Wither Skeleton

Wither Skeleton

Wither Skeleton.png: Infobox image for Wither Skeleton the entity in Minecraft

Wither Skeleton Targeting.png: Infobox image for Wither Skeleton the entity in Minecraft

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

20HP♥ × 10

Behavior

Hostile

Mob type

Undead, Monster

Attack
strength

Melee:
Stone Sword:
In Java Edition:
Easy: 5HP♥♥♥
Normal: 8HP♥♥♥♥
Hard: 12HP♥ × 6
In Bedrock Edition:
Easy: 5.5HP♥ × 2.75
Normal: 9HP♥♥♥♥♥
Hard: 13.5HP♥ × 6.75
Unarmed:
Easy: 3HP♥♥
Normal: 4HP♥♥
Hard: 6HP♥♥♥
Wither:
1HP♥ per 2 sec
Wither for 10 sec (HP♥♥♥)

Hitbox size

In Java Edition:
Height: 2.4 blocks
Width: 0.7 blocks

In Bedrock Edition:
Height: 2.412 blocks
Width: 0.864 blocks

Speed

0.25 when idle and 0.3125 when attacking

Spawn

Nether Fortress
When a wither reaches half health.‌

Natural
equipment

A wither skeleton is a tall, black variant of a skeleton equipped with a stone sword. They inflict the Wither effect when attacking the player. They are found exclusively in Nether fortresses and are the only source of wither skeleton skulls, as well as the only renewable source of coal.

Spawning

Wither skeletons can spawn in Nether fortresses at a light level between 0 and 7, in groups of 5‌ or 2-3‌:

  • In the structure bounding box of any single piece of the Nether fortress they can spawn on any block
  • In the larger area bounding box of the entire Nether fortress they can spawn exclusively on Nether bricks

They are the only mobs that can spawn inside wither roses due to their immunity to the damaging effect.

Wither Skeleton spawns in:
Category: MonsterJava EditionBedrock Edition
Spawn areaSpawn weightSpawn ChanceGroup sizeSpawn weightGroup size
Nether Fortress82828.57%582–3

Halloween

This feature is exclusive to Java Edition.
 

On Halloween, wither skeletons have a 22.5% chance of spawning wearing a carved pumpkin and a 2.5% chance of spawning wearing a jack o'lantern. This is not dropped.

Withers

This feature is exclusive to Bedrock Edition.
 

The wither spawns 3-4 wither skeletons when below half health on Normal and Hard difficulties.

Drops

Java Edition:

ItemQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Coal0–133.33%0.330–266.67%0.830–383.33%1.330–488.89%1.83
Bone0–266.67%1.000–383.33%1.500–491.67%2.000–594.44%2.50
Wither Skeleton Skull[A]0–12.50%0.030–13.50%0.040–14.50%0.040–15.50%0.06
Wither Skeleton Skull[B]1100.00%1.001100.00%1.001100.00%1.001100.00%1.00

ItemQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Coal0–113130–223560–356430–489116
Bone0–22310–356320–4111220–5171852
Wither Skeleton Skull[A]0–11401400–1720072000–1920092000–11120011200
Wither Skeleton Skull[B]111111111111

ItemAmountProbability
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Coal023 (66.67%)13 (33.33%)16 (16.67%)19 (11.11%)
113 (33.33%)12 (50.00%)512 (41.67%)518 (27.78%)
2016 (16.67%)13 (33.33%)13 (33.33%)
300112 (8.33%)29 (22.22%)
4000118 (5.56%)
Average13 (0.33)56 (0.83)43 (1.33)116 (1.83)
Bone013 (33.33%)16 (16.67%)112 (8.33%)118 (5.56%)
113 (33.33%)13 (33.33%)14 (25.00%)16 (16.67%)
213 (33.33%)13 (33.33%)13 (33.33%)518 (27.78%)
3016 (16.67%)14 (25.00%)518 (27.78%)
400112 (8.33%)16 (16.67%)
5000118 (5.56%)
Average1 (1.00)32 (1.50)2 (2.00)52 (2.50)
Wither Skeleton Skull[A]03940 (97.50%)193200 (96.50%)191200 (95.50%)189200 (94.50%)
1140 (2.50%)7200 (3.50%)9200 (4.50%)11200 (5.50%)
Average140 (0.03)7200 (0.04)9200 (0.04)11200 (0.06)
Wither Skeleton Skull[B]11 (100.00%)1 (100.00%)1 (100.00%)1 (100.00%)
Average1 (1.00)1 (1.00)1 (1.00)1 (1.00)

