Mob Description

Mobs

Mobs are living, moving game entities. Generally, mobs are affected by the environment in the same ways as the player: they are subject to physics, and they can be hurt by almost all the same things that harm the player: Catching on fire, falling, drowning or suffocating, and of course being attacked with weapons. However, some types have individual resistances or immunities: For example, Nether mobs are immune to fire, several mobs do not take fall damage, and some have a natural "armor rating" that protects them against attacks. Mobs can even ride minecarts, which is a passable way to move them around for special purposes. When mobs are killed, they drop items which may be useful resources. Mobs come to exist by spawning in various ways. Players can spawn most mobs using spawn eggs in Creative mode. Most Mobs are aware of players within 16 blocks of them, but some can see further.[1] Their individual abilities are discussed below and on their individual pages.
The term mob is short for mobile[2] and has been used as a general term referring to any moving entities in games since the first MUDs surfaced.

Current mobs

There are 31 mobs, excluding the player.
Passive
Passive mobs will never attack the player. The "farm animals" (chicken, cow, pig, sheep, ocelot, and horse) spawn with the landscape, but they also occasionally spawn on well-lit grass, and can be bred by the player. Mooshrooms spawn similarly to cows, but on mycelium instead of grass (they can also be bred). Squids need water to spawn in, while bats spawn on in darkness similarly to the hostile mobs. Villagers normally spawn with their village, but they can also breed on their own initiative.

Chicken	Cow	Ocelot	Pig	Sheep	Horse
Squid	Bat	Villager	Mooshroom

Neutral

Neutral mobs will not attack the player unless provoked. The act of provoking neutral mobs varies.

Enderman	Wolf	Zombie Pigman

Tamable

These mobs can be tamed by the player.

Wolf (Dog)	Ocelot (Cat)	Horse

Hostile

Hostile mobs will attack the player when in range, each with their own abilities.

Cave Spiders, Zombies, Creepers, Skeletons, Spiders, and Spider Jockeys require a light level of 7 or less to naturally spawn.

Spiders can become neutral in bright light, but they do not spawn neutral. Hostile mobs do not spawn on "peaceful" difficulty. In Creative Mode, hostile mobs act like neutral mobs.

Blaze	Cave Spider	Creeper	Ghast	Magma Cube	Silverfish	Skeleton

Slime	Spider	Spider Jockey	Witch	Wither Skeleton	Zombie	Zombie Villager

Utility

Utility mobs are created by and serve the player.[3] Utility mobs will not hurt the player who created them. However, a naturally spawned Iron Golem can be provoked by attacking the golem, or by attacking nearby villagers. If a player repeatedly attacks villagers, all of that village's golems can become hostile to that player.

Snow Golem	Iron Golem

Bosses

Boss mobs have more complicated attack patterns and movements. Bosses are meant as end game mobs with their high attack strength and health. When killed, they also drop end game items which can not be obtained in any other way.

Ender Dragon	Wither

Planned

Planned mobs are confirmed to be added in a future version of Minecraft.

There are not any planned mobs currently.

Unused

Unused mobs are found in the source, but are not being used at this time. Through third-party modifications, it is still possible to spawn them.The Giant can now be spawned in 1.7 by doing /summon Giant. The other unused mob is the Villager in the Green Robe.

Giant

Removed

Removed mobs have been removed from the game and can only be found in previous versions.

Beast Boy	Black Steve	Human	Rana	Steve

Potential future mobs

There are hints that new mobs might be released in the distant future. Below is the list of mobs that have been mentioned at least once by Notch, Jeb, or other Mojang employees who work on Minecraft and have a possibility of appearing in the game.

Aside from zombie pigmen, living pigmen have been confirmed to appear in a future update. However, they are not being currently worked on.[4]

In the Halloween Update, Notch said he would add fish.[5] However, he had limited time, and was thus only able to add them as an item. There is no coding for fish in the game, and no model was created.

