureAdventure, exploration and combatKill any mob, or be killed by any living entity.
ArbalisticKill five unique mobs with one crossbow shotArmor Stand also counts for this advancement.
This is a hidden advancement, meaning that it can be viewed by the player only after completing it, regardless of if its child advancement(s), if any, have been completed.
How Did We Get Here?Have every effect applied at the same time
Have all of these 33 status effects applied to the player at the same time:

The source of the effects is irrelevant for the purposes of this advancement. Other status effects may be applied to the player, but are ignored for this advancement.

See also: Tutorial:Advancement guide/Nether tab § How Did We Get Here?
This is a hidden advancement, meaning that it can be viewed by the player only after completing it, regardless of if its child advancement(s), if any, have been completed.
It SpreadsKill a mob near a Sculk Catalyst Mobs that drop no experience as well as the ender dragon are ignored for this advancement.
Monster HunterKill any hostile monster
Kill one of these 37 mobs:
Other mobs may be killed, but are ignored for this advancement.
Monsters HuntedKill one of every hostile monster
Kill each of these 37 mobs:
Other mobs may be killed, but are ignored for this advancement.
Over-OverkillDeal 50 hearts of damage in a single hit using the MaceDamage can be dealt to any mob, even those that do not have 50 hearts of health overall.
Take AimShoot something with an ArrowUsing a bow or a crossbow, shoot a mob with an arrow, tipped arrow, or spectral arrow.

Video

History

Java Edition
1.814w25a Added elder guardians.
14w26aGuardians and elder guardians are no longer immune to lava and fire.
1.915w43aThe drop chances for raw fish and prismarine crystals have been changed for elder guardians. Instead of a 33% chance of fish then a 33% chance of crystals only if the fish drop failed with both percentages adjusted by Looting, it's 40% fish, 40% crystals, and 20% neither, with the amount increased by Looting.
Elder guardians now drop dry sponges (on any kill).
15w43bThe drop chances for raw fish and prismarine crystals have been changed again for guardians. Now, the drop chances are 50% fish, 33% crystals, and 16.7% neither.
15w43cThe sponge drop of elder guardians has been restored to requiring a player kill, but is still dry rather than wet.
1.1016w20aAn elder guardian spawn egg has been added.
pre2The elder guardian spawn egg has been removed.
1.1116w32aThe elder guardian spawn egg has been re-added.
The in-game name of elder guardians is now "Elder Guardian" instead of "Guardian".
16w33aElder guardians now drop wet sponges on player kills, rather than dry sponges.[2]
16w38aElder guardian's common drop of raw fish now drop as cooked fish, if killed while on fire.
1.1418w43a The texture of elder guardians has been changed.
1.1519w34aElder guardians now take damage on magma blocks.
1.1620w14aElder guardians are now required for the "Monsters Hunted" advancement.
1.1721w11a The texture of the elder guardian has been tweaked, so that a floating pixel present in the tailfin no longer exists.
21w13aNow drop cooked cod or salmon instead of raw cod or salmon if on fire when killed or killed by a fire source.
1.19.4
Experiment
Update 1.20		23w04aElder guardians now drop 0–1 tide armor trim smithing templates upon death.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.16.0build 1 Added elder guardians.
Elder guardians are considered boss mobs in the blog post for this update,[3] but in-game they behave the same as their Java counterparts.
build 5An elder guardian spawn egg has been added.
Pocket Edition
1.1.0alpha 1.1.0.0The entity ID has been changed from guardian.elder to elder_guardian.
Bedrock Edition
1.2.0?Elder guardians no longer play flopping sounds when on land.
1.6.0beta 1.6.0.5Elder guardians now drop wet sponges rather than dry.
1.10.0beta 1.10.0.3 The texture of elder guardians has been changed.
1.13.0beta 1.13.0.4Added the elder guardian ghost, currently unused.
1.17.0beta 1.17.0.50 The texture of the elder guardian has been tweaked, so that a floating pixel present in the tailfin no longer exists.
1.19.80
Experiment
Next Major Update		Preview 1.19.80.21Elder guardians now drop 0–1 tide armor trim smithing templates upon death.
1.20.40Preview 1.20.40.20Elder guardians once again play flopping sounds when on land.
Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360Xbox OnePS3PS4PS VitaWii USwitch
TU31CU191.221.221.22Patch 31.0.1 Added elder guardians.
TU43CU331.361.361.36Patch 13Elder guardians now drop dry sponges rather than wet.
TU54CU441.521.521.52Patch 241.0.4Elder guardians now have their own spawn egg.
Elder guardians now drop wet sponges again rather than dry.
Elder guardian's common drop of raw fish now drop as cooked fish, if killed while on fire.
TU56CU481.551.551.55Patch 261.0.6Elder guardians now drop dry sponges again rather than wet.
Elder guardian's common drop of raw fish no longer drop as cooked fish, if killed while on fire.
TU69 1.761.761.76Patch 38 Elder guardians now drop wet sponges again rather than dry.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
1.3.12 Added elder guardians.