Killed1
ItemExpected Drop
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Coal0.330.831.331.83
Bone1.001.502.002.50
Wither Skeleton Skull[A]0.030.040.040.06
Wither Skeleton Skull[B]1.001.001.001.00

  1. Only when killed by a player or a tamed wolf.
  2. Only when killed by a charged creeper.

Bedrock Edition:

ItemQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Coal0–150.00%0.500–250.00%0.750–350.00%1.000–450.00%1.25
Bone0–266.67%1.000–366.67%1.330–466.67%1.670–566.67%2.00
Wither Skeleton Skull[A]0–12.50%0.030–14.50%0.040–16.50%0.070–18.50%0.09
Wither Skeleton Skull[B]1100.00%1.001100.00%1.001100.00%1.001100.00%1.00

ItemQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Coal0–112120–212340–31210–41254
Bone0–22310–323430–423530–5232
Wither Skeleton Skull[A]0–11401400–1920092000–113200132000–11720017200
Wither Skeleton Skull[B]111111111111

ItemAmountProbability
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Coal012 (50.00%)12 (50.00%)12 (50.00%)12 (50.00%)
112 (50.00%)14 (25.00%)18 (12.50%)112 (8.33%)
2014 (25.00%)14 (25.00%)16 (16.67%)
30018 (12.50%)16 (16.67%)
4000112 (8.33%)
Average12 (0.50)34 (0.75)1 (1.00)54 (1.25)
Bone013 (33.33%)13 (33.33%)13 (33.33%)13 (33.33%)
113 (33.33%)16 (16.67%)112 (8.33%)118 (5.56%)
213 (33.33%)13 (33.33%)14 (25.00%)16 (16.67%)
3016 (16.67%)14 (25.00%)29 (22.22%)
400112 (8.33%)16 (16.67%)
5000118 (5.56%)
Average1 (1.00)43 (1.33)53 (1.67)2 (2.00)
Wither Skeleton Skull[A]03940 (97.50%)191200 (95.50%)187200 (93.50%)183200 (91.50%)
1140 (2.50%)9200 (4.50%)13200 (6.50%)17200 (8.50%)
Average140 (0.03)9200 (0.04)13200 (0.07)17200 (0.09)
Wither Skeleton Skull[B]11 (100.00%)1 (100.00%)1 (100.00%)1 (100.00%)
Average1 (1.00)1 (1.00)1 (1.00)1 (1.00)

Killed1
ItemExpected Drop
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Coal0.500.751.001.25
Bone1.001.331.672.00
Wither Skeleton Skull[A]0.030.040.070.09
Wither Skeleton Skull[B]1.001.001.001.00

  1. Only when killed by a player.
  2. Only when killed by a charged creeper.
  • 8.5% chance of dropping their unenchanted stone sword which has a random durability. This chance increases by 1% per level of Looting, for a maximum of 11.5% chance with Looting III.
  • 5XP experience orbs when killed by a player or tamed wolf, and an additional 1–3XP is dropped per piece of naturally-spawned equipment that does not drop upon death.
    • Because all wither skeletons spawn with a stone sword, each of them effectively drop 6–8XP if the sword is not dropped.
    • If the wither skeleton does drop its stone sword, it drops the default 5XP instead.
  • A carved pumpkin or jack o'lantern worn by a wither skeleton spawned on Halloween is never dropped.

Behavior

Wither skeletons wander aimlessly when idle. They sprint to attack players, snow golems, iron golems, baby turtles, piglins, and piglin brutes within 16 blocks. They flee from wolves but retaliate if attacked.

When an entity is attacked by a wither skeleton on any difficulty, it is inflicted with the Wither effect for ten seconds, which turns the health bar black (HP♥ × 10) and decreases it by 1HP♥ every two seconds. Unlike Poison, this effect can cause death.

In Normal and Hard difficulties, some wither skeletons pick up dropped equipment. The chance depends on regional difficulty, with up to 55% of them capable of picking up swords higher than stone tier plus any armor. Wither skeletons never take bows; in Java Edition, if they hold a bow (which can be done with /summon wither_skeleton ~ ~ ~ {equipment:{mainhand:{id:bow, count:1}}}) they shoot flaming arrows even if their bows are not enchanted. If the wither skeleton is holding a tipped arrow or spectral arrow in its off-hand, it shoots that type of arrow, and the arrow held is not consumed. They cannot use crossbows.

Wither skeletons are immune to fire and the Wither effect. They still seek shade or water during daylight if they are in the Overworld, even though they do not burn in sunlight.