Red dragons have been mentioned in multiple posts by Notch. However, he is no longer working on the game. Jeb, who is currently in charge of Minecraft development, has not announced anything about their current development status.

Dinnerbone commented on Reddit that he would like to add pandas to Minecraft.[6]

Combat

"Fighting" passive mobs is easy -- they can't attack the player, so you can just kill them. Each of the other mobs has unique abilities to harm the player, but also weaknesses that can be exploited. Hostile mobs fall into three main groups: The "darkness" mobs, which spawn in any dark area of the Overworld, the "Nether" mobs which spawn anywhere in the Nether, and the "Local" mobs, which appear only in particular places in either the Overworld or the Nether. In this section, we give brief tips for dealing with each. See the Drops page for a reason to hunt each monster.

Darkness Mobs

All of these mobs will spawn on dark surfaces, but not on transparent blocks. Zombies, Skeletons, and Spiders also have special spawners in dungeons.

Mob	Strengths	Weaknesses	Notes
Zombie	Can spawn with armor or weapon/tool, perhaps enchanted. Some can pick up dropped weapons or tools. Major buffs in version 1.6 Speed and attack increase when injured Calls reinforcements when damaged by the player Can set a player or other victim on fire with their attack when burning Can spot and home in on a player or villager from great distances (66 blocks), given line-of-sight	Initially slow Burns in sunlight No ranged attack	Formerly one of the weakest mobs, but have become quite dangerous as of 1.6, as a solo zombie can rapidly become a horde If in the field, it is advised to weaken them with environmental damage first, or use your strongest weapons to kill them quickly If you are near shelter or have a secure place to attack from, their summoning ability can be exploited to "farm" them; in this case, use a stone sword to give them more summoning opportunities Zombies can also appear randomly in two special forms: Zombie Villagers can be cured to create a Villager(but are otherwise equal to any other zombie) Zombie Babies are weaker but much faster. Note that they never drop anything, including items they may have picked up
Skeleton	Attack from range Have unlimited arrows Shoot more quickly when closer Can spawn with armor (perhaps enchanted) or enchanted bow. Some can pick up and use dropped weapons or armor.	Burns in sunlight Have no melee attack, thus they can't attack a player who is standing "in" them (the same block space)	Most easily killed from a distance with a bow, or in close quarters, where they can't knock you back and you may be able to stand in them
Spider	Can see through walls Can climb most blocks Jumps several blocks distance Can spawn with random Status effects on ‘‘Hard’’ difficulty	They are two blocks wide, therefore cannot fit through narrow openings Turn neutral in sunlight or other bright light Have less health than most hostile mobs
Creeper	Silent movement Explosive attack Dive-bombing	Can only explode once, dying in the process Flee from cats	Most easily killed with a bow, but practice will let you kill them with a sword as well, if you have room to maneuver If you can get far away from them or knock them away (sprinting attacks or Knockback enchantments help), they will stop their countdown The distance at which they will continue to explode increases with difficulty, but the radius of the explosion does not On "Hard" difficulty, they can explode far enough away as to cause little or no damage to the player
Enderman	High health Strong attack Immune to projectiles Teleportation ability	Remain neutral unless "looked at" or attacked (see their page) Damaged by water and rain Turn neutral upon receiving damage from water, rain or fire, as well as being exposed to sunlight Their 3-block height can be exploited	Try to avoid provoking them until you're ready for them If you stumble into one by accident, try to turn them neutral or get under a 2-block high shelter The simplest preparation for hunting one is usually to find or build a 2-block-high ceiling (at least 3x3) from which you can use your sword in safety For hunting, Endermen can be provoked at considerable distance (64 blocks), and will then teleport to reach you

Nether Mobs

All Nether mobs are immune to fire and lava. Most of them spawn regardless of light level.

