Wither Skeleton Skull

This article is about an item dropped by the wither skeleton. For the entity projected by the wither, see wither skull. For other skeletons, see Skeleton (disambiguation).
Wither Skeleton Skull
Wither Skeleton Skull.png: Infobox image for Wither Skeleton Skull the block in Minecraft
Invicon Wither Skeleton Skull.png: Inventory sprite for Wither Skeleton Skull in Minecraft as shown in-game with description:
Rarity tier

Rare

Renewable

Yes

Stackable

Yes (64)

Tool

Any tool

Blast resistance

1

Hardness

1

Luminous

No

Transparent

Yes

Waterloggable

JE: No
BE: Yes

Flammable

No

Catches fire
from lava

No

A wither skeleton skull is a block modeled after the head of a wither skeleton, essential in the spawning of withers.

Obtaining

Breaking

A wither skeleton skull can be mined using any item,[1] and drops itself when broken.

Block
Hardness 1
Breaking time (secs)
Default 1.5
Legend
  • incorrect tool, drops nothing
  • correct tool, drops nothing or something other than the block itself
  • correct tool, drops the block itself
  • italicized can be instant mined

If a wither skeleton skull is pushed by a piston or comes in contact with water or lava, it breaks off as an item.

When destroyed by an explosion, the wither skeleton skull always drops as an item.

Mob loot

A wither skeleton has a 2.5% chance of dropping a wither skeleton skull when killed by a player or a tamed wolf. The chance is increased by 1% per level of Looting, for a maximum of 5.5% with Looting III. In Bedrock Edition, the chance is increased by 2% per level of Looting, for a maximum of 8.5% with Looting III.

A wither skeleton always drops a wither skeleton skull if it dies due to a charged creeper's explosion. In Bedrock Edition, if multiple mobs are killed by the same charged creeper, all of them drop their heads;[2] in Java Edition, only one mob selected at random drops its head.[3]

Java Edition:

MobQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Wither Skeleton[A]1100.00%1.001100.00%1.001100.00%1.001100.00%1.00
Wither Skeleton[B]0–12.50%0.030–13.50%0.040–14.50%0.040–15.50%0.06

MobQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Wither Skeleton[A]111111111111
Wither Skeleton[B]0–11401400–1720072000–1920092000–11120011200

MobAmountProbability
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Wither Skeleton[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)
Wither Skeleton[B]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)

Drops1
MobExpected Number of Kill
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Wither Skeleton[A]1.001.001.001.00
Wither Skeleton[B]40.0028.5722.2218.18

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

Bedrock Edition:

MobQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Wither Skeleton[A]0–12.50%0.030–14.50%0.040–16.50%0.070–18.50%0.09
Wither Skeleton[B]1100.00%1.001100.00%1.001100.00%1.001100.00%1.00

MobQuantity / Chance / Average
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Wither Skeleton[A]0–11401400–1920092000–113200132000–11720017200
Wither Skeleton[B]111111111111

MobAmountProbability
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Wither Skeleton[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[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)

Drops1
MobExpected Number of Kill
DefaultLooting ILooting IILooting III
Wither Skeleton[A]40.0022.2215.3811.76
Wither Skeleton[B]1.001.001.001.00

  1. Only when killed by a player.
  2. Only when killed by a charged creeper.

Usage

Decoration

Wither skeleton skulls can be oriented in 16 different directions on top of a block, and 4 directions on the sides of blocks, similar to signs. They can be placed on top of or beside each other by shift clicking.

Wearing

See also:  § Gallery

The player can wear wither skeleton skulls, similarly to pumpkins or helmets. This overlays the second layer of the player's skin.

Disguise

Unlike some other heads and skulls, wearing a wither skeleton skull does not reduce the detection range for wither skeletons.

In Bedrock Edition, wearing a wither skeleton skull makes the player invisible to other players on a locator map.

Withers

Wither build configuration

Withers can be spawned by placing soul sand or soul soil in a T shape and placing 3 wither skeleton skulls on top of the T. The T can be horizontal or vertical, and the last block placed must be one of the three wither skeleton skulls. A dispenser can also create a wither by placing the final wither skeleton skull onto soul sand directly in front of and below it.

