Shulkers in Minecraft: Everything players need to know

A Shulker is one of the most interesting mobs in Minecraft. At first glance, it looks like just another purpur block. However, once a player gets close, the block will open up and shoot projectiles at them.

Shulkers are the only mob in Minecraft that camouflages as a block. They are also one of the only mobs to be almost completely immune to attacks, only taking damage when they open up to shoot their damaging projectiles.

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Shulkers in Minecraft

Locating

A cool (edited) shot of an end city (Image via u/BirbCart on Reddit)

Shulkers can only be found in Minecraft's end cities, which are located in the remote islands of the End.

Players can find Shulkers on the walls and bridges of end cities. The mob can also be found on end ships, which spawn next to the end cities.

As of the Minecraft 1.17 Caves & Cliffs update, these are the only locations where Shulkers spawn naturally.

Shulkers can, of course, be spawned through various commands or spawn eggs.

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Behavior

A naturally spawned Shulker peeking out of his shell (Image via Minecraft)

As stated above, Shulkers will hide in their shell and only attack when a player comes near.

When a player comes within 16 blocks of a Shulker, it will open up and shoot its projectiles at them. Players can attack these projectiles and deflect them with a shield.

Besides dealing a decent amount of damage, these projectiles will inflict the Levitation status effect on the player, which will make them float into the sky for ten seconds. Without a water bucket to break the players' fall, this levitation can be quite dangerous.

After shooting, the Shulker retracts back into its shell for one to five seconds before shooting again (if the player is still within the 16-block range).

Once a Shulker falls below 25% health, it can teleport without spawning a new Shulker. Once killed, they have a 50% chance of dropping a Shulker shell, two of which are needed to create a Shulker box.

The video above provides a visual guide for players who want to learn more about Shulkers in Minecraft.

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