Mob	Strengths	Weaknesses	Notes
Zombie Pigman	Is currently the only hostile Nether mob in the Pocket Edition Attacks in numbers Strong melee attack Faster than the player Can spawn with armor and/or enchanted swords. Some can pick up dropped armor or weapons	Neutral unless they or a nearby Zombie Pigman is attacked Have poor AI when attacked, easily blocked with obstacles or led into traps	The most common mob in the Nether Harmless unless attacked, but if they are attacked all Zombie Pigmen within 32 blocks become hostile Note that those within 32 blocks but outside of 16 blocks will be hostile, but will not approach until within 16 blocks of a player To hunt them, set up a killing ground and suitable shelter beforehand. Otherwise avoid them, to avoid accidentally hitting one with a tool They can be outrun by sprinting or using a potion of speed Occasionally spawn as Baby Zombie Pigmen
Ghast	Explosive fireballs from up to 100 blocks away. Given Nether conditions, this is effectively unlimited range, and is often out ofrender distance The fireballs can blast away netherrack, occasionally dropping the player into a chasm or lava No pursuit mode, so they can't be lured to a fight	Fireballs can be deflected, even back at the ghast Fireballs do not damage cobblestone or most other "stone" blocks No pursuit mode, so they do not chase the player, or even approach them except by accident	Bows are advised, practice hitting their fireballs provides a Plan B. Building shelters of stone is strongly advised
Magma Cube	Immune to fall damage Natural armor Larger cubes split into smaller ones when killed The large ones are difficult to attack with a sword	Weak AI (Like slimes, below) Do not cause much damage Even large cubes have lower health than most mobs	The oddballs of the Nether. Not a major threat, but can be a distraction when dealing with the Nether's landscape

Local Mobs

These appear only in specific locations, usually in "natural" structures produced by the game.

Overworld-local Mobs

Mob	Strengths	Weaknesses	Notes
Cave Spider	Small size lets them fit through 1 wide and 0.5 high openings Can climb, jump, and see the player through walls like regular spiders Poison attacks (except on ‘‘Easy‘‘ difficulty)	Pacified by bright light like regular spiders Less health than most mobs	Only spawn from their special spawners, which appear in abandoned mineshafts
Slime	Larger slimes split into smaller ones when killed	Weak AI Move randomly until a player is spotted, but then head straight for the player Even large ones have less health than most mobs Tiny slimes cannot damage the player Cannot jump out of water Often drowns without player involvement	Slimes are generally weak monsters Appear in random chunks underground, and in Swamp biomes on the surface
Silverfish	Small size lets them go through any opening Can hide inside stone blocks, destroying them as they emerge Can summon nearby hidden silverfish if injured Their odd attack mechanic can get multiple attacks in cramped quarters	Low health Weak attack	Each Stronghold has a silverfish spawner Occasionally appear in Extreme Hills biomes
Witch	Attacks at range with a variety of potion effects, including Harming Can use other potions to heal themselves or protect themselves from fire Have some resistance to potion effects Fairly high health	No melee attack Cannot attack while healing themselves	Bows are advised Only spawn in Witch Huts Rarely found in Swamp biomes

Nether-local Mobs

Mob	Strengths	Weaknesses	Notes
Wither Skeleton	Strong attack Inflicts the Wither status effect Some can pick up dropped weapons and armor If they pick up a bow, they will shoot flaming arrows regardless of the bow's enchantments	3-block height can be exploited	Found only in Nether Fortresses Any 2-block high roof, doorway, or arch will block them, as unlike Endermen they can't teleport.
Blaze	Have both a ranged attack (setting the player afire) and a melee attack Flying ability, once they are targeting a player	The ranged attack does no damage aside from the fire It also has a visible pattern which can easily be timed	Appear only in Nether Fortresses, both as general spawns and from their special spawners

AI

Main article: Mob AI

Mobs will ordinarily wander around at random and usually avoid walking off cliffs high enough to cause falling damage (however, there are the rare and amusing sight in which a cow or sheep will walk of a cliff high enough to cause death), though they can be fooled by non-solid blocks such as trapdoors. In this state, mobs (besides Ghasts, Endermen, and Zombies after 1.6) have a search radius of 16 blocks.