Dispensers

A dispenser can equip a wither skeleton skull on a player, mob, or armor stand with an empty helmet slot, within the block the dispenser is facing.

Dispensers can also complete the construction of a wither unless the difficulty is set to peaceful.

Crafting ingredient

Name Ingredients Crafting recipe
Skull Charge Banner Pattern Paper +
Invicon Paper.png: Inventory sprite for Paper in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Paper with description: PaperInvicon Wither Skeleton Skull.png: Inventory sprite for Wither Skeleton Skull in Minecraft as shown in-game with description:
Invicon Skull Charge Banner Pattern.png: Inventory sprite for Skull Charge Banner Pattern in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Skull Charge Banner Pattern with description:
Firework Star Wither Skeleton Skull +
Gunpowder +
Any Dye
Invicon Gunpowder.png: Inventory sprite for Gunpowder in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Gunpowder with description: GunpowderInvicon Wither Skeleton Skull.png: Inventory sprite for Wither Skeleton Skull in Minecraft as shown in-game with description:Invicon White Dye.png: Inventory sprite for White Dye in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to White Dye with description: White DyeInvicon Light Gray Dye.png: Inventory sprite for Light Gray Dye in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Light Gray Dye with description: Light Gray DyeInvicon Gray Dye.png: Inventory sprite for Gray Dye in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Gray Dye with description: Gray DyeInvicon Black Dye.png: Inventory sprite for Black Dye in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Black Dye with description: Black DyeInvicon Brown Dye.png: Inventory sprite for Brown Dye in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Brown Dye with description: Brown DyeInvicon Red Dye.png: Inventory sprite for Red Dye in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Red Dye with description: Red DyeInvicon Orange Dye.png: Inventory sprite for Orange Dye in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Orange Dye with description: Orange DyeInvicon Yellow Dye.png: Inventory sprite for Yellow Dye in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Yellow Dye with description: Yellow DyeInvicon Lime Dye.png: Inventory sprite for Lime Dye in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Lime Dye with description: Lime DyeInvicon Green Dye.png: Inventory sprite for Green Dye in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Green Dye with description: Green DyeInvicon Cyan Dye.png: Inventory sprite for Cyan Dye in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Cyan Dye with description: Cyan DyeInvicon Light Blue Dye.png: Inventory sprite for Light Blue Dye in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Light Blue Dye with description: Light Blue DyeInvicon Blue Dye.png: Inventory sprite for Blue Dye in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Blue Dye with description: Blue DyeInvicon Purple Dye.png: Inventory sprite for Purple Dye in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Purple Dye with description: Purple DyeInvicon Magenta Dye.png: Inventory sprite for Magenta Dye in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Magenta Dye with description: Magenta DyeInvicon Pink Dye.png: Inventory sprite for Pink Dye in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Pink Dye with description: Pink Dye
Invicon White Firework Star.png: Inventory sprite for White Firework Star in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to White Firework Star with description: Firework Star WhiteInvicon Light Gray Firework Star.png: Inventory sprite for Light Gray Firework Star in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Light Gray Firework Star with description: Firework Star Light GrayInvicon Gray Firework Star.png: Inventory sprite for Gray Firework Star in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Gray Firework Star with description: Firework Star GrayInvicon Black Firework Star.png: Inventory sprite for Black Firework Star in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Black Firework Star with description: Firework Star BlackInvicon Brown Firework Star.png: Inventory sprite for Brown Firework Star in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Brown Firework Star with description: Firework Star BrownInvicon Red Firework Star.png: Inventory sprite for Red Firework Star in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Red Firework Star with description: Firework Star RedInvicon Orange Firework Star.png: Inventory sprite for Orange Firework Star in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Orange Firework Star with description: Firework Star OrangeInvicon Yellow Firework Star.png: Inventory sprite for Yellow Firework Star in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Yellow Firework Star with description: Firework Star YellowInvicon Lime Firework Star.png: Inventory sprite for Lime Firework Star in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Lime Firework Star with description: Firework Star LimeInvicon Green Firework Star.png: Inventory sprite for Green Firework Star in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Green Firework Star with description: Firework Star GreenInvicon Cyan Firework Star.png: Inventory sprite for Cyan Firework Star in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Cyan Firework Star with description: Firework Star CyanInvicon Light Blue Firework Star.png: Inventory sprite for Light Blue Firework Star in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Light Blue Firework Star with description: Firework Star Light BlueInvicon Blue Firework Star.png: Inventory sprite for Blue Firework Star in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Blue Firework Star with description: Firework Star BlueInvicon Purple Firework Star.png: Inventory sprite for Purple Firework Star in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Purple Firework Star with description: Firework Star PurpleInvicon Magenta Firework Star.png: Inventory sprite for Magenta Firework Star in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Magenta Firework Star with description: Firework Star MagentaInvicon Pink Firework Star.png: Inventory sprite for Pink Firework Star in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Pink Firework Star with description: Firework Star Pink

