Minecraft Wither boss guide

The Minecraft Wither boss is one of the most formidable foes you can come across in the game. The player-constructed entity is a highly destructive boss mob and is known to drop one of the rarest items in the game. Defeating this mob isn't easy, but with the right strategy and technique, it becomes a fun and exciting challenge to take on.

Here's everything you need to know about the Minecraft Wither boss.

What is the Minecraft Wither boss

The Wither boss is one of the most difficult hostile mobs in Minecraft (Image via Mojang Studios)

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The Minecraft Wither is a player-constructed boss mob that can hover in mid-air and fire highly destructive barrages of explosive Wither skulls at almost any living creature within its range. It is one of the most resilient and destructive mobs in the game and it takes a considerable amount of time to defeat.

As for health, this mob has various tiers based on whether you face it in the Java edition or the Bedrock edition of the game. The Wither boss is spawned with a huge birth explosion that decimates a host of blocks around it. Once spawned, the mob will keep lobbing explosive Wither skulls as well as break blocks while pathfinding.

When the mob does not have any targets, it will randomly lock onto living things near it and keep blowing them up. It will fire a white or blue skull in random directions, with each head having its own skull damage cooldown. All three heads can operate individually and target up to three living entities at the same time.

Here are the stat points of the Minecraft Wither boss across all tiers:

Health

1) Java edition

Max Health: 150 Hearts

2) Bedrock Edition

Easy: 150 Hearts
Normal: 225 Hearts
Hard: 300 Hearts

Attack Strength

Be prepared for the mob's attacks (Image via Mojang Studios)

1) Birth explosion:

Easy: 35
Normal: 68
Hard: 102

2) Wither skull:

Easy: 5
Normal: 8
Hard: 12
Explosion: 5

3) Wither:

Normal: Wither II for 10 seconds
Hard: Wither II for 40 seconds

4) Dash Attack: 15

Speed

The Wither boss is quite agile (Image via Mojang Studios)

The movement speed of the Minecraft Wither boss is 0.6 across both Minecraft Java and Bedrock editions. Although both editions have the same speed, Bedrock features a special movement known as the dash attack.

How to spawn the Minecraft Wither boss

To spawn the Minecraft Wither boss, you will have to collect these items:

4 Soul Sand
3 Wither skull

Once you have collected these materials, place them exactly in the method shown above. The orientation of the T shape does not matter as long as the three Wither heads are placed as shown.

Once placed, it will take up to 10 seconds for the Wither to charge and get ready. Immediately after, it will have the birth explosion and begin to attack the player vigorously.

Also read: How to download Minecraft Bedrock 1.21.50.28 beta and preview

How to fight the Minecraft Wither boss

You must use a combination of ranged and melee attacks to take down this formidable foe (Image via Mojang Studios)

The Minecraft Wither boss requires some planning and strategizing if you decide to face it in combat. Before facing the mob, it is recommended to have a strong armor set, preferably diamond or netherite. As for weapons, it is recommended to carry a Netherite sword if you wish to end the fight in one piece.

When it comes to health buffs, we recommend that you carry potions of regeneration, golden apples, and other items of healing in Minecraft.

Once the Wither is spawned, it is recommended to move far away from it to avoid getting caught in the birth explosion blast. Once the fight begins, there are two phases to defeating the mob:

Phase 1

Use a Netherite sword to deal substantial damage to the mob (Image via Mojang Studios)

In the first phase, the Wither will keep shooting blue and black Wither skulls at you. You must avoid these projectiles since they deal heavy damage. During this stage, the Minecraft Wither boss will be at a considerable height and it is recommended to use projectile-based weapons such as the bow, crossbow, or even the trident.

Make sure to avoid the skulls as well, being in the vicinity when the Minecraft Wither boss employs the block-breaking attack. If the mob is near you, you can try melee attacks as well. This phase will continue till the mob reaches 50% health. This unlocks the second stage of defeating the Wither boss.

Phase 2

Avoid the Wither skull projectiles from the Minecraft Wither boss (Image via Mojang Studios)

The second phase of defeating the Minecraft Wither boss differs based on which edition of the game you play. Despite Mojang's efforts to ensure parity between the editions, some major features still lack balancing.

Here's how to get through the second and final stage of both editions:

Java Edition

Use ranged attacks to stay out of harm's way (Image via Mojang Studios)

In the Java edition, once you reach the second phase or 50% health, all projectiles like the bows and tridents become ineffective since the mob develops a shield or a Wither armor. The only way to deal damage to the Wither boss at this point is to engage in melee combat using your sword or Mace.

When the Wither kills other mobs in your world, a wither rose is planted on the ground. You should avoid stepping on it since it will impart the wither effect on you — you can counter this with milk, though. Make sure to avoid the block-breaking and keep dealing damage till you eliminate it finally.

Also read: Minecraft creaking mob guide: Location, loot, uses, and more

Bedrock Edition

In the Bedrock Edition, once you reach the second phase or 50% health, all projectiles like the bows and tridents become ineffective, just like in the Java edition. But what changes is the difficulty — once 50% health is reached, three wither skeletons will spawn. These mobs will continue to attack you while you attack the Minecraft Wither boss.

Similar to the Java edition, the Wither boss develops Wither armor in this edition as well. It will then proceed to dash into the ground and destroy all the blocks around it until it goes down roughly 40 blocks or reaches an unbreakable block like bedrock, end portal, light block, or more.

Once it resurfaces, the Minecraft Wither boss will dash towards its targets and destroy everything in its path. It will continue to fire skulls like normal but as an added level of difficulty, it will keep dashing every second burst. This makes it much harder to defeat. What makes it more fun is that the Wither boss is more powerful in the Bedrock edition.

Minecraft Wither boss loot drop

Eliminating the Minecraft Wither boss will reward you with a Nether Star (Image via Mojang Studios)

Once you defeat the Minecraft Wither boss, you are rewarded with one Nether star. This item can be used to make a beacon, one of the most powerful and function-rich blocks in the game.

Additionally, the mob will also spawn a host of wither roses when it kills other mobs and creatures in your world during the fight. You can collect the flowers and use them to make black dye, suspicious stew, and more. As a reward for defeating the mob, you get an achievement titled Withering Heights — a hilarious pun on Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights.

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Edited by Abhishek Manikandan