Being an undead mob, they are:

Sounds

Java Edition:
Wither skeletons use the Hostile Creatures sound category for entity-dependent sound events.

Sounds
SoundSubtitlesSourceDescriptionResource locationTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
​Wither Skeleton rattlesHostile MobsRandomlyentity.wither_skeleton.ambientsubtitles.entity.wither_skeleton.ambient1.00.8-1.216
​Wither Skeleton hurtsHostile MobsWhen a wither skeleton is damagedentity.wither_skeleton.hurtsubtitles.entity.wither_skeleton.hurt1.00.8-1.216
​Wither Skeleton diesHostile MobsWhen a wither skeleton diesentity.wither_skeleton.deathsubtitles.entity.wither_skeleton.death1.00.8-1.216
​FootstepsHostile MobsWhile a wither skeleton is walkingentity.wither_skeleton.stepsubtitles.block.generic.footsteps0.151.016
​Skeleton shootsHostile MobsWhen a wither skeleton shoots an arrow (when given a bow through commands)entity.skeleton.shootsubtitles.entity.skeleton.shoot1.056-1.2516

Bedrock Edition:

Sounds
SoundSourceDescriptionResource locationVolumePitch
Hostile Creatures‌
Hostile Mobs​
Randomlyentity.wither_skeleton.ambient1.00.8-1.2
Hostile Creatures‌
Hostile Mobs​
When a wither skeleton is damagedentity.wither_skeleton.hurt1.00.8-1.2
Hostile Creatures‌
Hostile Mobs​
When a wither skeleton diesentity.wither_skeleton.death1.00.8-1.2
Hostile Creatures‌
Hostile Mobs​
While a wither skeleton is walkingentity.wither_skeleton.step0.151.0

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

NameIdentifierEntity tagsTranslation key
EntitySprite wither-skeleton.png: Sprite image for wither-skeleton in Minecraft Wither Skeletonwither_skeletoncan_breathe_under_water
ignores_poison_and_regen
inverted_healing_and_harm
skeletons
undead
wither_friends
entity.minecraft.wither_skeleton

Bedrock Edition:

NameIdentifierNumeric ID Translation key
EntitySprite wither-skeleton.png: Sprite image for wither-skeleton in Minecraft Wither Skeletonwither_skeleton48entity.wither_skeleton.name

Entity data

Wither skeleton have entity data associated with them that contains various properties. The wither skeleton is taller than the skeleton.

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
CamouflageKill a mob while wearing the same type of mob head.30Bronze
It SpreadsKill a mob next to a catalyst10Bronze
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
Sniper DuelKill a Skeleton with an arrow from more than 50 meters.Use a launched arrow to kill a skeleton, wither skeleton, or stray from 50 or more blocks away, horizontally.30Bronze

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.
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 Other mobs may be killed, but are ignored for this advancement.
Monsters HuntedKill one of every hostile monster 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.
Sniper DuelKill a Skeleton from at least 50 meters awayReceive kill credit for a skeleton that is at least 50 blocks away horizontally and is killed by a projectile.
Spooky Scary SkeletonObtain a Wither Skeleton's skullHave a wither skeleton skull in the inventory.
Take AimShoot something with an ArrowUsing a bow or a crossbow, shoot a mob with an arrow, tipped arrow, or spectral arrow.

