Wither Skeleton mob in Minecraft
The Wither Skeleton is the tall black skeleton of Nether Fortresses. Its sword hits inflict the Wither effect, which drains your health and turns your hearts black. It is also the only source of wither skeleton skulls, the three heads you need to summon the Wither.
- Health
- 2010 hearts
- Behavior
- Hostile
- Main drop
Coal- Found in
- Nether Fortress
Wither Skeleton stats
- Health
- 20 10 hearts
- Behavior
- Hostile
- Main drop
- Coal
- Spawns in
- —
- Size
- 0.7 × 2.4 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 Wither Skeleton deals
Damage to a player without armor, by world difficulty. 1 ♥ = 2 damage points.
+4 with Stone Sword
Wither: 10 s// Armor, Protection and Resistance reduce these values. Base values read from the game code (26.3).
Where to find Wither Skeleton
Doesn’t spawn naturally in a biome: it comes from a structure, a spawner, a block or an event.
- Group size
- 5
- Light level
- Light 7 or less
Structures
Wither Skeleton drops
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%
Wither Skeleton 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.
Effects
Advancements with Wither Skeleton
Advancements whose criteria involve this mob, from the game files.
Command
/summon minecraft:wither_skeleton ~ ~ ~Where to find Wither Skeletons
Wither Skeletons only spawn inside Nether Fortresses, anywhere within the fortress: bridges, corridors, stairways and courtyards. There are no Wither Skeleton spawners, so the more of the fortress you light up and clear, the fewer of them appear. They share the place with Blazes, zombified piglins, magma cubes and a few ordinary skeletons.
How a Wither Skeleton fights
It carries a stone sword and rushes straight at you. Each hit also gives you the Wither effect for a few seconds. It works like poison, except that it can kill you, and your hearts turn black so you cannot read your health easily. Drink a milk bucket to clear it.
- Use Smite. It is undead, so Smite deals extra damage. A Splash Potion of Healing hurts it too.
- Skip fire. It is immune to fire, so Fire Aspect and Flame do nothing.
- Keep your distance on bridges. Fortress bridges have no railings everywhere, and a knockback can send you into lava.
The two-block trick
A Wither Skeleton is taller than two blocks, so it cannot walk through an opening only two blocks high, while you can. Build a small shelter with a two-block-high entrance, or dig into a wall: Wither Skeletons cannot follow you inside, and you can hit them from the doorway in relative safety.
How to get wither skeleton skulls
A Wither Skeleton Skull only drops when a player kills the Wither Skeleton. The chance is 2.5% per kill, and Looting raises it to 5.5% at level III. On average that is about 40 kills per skull without Looting, and about 18 with Looting III. A charged creeper explosion that kills one also makes it drop its skull.
You need three skulls to summon the Wither. Beyond that, a skull can be worn as a helmet or placed as decoration. The other drops, coal and bones, are a welcome bonus in the Nether.
✓ Checked in Java Edition 26.3 · updated 1 November 2026
Wither Skeleton — FAQ
How rare is a Wither Skeleton Skull?
It drops 2.5% of the time when a player kills a Wither Skeleton, or 5.5% with Looting III. That is about 40 kills per skull on average without Looting.
How do you cure the Wither effect?
Drink a milk bucket. It removes the Wither effect, along with every other effect you have.
Can a Wither Skeleton fit through a two-block gap?
No. It is taller than two blocks, so a two-block-high opening keeps it out while you can still pass.
Where does the Wither Skeleton spawn?
It doesn’t spawn naturally in biomes. You find it in Nether Fortress.
What does a Wither Skeleton drop?
Coal, Bone and Wither Skeleton Skull. Only when killed by a player: Wither Skeleton Skull. It also drops the weapon or armor it spawned with (8.5% chance per piece) and any items it picked up off the ground.
Blaze
Breeze
Creaking
Creeper
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Evoker
Frostbite
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Hoglin