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

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HOSTILE Present since 1.14 or earlier

Stray mob in Minecraft

The Stray is the Skeleton of snowy biomes. It shoots like a Skeleton, but its arrows slow you down, which turns every hit into a chance for the next one. Get close fast, or keep cover between you and it.

Health: 2010 hearts
Behavior: Hostile
Main drop: Arrow
Found in: Ice Spikes+1 more

Stray stats

Health: 20 10 hearts
Behavior: Hostile
Main drop: Arrow
Spawns in: 2 biomes
Size: 0.6 × 1.99 blocks
XP when killed: 5+1 to 3 per item it wears
Speed: 0.25
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 Stray deals

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

Ranged attack · Arrow

Base 2, multiplied by the projectile’s speed: the faster it flies, the harder it hits.

Slowness: 30 s

Melee attack

Peaceful00 ♥

Easy21 ♥

Normal21 ♥

Hard31.5 ♥

What else changes with difficulty

Aim gets more accurate as difficulty rises (spread 10 / 6 / 2)
Shoots every 2 s on Easy, 2 s on Normal, 1 s on Hard

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

Where to find Stray

Biomes where it spawns naturally, with its share of the spawns in each group.

Ice Spikes

Snowy Plains

Spawning

Group size: 4
Light level: Block light 0and light 7 or less overall
Sky: Needs open sky

Structures

Trial spawnerTrial Chambers

Stray drops

Stray dropsFrom the loot table · chance per kill

Arrow+1 per Looting level0–2

Bone+1 per Looting level0–2

Tipped Arrow+1 per Looting level · Only when killed by a player0–1

Carried items and gearDropped on death, outside the loot table (game code)

The weapon or armor it spawned withEach piece: 8.5% chance, +1% per Looting level. The item comes back damaged.8.5%

Items it picked up off the groundAlways dropped. Only some of them can pick items up.100%

Health compared

Health vs other hostile mobshealth points

Husk20

Phantom20

Skeleton20

Stray20

Wither Skeleton20

Zombie20

Zombie Villager20

Stray and its family

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

Mob	Health	Attack	XP	Speed	Burns in daylight	Freeze immune
Bogged	16	2	5	0.25	✓	·
Parched	16	2	5	0.25	·	·
Skeleton	20	2	5	0.25	✓	·
Stray	20	2	5	0.25	✓	✓
Wither Skeleton	20	4	5	0.25	·	·

Traits

Properties set in the game files.

Burns in daylightCatches fire in sunlight unless it wears a helmet or stands in shade or water.

Breathes underwaterDoes not drown.

Freeze immuneUnaffected by powder snow cold.

Ignores Poison and RegenerationThese two effects have no effect on it.

Inverted healingInstant Health hurts it and Instant Damage heals it.

Weak to SmiteSmite deals extra damage to it.

SkeletonWolves attack it on sight.

UndeadThe game counts it among the undead, which affects how several effects and enchantments treat it.

Ignored by the WitherThe Wither does not target it.

Effects

InflictsSlowness

Advancements with Stray

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 Stray/summon →

/summon minecraft:stray ~ ~ ~

Where Strays come from

Strays replace most skeletons in Snowy Plains and Ice Spikes, and they also come out of trial spawners in Trial Chambers. Elsewhere, a Skeleton that stays stuck in powder snow freezes and turns into a Stray.

The cold does not hurt a Stray. Powder snow freezes players and most mobs, but a Stray stuck in it takes no damage, so a powder snow trap will not kill it.

Why its arrows are worse

A Stray uses the same tactics as a Skeleton: it keeps its distance, strafes and fires as soon as it sees you. Its arrows also give you Slowness. Each hit makes you slower and easier to hit again. In the open, two Strays can pin you down from far away.

Raise a shield. It blocks the arrow and its effect with it. Advance behind it, then strike.
Use cover. Break line of sight with a tree or a block, then close in.
Clear the effect. A Milk Bucket removes Slowness if you need to run.
Bring wolves. Wolves attack Strays like any skeleton.
Use Smite. A Stray is undead and takes extra damage from it.

Strays burn in sunlight like Skeletons, unless they wear a helmet or stand in the shade. On a clear morning in the snow, the problem often solves itself.

A free supply of Slowness arrows

Besides bones and arrows, a Stray killed by a player can drop an Arrow of Slowness. These are worth keeping: they slow down a fleeing mob or an opponent without any brewing. Making them yourself takes a lingering Potion of Slowness, so every one you pick up saves a trip to the brewing stand.

✓ Checked in Java Edition 26.3 · updated 1 November 2026

Stray — FAQ

How does a Skeleton become a Stray?

A Skeleton that stays stuck in powder snow freezes and converts into a Stray after a while.

Does powder snow hurt Strays?

No. Strays are immune to freezing, so they can sit in powder snow without taking damage.

How do you deal with Stray Slowness?

Block the arrows with a shield, break line of sight, and drink milk if you need to clear the effect.

Where does the Stray spawn?

In Ice Spikes and Snowy Plains.

What does a Stray drop?

Arrow, Bone and Tipped Arrow. Only when killed by a player: Tipped Arrow. It also drops the weapon or armor it spawned with (8.5% chance per piece) and any items it picked up off the ground.

Other hostile mobs

Bogged