Render by Blockaria from the Minecraft: Java Edition models and textures (Mojang).

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HOSTILE Present since 1.14 or earlier

Guardian mob in Minecraft

The Guardian is the hostile fish that defends Ocean Monuments. It fires a charging laser at you from a distance and hurts you back with its spikes when you hit it up close. It is the main source of prismarine, so it is both the obstacle and the reward of every monument raid.

Health: 3015 hearts
Behavior: Hostile
Main drop: Prismarine Shard
Found in: Ocean Monument

Guardian stats

Health: 30 15 hearts
Behavior: Hostile
Main drop: Prismarine Shard
Spawns in: —
Size: 0.85 × 0.85 blocks
XP when killed: 10
Speed: 0.5
Detection range: 16 blocks

// Experience drops only when a player kills it. Speeds are the game’s internal values, not blocks per second.

How much damage Guardian deals

Damage to a player without armor, by world difficulty. 1 ♥ = 2 damage points.

Laser

Peaceful00 ♥

Easy10.5 ♥

Normal10.5 ♥

Hard1.50.75 ♥

Melee attack

Peaceful00 ♥

Easy42 ♥

Normal63 ♥

Hard94.5 ♥

Thorns (spikes)

Peaceful00 ♥

Easy21 ♥

Normal21 ♥

Hard31.5 ♥

What else changes with difficulty

Laser deals 2 more damage on Hard

// Armor, Protection and Resistance reduce these values. Base values read from the game code (26.3).

Where to find Guardian

Doesn’t spawn naturally in a biome: it comes from a structure, a spawner, a block or an event.

Spawning

Group size: 2 to 4

Structures

StructuresOcean Monument

Guardian drops

Guardian dropsFrom the loot table · chance per kill

Prismarine Shard+1 per Looting level0–2

Raw Cod+1 per Looting level · One of 2 rare items · Cooked if it dies on fire×1

Prismarine Crystals+1 per Looting level · One of 2 rare items×1

Raw Salmonunder conditions

Pufferfishunder conditions

Tropical Fishunder conditions

Health compared

Health vs other hostile mobshealth points

Hoglin40

Zoglin40

Breeze30

Guardian30

Shulker30

Witch26

Evoker24

Guardian and its family

Mobs built on the same base in the game code, compared on their game values.

Mob	Health	Attack	XP	Speed
Elder Guardian	80	8	10	0.3
Guardian	30	6	10	0.5

Traits

Properties set in the game files.

AquaticImpaling deals extra damage to it.

Breathes underwaterDoes not drown.

Ignored by pufferfishPufferfish do not puff up near it.

Weak to ImpalingImpaling deals extra damage to it.

Advancements with Guardian

Advancements whose criteria involve this mob, from the game files.

Monster HunterKill any hostile monster Monsters HuntedKill one of every hostile monster

Command

Summon a Guardian/summon →

/summon minecraft:guardian ~ ~ ~

Where Guardians live

Guardians spawn in and around Ocean Monuments, the large prismarine temples of deep oceans. They keep spawning in the water of the monument as long as it stands, so clearing one room does not clear the building. They also attack squid and axolotls, and if one ends up on land, it flops around helplessly.

How the laser and the spikes work

Guardian in Minecraft: A Guardian locking its laser beam on the player — A Guardian locking its laser beam on the player Scene setup: Flooded test corridor; Guardian held in place, the beam is real. Night Vision on. In-game screenshot · Java Edition 26.3

The laser: a Guardian locks onto you and a beam links you together. It charges for a moment, then hits hard. Break the line of sight before the end, behind a pillar or a block you place, and the shot is lost.
The spikes: when they stick out, hitting the Guardian in melee hurts you back, much like the Thorns enchantment. Strike while the spikes are retracted, or use ranged weapons.

How to explore a monument

Breathe longer with a Potion of Water Breathing or a helmet with Respiration.
Mine and move faster with Aqua Affinity on the helmet and Depth Strider on the boots.
See clearly with a Potion of Night Vision, since monuments are dark inside.
Use a Trident: Impaling deals extra damage to Guardians and to every other aquatic mob.

Before mining, deal with the three Elder Guardians: they slow your mining down to a crawl.

What Guardians are good for

Each kill can give Prismarine Shards, and sometimes Prismarine Crystals or a fish. Shards make the three prismarine blocks: Prismarine, Prismarine Bricks and Dark Prismarine. Mixed with crystals, they make the Sea Lantern, one of the best light sources underwater. Since Guardians keep spawning inside the monument, players drain parts of it to build farms that bring a steady flow of prismarine and experience.

✓ Checked in Java Edition 26.3 · updated 1 November 2026