Mobs are capable of climbing ladders just as the player is: if they try to move towards a ladder they're touching they move up it instead. However, mobs do not see ladders nor do they purposely pathfind up them, so they will not attempt to avoid falling off a ladder should they be on the edge of one and they did not climb all walls. Spiders and Cave Spiders can climb all blocks as if they were ladders.

All mobs except slimes will stop wandering within 5 seconds if there is no player within a 32 block radius. In this state, they will glance around randomly, but they won't walk anywhere. They can still be moved by other means such as flowing water, minecarts, etc. Zombies can walk when there is a villager they can attack even if they are over 32 blocks from a player, similarly villagers will flee when there is a zombie chasing them.

Zombies, Skeletons, Creepers and Wolves have a more advanced path finding system compared to other mobs. Here is a video showcasing their path finding system.

Hostile mobs

If the closest player to a wandering hostile mob is within the search radius of 16 blocks and a line of sight can be drawn, (Spiders can always draw line of sight) the mob will enter pursuit mode. In this mode, mobs can see through all blocks and will walk towards the player. Some mobs, most notably skeletons and creepers, will start circling the player (moving to the left from the player's view) when close enough (skeletons at a long range for strafing, Creepers at a very short range). Zombies will sink in water, and whilst in pursuit mode, can path around walls to get to the player. When a hostile mob is attacked by another one, it will attack the attacking mob. For example, when a skeleton arrow hits a zombie, the zombie will attack the skeleton. Also, if a Creeper is killed by a Skeleton's arrow it will drop a music disc, provided that the Creeper does not kill the Skeleton first.

Passive mobs

Passive mobs will not attack the player under any circumstances. This category includes most of the "farm animals" present in the game, which can be bred for food and/or other resources. Also included are bats and squid, both of which have special spawning conditions and cannot be bred. Ocelots are technically passive, in that they will not attack the player, but they are actually coded as hostile mobs.

Animals are attracted to both light and grass. If there is a lot of grass nearby, they will wander toward it regardless of light level. If they are completely surrounded by grass, they will wander aimlessly. If they can't see any grass, they will wander toward light. Passive mobs will flee randomly when attacked. Unlike hostile mobs, most passive mobs (including neutral wolves) will not despawn when the player moves away from them; the exceptions are squid, ocelots, and bats.

Some passive mobs will follow a player who is holding their specific food item: wheat (cows and sheep), carrots (pigs), or seeds (chickens). As long as the player does not get too far ahead of the mob, they will follow the player over long distances. This can be used to corral mobs into pens in order to make farms. If the food is given to the mob by right clicking the mob, the mob will enter breed mode. Horses can also be tamed and bred, but the process is somewhat more involved.

Neutral Mobs

This includes Endermen, Zombie Pigmen, Wolves, and sometimes (bright light) Spiders and Cave Spiders. Most of these are discussed under "Combat" above, as they are essentially hostile monsters for which the fight can often or usually be avoided.

Wolves merit their own discussion. Much as with Zombie Pigmen, if a wolf is attacked, all wolves in the area will permanently become hostile to the player, and attack them. However, wolves are not so common as Zombie Pigmen are (in the Nether), as they appear only in Forest and Taiga biomes, and then only in small groups. Accordingly, it's almost trivial to avoid attacking them. Wolves which have not become hostile, can be tamed by feeding them bones. While they don't change their appearance as drastically as ocelots do, they effectively become Dogs, with a dyeable collar and much higher health. Once tamed, they will fight for the player, targeting any mob that attacks the player (including skeleton arrows), or which the player attacks (not including missiles). Dogs can be be healed or bred by feeding them any sort of meat (but not bones).

Achievements

Icon	Achievement	In-game description	Prerequisites	Actual requirements (if different)	Version restriction	Xbox points earned
	Monster Hunter	Attack and destroy a monster	Time to Strike!		None	20G
	Sniper Duel	Kill a skeleton with an arrow from more than 50 meters	Monster Hunter	"50 meters" is 50 blocks away.	PC	N/A
	Cow Tipper	Harvest some leather	Time to Strike!	Pick up Leather from the ground.	None	15G
	When Pigs Fly	Fly a pig off a cliff	Cow Tipper	Use a saddle to ride a pig, then have the pig get hurt from fall damage while riding it.	None	40G

Notes

Mobs will normally spawn in groups with mobs of the same variety.