Enchantments

Wither skeleton skulls can receive the following enchantments, but only through an anvil.

Name Max level Method
Curse of Binding I Anvil
Curse of Vanishing I Anvil

Note blocks

Placing a wither skeleton skull above a note block causes the note block to play the wither skeleton's ambient sound when activated.

The block below the note block does not affect the mob sound it creates.

Sounds

Generic

Java Edition:

BlockSprite stone.png: Sprite image for stone in Minecraft stone sound type
SoundSubtitlesSourceDescriptionResource locationTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
​Block brokenBlocksOnce the block has brokenblock.stone.breaksubtitles.block.generic.break1.00.816
​Block placedBlocksWhen the block is placedblock.stone.placesubtitles.block.generic.place1.00.816
​Block breakingBlocksWhile the block is in the process of being brokenblock.stone.hitsubtitles.block.generic.hit0.250.516
​Something falls on a blockEntity-DependentFalling on the block with fall damageblock.stone.fallsubtitles.block.generic.fall0.50.7516
​FootstepsEntity-DependentWalking on the blockblock.stone.stepsubtitles.block.generic.footsteps0.151.016

Bedrock Edition:

BlockSprite stone.png: Sprite image for stone in Minecraft stone sound type
SoundSourceDescriptionResource locationVolumePitch
BlocksOnce the block has brokendig.stone1.00.8-1.0
BlocksWhen the block is placeddig.stone1.00.8-1.0
BlocksWhile the block is in the process of being brokenhit.stone0.370.5
PlayersFalling on the block with fall damagefall.stone0.41.0
PlayersWalking on the blockstep.stone0.31.0
BlocksJumping from the blockjump.stone0.121.0
BlocksFalling on the block without fall damageland.stone0.221.0

Unique

Java Edition:

Sounds
SoundSubtitlesSourceDescriptionResource locationTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
​Wither Skeleton rattlesJukebox/Note BlocksWhen a wither skeleton skull is played using a note blockblock.note_block.imitate.wither_skeletonsubtitles.entity.wither_skeleton.ambient3.01.016
​Gear equipsPlayersWhen a wither skeleton skull is equippeditem.armor.equip_genericsubtitles.item.armor.equip1.01.016

Bedrock Edition:

Sounds
SoundSourceDescriptionResource locationVolumePitch
Jukebox/Note BlocksWhen a wither skeleton skull is played using a note block[sound 1]note.witherskeleton?0.84 [sound 2]
PlayersWhen a wither skeleton skull is equippedarmor.equip_generic1.01.0
  1. MCPE-164530
  2. Actually equal to 124, which is about 0.8409

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

NameIdentifierFormItem tagsTranslation key
BlockSprite wither-skeleton-skull.png: Sprite image for wither-skeleton-skull in Minecraft Wither Skeleton Skullwither_skeleton_skullBlock & Itemskullsblock.minecraft.wither_skeleton_skull
BlockSprite wither-skeleton-wall-skull.png: Sprite image for wither-skeleton-wall-skull in Minecraft Wither Skeleton Wall Skullwither_skeleton_wall_skullBlockblock.minecraft.wither_skeleton_wall_skull
NameIdentifier
BlockSprite wither-skeleton-skull.png: Sprite image for wither-skeleton-skull in Minecraft Block entityskull