History

Java Edition
1.4.212w36a Added wither skeletons.
12w38bWither skeletons now spawn more frequently.
1.4.41.4.3Wither skeletons can now sprint toward the player.
1.814w11aWither skeletons now run away from creepers that are about to explode.
14w25aWither skeletons no longer visibly catch fire when going into fire or lava.
14w30aWither skeletons now drop their skull when killed by a charged creeper.
The weapon holding position of wither skeletons has been changed.
1.8.1pre1Wither skeletons no longer run away from creepers that are about to explode.
1.915w31a Wither skeletons now lower their arms when idle and swing their arms when damaging something.
Wither skeletons now sometimes (11% of times) spawn with their left hand as their main hand.
Wither skeletons now have the ability to hold items in both of their hands.
15w39aWither skeletons are now slightly shorter (2.4 blocks tall rather than 2.535) and narrower (0.7 blocks instead of 0.72).
1.1016w20aAdded separate spawn eggs for wither skeletons.
pre2The wither skeleton spawn egg has been removed.
1.1116w32aThe wither skeleton spawn egg has been re-added.
The wither skeleton's in-game name is now "Wither Skeleton" instead of "Skeleton".
Creepers no longer drop music discs when killed by wither skeletons.[1]
Wither skeletons can no longer spawn from normal skeleton spawn egg used in the Nether.
16w39aWither skeletons now have their own sounds.
1.1318w19aWither skeletons now sink underwater.
Wither skeletons no longer drown underwater.
1.1418w43a The texture of wither skeletons has been changed.
Wither skeletons are now immune to the Wither effect.
Creepers now drop music discs when killed by wither skeletons again.[a]
19w09aWither skeletons holding tipped arrows or spectral arrows in their off-hand now shoot that type of arrow.[2]
September 28, 2019Announced piglins, which attack wither skeletons.
1.1519w37aMobs that spawn wearing carved pumpkins or jack o'lanterns on Halloween no longer drop them.
1.1620w07aAdded piglins, which attack wither skeletons.
20w10aWither skeletons now attack piglins on sight.[3]
20w21aWither skeletons are now the only mobs that can spawn on wither roses.
1.19Pre-release 1Wither skeletons now spawn from light level 0 to 11.
1.19.322w46aWither skeletons now spawn from light level 0 to 7 in the Nether.
1.21.424w45aPrefer to pick bows from the ground as opposed to other items.
24w46aWither skeletons no longer pick up bows.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.12.1build 1 Added wither skeletons.
build 9Wither skeletons are now larger than regular skeletons.
build 12Added new sounds for dying wither skeletons.
v0.15.0build 1 Wither skeletons now lower their arms when idle and swing their arms when damaging something.
Added separate spawn eggs for wither skeletons.
v0.16.0build 4Wither skeletons now spawn when a wither's health reaches 50%.
Bedrock Edition
?Wither skeletons no longer spawn with gear (or enchanted gear).
1.5.0beta 1.5.0.0Wither skeletons now sink in water.
Wither skeletons no longer drown underwater.
beta 1.5.0.4Wither skeletons now seek and attack baby turtles.
1.10.0beta 1.10.0.3 The texture of wither skeletons has been changed.
Wither skeletons can now be renamed with a name tag.[4]
1.16.0beta 1.16.0.51Wither skeletons now have ability to pick up items.
Added piglins, which attack wither skeletons.
1.19.60Preview 1.19.60.22Wither skeletons now spawn from light level 0 to 7 in the Nether.
1.20.40Preview 1.20.40.20Wither skeletons now have the same sounds as in Java Edition.
1.21.30Preview 1.21.30.24Wither skeletons now have the same "step" sounds as in Java Edition.[5]
1.21.90Preview 1.21.90.26Wither skeletons now spawn as riders in spider jockeys when spiders are spawned in the Nether again. They did not since Pocket Edition 1.1.0 due to an identifier change
Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360Xbox OnePS3PS4PS VitaWii USwitch
TU19CU71.121.121.12Patch 11.0.1 Added wither skeletons.
TU20CU81.131.131.13Wither skeletons now rarely spawn anywhere in the Nether.
TU31CU191.221.221.22Patch 3Wither skeletons no longer visibly catch fire when going into fire or lava.
Wither skeletons now drop their skull when killed by a charged creeper.
TU46CU331.361.361.36Patch 13Wither skeletons now use the old sound for dying.
CU361.381.381.38Patch 15 Wither skeletons now lower their arms when idle and swing their arms when damaging something.
Wither skeletons now sometimes spawn with their left hand as their main hand.
TU54CU441.521.521.52Patch 241.0.4Added separate spawn eggs for wither skeletons.
Wither skeletons can no longer spawn from normal skeleton spawn egg used in the Nether.
TU57CU491.571.561.56Patch 271.0.7Wither skeletons no longer fear daylight and attack anything that lives.
TU60CU511.641.641.64Patch 301.0.11Wither skeletons now spawn when a wither's health reaches 50%.
TU69 1.761.761.76Patch 38 Wither skeletons now sink in water.
Wither skeletons no longer drown underwater.
Wither skeletons now have the same sounds as in Java Edition.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0 Added wither skeletons.

Data history

Java Edition
1.1116w32aThe entity ID has been changed changed from Skeleton to wither_skeleton, SkeletonType tag is removed.
1.1317w47aNumeric IDs for entities were presumably deprecated in this version.​
1.20.323w40aWither skeletons are now part of the #can_breathe_under_water and #undead tags.
Pocket Edition
1.1.0alpha 1.1.0.0The entity ID has been changed from skeleton.wither to wither_skeleton.

Issues

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

Trivia

Gallery

Renders

Screenshots

Textures

In other media

See also

Notes

  1. Wither skeletons can only be given the ability to damage creepers through commands, such as being given a bow.

References

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