Mobs will not spawn on transparent blocks, in water (except for Squid), in lava, or on half blocks (slabs, stairs). The exception is monster spawners, from which they can spawn on any block including air.

Mobs can not see through semi-transparent blocks such as ice, glass, or glass panes (except spiders and cave spiders, which can see through any block).

Mobs have been found to spawn facing south. This includes with spawn eggs.

Mobs can ride in minecarts.

Bugs

For bugs unique to specific mobs, see that mob's respective bug section.

Mobs spin when on fences.

Trivia

Attempting to rename mobs "Dinnerbone" or "Grumm" with spawn eggs or name tags will flip them upside down.

When a mob walks off a block they will sometimes turn around and get back on as if they didn't mean to get off of it, then walk off yet again and continue on their way. This can be useful when trying to get distance between you and a hostile mob (particularly Creepers)

When mobs die they emit puffs of smoke. This gives them the appearance of them turning to dust or vanishing in a puff of smoke.

The Halloween Update version 1.2.0 (Alpha) allowed hostile mobs to spawn in higher light levels at lower depths, using the formula 16 - (Layer ÷ 8). At level 8 and below, mobs could spawn even in sunlight. Notch reverted mob spawning to the original method in version 1.2.1 (Alpha) saying, "It was far too annoying. I have plans on what to do with this."

Hostile mobs and players can hear up to 16 blocks away. Therefore, if the player hears a hostile mob, it is likely that the mob is aware of the player.

Players can approach a hostile mob without being detected if they ensure that there are solid blocks between them and the mob.

After killing a player, or if a player dies while hostile mobs are pursuing the player, the hostile mobs will gather around the player's deathplace, attempting to attack the player. This is because the player has been made invisible and non-solid, but still exists in that position. (evident by the "You Died!" screen still remaining in that position). The hostile mobs' heads will "spazz out", a humorous glitch caused by the pathfinding of the mobs so it looks like the hostile mobs are eating the player. A player can use this to their advantage by holding a large number of hostile mobs over their deathplace while another player may pass by unnoticed. This quirk can also work against the player in the case of death by ghast, since (if there is another player present to keep the chunk loaded) the ghast will continue to fire at the player, possibly destroying more of the player's constructions or dropped items. The targeting of the player by the hostile mob is canceled once the player logs out, quits, or respawns.

If a hostile mob has found a player and has activated hostile mode, the player can separate him or herself and the mob through a wall, relog, and the mob will no longer be in hostile mode.

Hostile mobs still spawn on peaceful, but disappear too quickly for most players to notice.

Due to the Skeleton's tendency to shoot instantly on sight, players standing near a skeleton spawner on peaceful may be struck by an arrow during the instant when a skeleton spawns and disappears. This does not always happen but is more evident on a server due to lag.

In the Pocket Edition, animals are attracted to water and will return to it if they are pushed out. Also, they cannot swim in deeper water, and will stay put until removed or slaughtered.

On Halloween, 2012, Zombies, Zombie Villagers, Skeletons, Wither Skeletons and Zombie Pigmen had a chance of spawning a pumpkin on their head, with the rare chance of spawning with a Jack-O-Lantern instead.

As of snapshot 13w04a mobs will not walk on top of rails unless pushed on to the rails by another mob. This can be used to trap small amounts of mobs, to create a wall between the player and a mob, or to prevent mobs from interrupting minecarts as they went down rails.

When a mob enters hostile mode in the Pocket Edition, they will chase the player relentlessly, regardless of distance or if attacked by other mobs. Johan stated in the issue tracker in response to this "Hum, I'll look into this."

Info From: Minecraft Wiki, this is not my own work