Bedrock Edition:

NameIdentifierAlias ID Numeric ID FormItem ID[i 1]Translation key
BlockSprite wither-skeleton-skull.png: Sprite image for wither-skeleton-skull in Minecraft Wither Skeleton Skullwither_skeleton_skullskull / 1-965Block & Giveable Item[i 2]Identical[i 3]item.skull.wither.name
  1. ID of block's direct item form, which is used in savegame files and addons.
  2. Available with /give command.
  3. The block's direct item form has the same ID as the block.
NameSavegame ID
BlockSprite wither-skeleton-skull.png: Sprite image for wither-skeleton-skull in Minecraft Block entitySkull

Block states

See also: Block states

Java Edition:
Floor

Name Default value Allowed values Description
poweredfalse trueThe block receives a redstone signal.
falseThe block receives no redstone signal.
rotation0 0The block is facing south.
1The block is facing south-southwest.
2The block is facing southwest.
3The block is facing west-southwest.
4The block is facing west.
5The block is facing west-northwest.
6The block is facing northwest.
7The block is facing north-northwest.
8The block is facing north.
9The block is facing north-northeast.
10The block is facing northeast.
11The block is facing east-northeast.
12The block is facing east.
13The block is facing east-southeast.
14The block is facing southeast.
15The block is facing south-southeast.

Wall

Name Default value Allowed values Description
poweredfalse trueThe block receives a redstone signal.
falseThe block receives no redstone signal.
facingnortheast
north
south
west
The direction the head is facing.
Opposite from the direction a player is facing when placing it.

Bedrock Edition:

NameMetadata Bits Default value Allowed valuesValues for
Metadata Bits
Description
facing_direction0x1
0x2
0x4
0 11On the floor (rotation is stored in the tile entity)
22On a wall, facing north
33On a wall, facing south
44On a wall, facing east
55On a wall, facing west
00Unused


Block data

A wither skeleton skull has a block entity associated with it that holds additional data about the block.

Java Edition:

  • [NBT Compound / JSON Object] Block entity data
    • Tags common to all block entities see Template:Nbt inherit/blockentity/template
    • [String] custom_name: Optional. The custom name of the skull.
    • [String] note_block_sound: Optional. The sound event this skull plays when played with a note block. Is not preserved when removed.
    • [String][NBT Compound / JSON Object] profile: Information about the owner of this player head. If defined as a string, corresponds to [String] name.
      • [String] name: The name of a player profile, i.e. its username. If this is the only tag provided, it resolves into the other ones below. Optional.
      • [Int Array] id: The UUID of the owner. Used to update the other tags when the chunk loads or the holder logs in, in case the owner's name has changed. Optional.
      • [NBT List / JSON Array] properties: A list of properties. Optional.
        • [NBT Compound / JSON Object]: A single property.
          • [String] name: The name of the property. Can be textures.
          • [String] value: The texture data json, encoded in base64.
          • [String] signature: Optional. Mojang's signature of the value, encoded in base64.

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Block 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
The Beginning?Spawn the WitherBe within a 100.9×100.9×103.5 cuboid centered on the Wither when it is spawned.20Bronze

Advancements

IconAdvancementIn-game descriptionActual requirements (if different)
Spooky Scary SkeletonObtain a Wither Skeleton's skullHave a wither skeleton skull in the inventory.
Withering HeightsSummon the WitherBe within a 100.9×100.9×103.5 cuboid centered on the wither when it is spawned.