Data history

Java Edition
1.1116w32aThe entity ID has been changed from Guardian to elder_guardian and the Elder tag has been removed.
1.1317w47aNumeric IDs for entities were presumably deprecated in this version.​

Issues

Issues relating to "Elder Guardian" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Trivia

  • The elder guardian's status as a boss or simply a powerful mob is ambiguous. While it lacks important characteristics of a boss, chiefly a health bar, it has been grouped with boss mobs and addressed as one by Mojang before.[4][5] The elder guardian was also marketed as a boss in Pocket Edition, having been introduced in the Boss Update.
  • The elder guardian's eye is the "head" part of the mob's model, giving the illusion of a dynamic eye.
  • According to Jeb, elder guardians were introduced to encourage players to solve the temple maze rather than dig through it easily. He acknowledges there are ways around it, but players still have to solve the challenge in a different way.[5]
    • Also according to Jeb, the "jumpscare" by an elder guardian is unintentional; instead, he added it to provide a visual cue as to why players get slowed down by Mining Fatigue.[5]
  • In Java Edition 3D Shareware v1.34, elder guardians drop blue keys.
  • In Bedrock Edition, elder guardians make their underwater death sounds if killed on land.
  • According to a post Jeb made on Bluesky, the Elder Guardian drops a sponge to make sure a player can get at least three from an ocean monument without a sponge room.[6]

Gallery

Screenshots

  • A special effect of the elder guardian, which gives Mining Fatigue III for 5 minutes.
    A special effect of the elder guardian, which gives Mining Fatigue III for 5 minutes.
  • The elder guardian's Mining Fatigue effect.
    The elder guardian's Mining Fatigue effect.
  • An elder guardian spawned inside an ocean monument.
    An elder guardian spawned inside an ocean monument.
  • An elder guardian spreading its spikes.
    An elder guardian spreading its spikes.
  • An elder guardian's laser.
    An elder guardian's laser.
  • An elder guardian in full view.
    An elder guardian in full view.
  • The inside of an elder guardian (spikes retracted).
    The inside of an elder guardian (spikes retracted).
  • Size comparison between an elder and a normal guardian.
    Size comparison between an elder and a normal guardian.
  • The elder guardian curse ghastly image shows the elder guardian's full model.
    The elder guardian curse ghastly image shows the elder guardian's full model.

Mojang screenshots

Textures

  • Elder guardian texture file.
    Elder guardian texture file.

In other media

References

  1. ↑ MC-57057 — Guardian laser attack sound ignores distance
  2. ↑ MC-92294
  3. ↑ "SNEAK PEEK: BOSS UPDATE COMING TO POCKET & WIN 10" (Archive) by Owen Hill – mojang.com, August 29, 2016.
  4. ↑ "What do you think are the greatest weaknesses and strengths of Minecraft's bosses from a design perspective?" – @kingbdogz on X (formerly Twitter), April 9, 2020
  5. ↑ a b c "Meet the Elder Guardian" by Emily Richardson – Minecraft.net, November 6, 2017.
  6. ↑ "@jebox.bsky.social hello, was the sponge drop from elder guardians meant to be a placeholder? a few famous people have been saying so but i couldn't find a source for it. keep up the good work, loved your cameo!" – @camcamburger.bsky.social on Bluesky, June 6, 2025
    "No? The sponge drop was added to them to make sure that even if a monument doesn't have a sponge room, you will at least get 3 of them." – @jebox.bsky.social (Jens Bergensten) on Bluesky, June 10, 2025

External links

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