Minecraft Phantom guide: Spawning, drops, tips, and more

Minecraft features a range of AI-driven entities referred to as mobs. However, the majority of these entities lack the ability to fly. Among the limited flying mobs, the phantom stands out as a distinct and often overlooked creature. The phantom, recognized within the Minecraft community for its aggressive nature, possesses the unique ability to dive down from the sky and engage players in combat.

Coming across phantom mobs is relatively uncommon in the game, primarily because their appearance is somewhat impacted by player actions, and many players unintentionally hinder their spawning. This article delves into a comprehensive exploration of everything there is to know about phantoms in the Minecraft world.

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Everything to know about phantom mob in Minecraft

Phantoms are beings that players often steer clear of when they come across them. However, a significant number of players actively go after them with the goal of acquiring an exclusive item that only phantoms yield.

Whether you intend to hunt down these creatures or spawn them for entertainment, understanding their spawning mechanics and weaknesses is crucial.

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Spawning behavior

Phantoms spawn at night or during thunderstorms (Image via Mojang)

Unlike most other creatures in Minecraft, phantoms don't simply appear by themselves. These eerie entities start making appearances during the nighttime or when a thunderstorm rages, but only if you haven't slept or died for three in-game days.

Additionally, during these three days, a block should not obstruct the light above you. This distinctive condition for spawning often leads to phantoms showing up while you are AFK next to your automated farm.

It's worth noting that these mobs won't make an appearance while in spectator mode. They have the ability to spawn in any Minecraft world, except for when the world's difficulty is set to peaceful.

Even after meeting all the right criteria, there's still no absolute assurance that phantoms will appear. However, with each passing day, the likelihood of encountering them grows.

While they can spawn at any level of world difficulty, the number of phantoms spawned depends on the chosen difficulty setting. You can stumble upon phantoms in any biome within the Overworld, including the mushroom fields.

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Drops and uses

Upon being defeated, phantoms offer a chance to drop a resource known as a phantom membrane. The likelihood of obtaining more phantom membranes can be increased by using a sword enchanted with Looting.

This relatively rare item has a practical application—it can be used to repair elytras, the unique wings in the Minecraft universe. By combining the phantom membrane with a pair of elytra wings on an anvil, you can restore about 25% of the wings' durability.

Beyond this, the phantom membrane serves another purpose in potion-making. Placing it on a brewing stand alongside an awkward potion results in the creation of slow falling potions.

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Undead behavior and tips to defeat

A phantom attacking a player (Image via Mojang)

Similar to skeletons and zombies, phantoms are undead mobs that are harmed by sunlight. However, they do not yield any items when defeated in this manner. This creates a challenge for those aiming to acquire phantom membranes from them.

Because phantoms can fly and thus can't seek refuge under trees when daylight arrives, you must employ effective strategies to efficiently eliminate them before the sun comes up.

One approach for handling phantoms is to position yourself at a height comparable to that of the phantoms and then counter their attacks by striking them immediately after blocking with a shield. By timing strikes carefully with the sword or an axe when the phantom comes within range, you can efficiently dispatch these creatures.

In terms of their health, phantoms possess a pool of ten hearts. You can eliminate them with just a few accurate strikes if you're armed with appropriately strong weaponry.