History

There is an associated page listing all historical changes related to the appearance and/or sounds associated with this block in further detail than below; see /Asset history.
Java Edition
1.4.212w36a Added wither skeleton skulls. They are rarely dropped by the wither skeleton upon death (2.5% chance).
12w37a Changed item textures.
1.4.612w49aA wither skeleton skull can now be used to craft a firework star with creeper-face effect.
1.814w29aHeads now display a cracking animation.
14w30a Wither skeleton skulls in inventories and held by mobs/players now display as blocks.
Wither skeleton skulls worn by mobs and players are now displayed on the armor layer. Previously, the skull replaced the mob/player's head texture; the hat layer appeared over the skull.
Wither skeleton skulls are now used in crafting specific banner patterns.
14w30bA single charged creeper explosion no longer yields more than one mob head. The mob head that drops is chosen randomly.
1.915w31aWither skeleton skulls now appear larger in the inventory.
15w39aDispensers can now equip wither skeleton skulls onto players, mobs and armor stands.
15w49aWither skeleton skulls no longer turn red when the player or mob takes damage.[4]
1.1317w47aWither skeleton skulls now play a sound when placed.
Wither skeleton skulls can no longer be placed inside entities.[5]
18w21aThe rarity of wither skeleton skulls has been changed from "Common" to "Uncommon".
1.19.4
Experiment
Update 1.20
23w03aWither skeleton skulls can now be placed on top of note blocks without sneaking.
1.19.423w05aWither skeleton skulls can now be swapped with other pieces of headgear in the head inventory slot by using them.[6]
1.21.224w33aThe rarity of wither skeleton skulls has been changed from "Uncommon" to "Rare".
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.12.1build 1 Added wither skeleton skulls.
The wither skeleton skull uses the Java textures prior to 14w30a.
v0.14.0build 1Wither skeleton skulls can now be worn as armor.
v0.16.0build 4Wither skeleton skulls can now be used to spawn the wither.
Bedrock Edition
1.2.0beta 1.2.0.2Wither skeleton skulls can now be used to craft firework stars.
Wither skeleton skulls are now used to craft specific patterns on banners.
beta 1.2.0.11 Wither skeleton skull in inventories and when held by mobs/players now display as blocks.
1.10.0beta 1.10.0.3Wither skeleton skulls can now be used to craft banner patterns.​
1.19.60
Experiment
Next Major Update
Preview 1.19.60.25Wither skeleton skulls can now be placed on top of note blocks without sneaking.
1.20.40Preview 1.20.40.20Wither skeleton skulls now make their respective step sounds when played by a note block.
1.21.30Preview 1.21.30.21The rarity of wither skeleton skulls has been changed from "Common" to "Rare".
1.21.40Preview 1.21.40.20The separate and direct item forms of the skull block ID have been merged and its data values have been split up into their own IDs.
Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360Xbox OnePS3PS4PS VitaWii USwitch
TU12CU11.001.001.00Patch 11.0.1 Added wither skeleton skulls to the Creative inventory.
Wither skeleton skulls currently do not have a use.
TU19CU71.121.121.12A wither skeleton skull can now be used to craft a firework star with creeper-face effect.
Wither skeleton skulls can now be obtained by killing wither skeletons.
Wither skeleton skulls can now be used to build the wither.
TU31CU191.221.221.22Patch 3 Wither skeleton skulls in inventories and held by mobs/players now display as blocks.
TU34CU221.251.251.25Patch 4Wither skeleton skulls can now be swapped with other pieces of headgear in the head inventory slot by using them.
TU43CU331.361.361.36Patch 13Wither skeleton skulls are now used in crafting specific banner patterns.
TU49CU391.421.421.42Patch 18Wither skeleton skulls are now held the same way as on Java Edition in first person.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0 Added wither skeleton skulls.

Data history

Java Edition
1.1317w47aIDs have changed.​

Issues

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

Trivia

  • Wither skeleton skulls do not have their own textures and take their textures from other objects.
  • When breaking any head, the particle effect of breaking it is the same as soul sand.
  • In Bedrock Edition, the skull variant for the item is stored under the damage component, normally used for items with durability.

Gallery

References

  1. MC-192905 — Heads & Skulls have no assigned tool
  2. MCPE-18599 — Multiple Mob Head Drops from Charged Creeper
  3. MC-63534 — resolved as "Works As Intended".
  4. MC-85756
  5. MC-2208
  6. MC-216270 — resolved as "Fixed".

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