Drowned vs husks in Minecraft: How different are the two mobs?

Zombies are among the most commonly-seen hostile mobs in Minecraft, but their variants, such as drowned and husks, create an interesting diversity.

In a way, husks and drowned are similar while still being opposed. One spawns in the desert, the other in bodies of water, but despite having their differences, they are still both spinoffs of traditional zombies.

Aside from their common parent, husks and drowned are quite different in many facets. These differences include appearances, spawn locations, behaviors, and how they interact with the Minecraft world.

---

Minecraft: Differences between husks and drowned

A drowned zombie that has left its body of water and treads on land (Image via Mojang)

There are considerable differences between husks and drowned in Minecraft despite their common parent in zombies. The differences can be found below:

Husks

• Unlike traditional zombies and drowned, husks do not burn in direct sunlight.
• Husks spawn in desert biomes, specifically desert, desert hills, and desert lake biomes.
• Husks apply the Hunger status effect to players hit by its melee attack, draining their hunger meter faster. This effect will not apply if the husk holds a melee weapon or the player blocks the attack with a shield.
• If the mob griefing parameter is set to true in a Minecraft world, husks can pick up items. They will also not despawn when left alone by the player.
• When placed in water for 30 seconds, a husk will convert into a normal zombie. If it remains underwater for an additional 30 seconds, the zombie can become a drowned.

Drowned

• While drowned do have a melee attack, they can spawn with a trident and use it as a ranged weapon. Drowned in Minecraft: Bedrock Edition will also use their tridents in melee if their target is three blocks away or less.
• Drowned can spend a short time on land but will always seek out water nearby where possible.
• If a drowned is removed from the water and is unable to access it by any means, it will become passive during the daytime. However, it will remain hostile during nighttime or thunderstorms.
• It will burn in the sun like zombies, something that the husk doesn't have to worry about.
• Drowned will spawn in all oceans (save for warm oceans) and river biomes at light level seven or lower. They additionally generate at higher rates in river biomes.
• Drowned can spawn with either tridents, fishing rods, or sometimes even nautilus shells.
• Drowned are currently the only zombie variant in Minecraft that can naturally spawn without armor.
• Drowned can be created when zombies' heads are immersed in water for at least 30 seconds. This applies only to normal zombies, as zombie villagers and zombified piglins cannot convert.