Zombie

A zombie is a hostile mob that closely resembles the player. A zombie measures 2 blocks tall, 1 block wide, and 0.25 blocks thick. Zombies spawn in dimly lit areas and attack players by shambling towards them and touching them. Like skeletons, zombies catch fire in sunlight.

Villagers are constantly attacked by zombies at nighttime, but the Iron Golem defends them.

Appearance
Zombies have green skin, empty eye sockets, and the same clothing as The Player and humans.

Uses
When killed, zombies drop 0-2 pieces of Rotten Flesh. These can be eaten, but have an 80% chance of giving the player food poisoning. Rotten Flesh can safely be used to heal tamed Wolves without any risk of the wolf being poisoned.

Before Beta 1.8, zombies dropped 0-2 Feathers.

Since snapshot 12w06a, zombies will sometimes drop iron armor, tools, or ingots. (So far only helmets, shovels, swords, and ingots confirmed.) Since snapshot 12w07a, zombies have a lower chance of dropping these rare items. Zombies will only drop rare items when killed by the player.

Behavior


Zombies moan when wandering around aimlessly, but snarl and gurgle when attacking or injured. Zombies spawn in groups of 2-6 and will pursue the player on sight. Before snapshot 12w03a they made no attempt to avoid cliffs or other obstacles, and would simply try to jump over anything in their path. In snapshot 12w03a, their AI was improved, helping them to better find their way around or over some obstacles. Unlike skeletons, zombies do not try to avoid being hit, and continue to pursue the player even when being counter-attacked. Zombie can sometimes deal damage through a closed door, as shown on the picture to the right. This is because when they occupy the space of the door, the game considers their hits as reaching past the door into an adjacent block.

At dawn (when the Sun is 15 degrees or more above the ground), zombies catch fire if exposed to direct sunlight. However, if they are in a body of water when this time comes, they will not be burned, as the water will douse the flames. If they exit the water and the conditions for them burning are still true, they will ignite again. Sufficient shade protects them, as will rain. As of snapshot 12w03a, zombies and skeletons do make some attempt to seek out the cover of nearby trees or caves, or enter bodies of water to protect themselves from burning up.

Zombies try to break down wooden doors, but there is a glitch where they try to break down iron doors and they will only succeed if the difficulty is set to hard. But if not in hard or peaceful mode the zombie will pound on the door, but is still unable to get in. This includes the hardcore game setting. Zombies will also attack Villagers if they see one within 16 blocks of themselves and will pick villagers over shade or water in daylight.

Combat
Zombies are the easiest enemies to deal with and don't pose much of a threat unless encountered in large groups or in a narrow space. A player on sufficiently high ground can repeatedly hit a zombie as it approaches, knocking it away each time it comes close. If the player is being pursued by several zombies, then it is necessary to knock each one away in turn so that no single zombie can close in. If a player is in a small room with several zombies and no escape route, it is advisable to use a blocking and slashing technique; this slowly kills the zombies while reducing the damage they inflict.

As of Beta 1.9 Pre-release 5 Zombies, Zombie Pigmen, and Skeletons can be damaged by Splash Potions of healing. A good method to use against attacking hordes of zombies is to herd them into a group, then throw 3 or 4 splash potions of healing at them. Not only will it kill the zombies, it will heal any nearby players. Unless there are very large numbers of zombies this method is likely to kill them all.

Another way to deal with zombies is to back away from them in sneak mode. As zombies are faster than a sneaking player, they will close in and can be repeatedly knocked away with an attack just as they enter range. Meanwhile, the use of sneak mode reduces the risk of a fall while moving backwards.

Defensive Measures
Like skeletons, zombies are vulnerable to daylight, lava, fire, and contact with cacti. Surface zombie populations can be controlled if the player regularly sleeps in a bed at dusk, since zombies will spawn at night if given the chance to do so.

Should a player be trapped on the surface outside at dusk, they can dig a single block wide pit 3 blocks deep, seal off the top with a block, and wait for morning light to burn away the undead before climbing out.

The Player can also kill zombies and all hostile mobs by using a bow from a distance so the player will not be attacked and killed.

Zombies will never break wooden doors that are considered as "open". If doors are placed so they look "closed" when they are actually "open", zombies will not attempt to break it.

History
Zombies were the first and fastest mob in Survival Test in the game until spiders were added, and could run as fast as the player. They would occasionally appear wearing armor, but this had no protective effect on their health. When killed, zombies gave 80 points each to the player.

The zombies' armor was removed in Indev. From Indev through Beta 1.7.3, zombies dropped 0-2 feathers upon death. Before chickens existed in Minecraft, Notch confessed that he made zombies drop feathers because he had no idea what they should have dropped when killed.

As of the 12w03a release, the zombie's AI was improved, giving them a much better sense of direction when pursuing the player, allowing them to navigate obstacles, and even small mazes if constructed, to get to the player. They were also given the ability to 'see' through windows, the first mob able to do so intelligently, discounting spiders, who are able to see through all blocks.

Here is a video showcasing some of the path finding changes made to the AI.

As of the 12w04a release, the zombies' AI was improved to cope with catching fire in sunlight. If a zombie is exposed to sunlight and bursts into flames, it will search for a body of water to douse the flames.

As of the 12w06a release, zombies will chase and attack Villagers, break through wooden doors in hard Difficulty, and will sometimes drop iron or iron helmets, swords and tools. Sometimes zombies will attack villagers in preference to the player, and will always choose the shortest way to the target, even if there is a door in the way.

In the Pocket Edition Alpha 0.2.0, Sheep and Zombies were added, making them the first mobs in PE.

Bugs

 * Zombies will stand still in daylight if it's raining. This bug makes them appear 'scared' to move as if they feared catching on fire, even though the rain would douse the flames.
 * In the Pocket Edition Alpha 2.0, Some Zombies won't catch on fire in the sunlight.
 * In pocket edition zombies can attack the player through doors if the player is standing directly in front of the and cannot move any further. This also means the player can attack the zombie the same way.
 * In snapshot 12w06a, zombies will no longer make an attempt to avoid sunlight.
 * In 1.2, when zombies go from a block to on top of a fence, they will spin aimlessly and can not get out unless pushed off.
 * In 1.2.3 Zombies are unable to hurt the player if the are both in water, and the player is fully submerged.

Trivia

 * If a zombie is in water, it will not catch fire and die, regardless of the light level. However, the moment it exits the water and re-enters direct sunlight, it will ignite.
 * Zombies are known to spawn inside various caves and caverns as the Overworld is being generated.
 * Because a zombie has identical dimensions to the player model, the zombie's skin can easily be used as a player skin and vice versa.
 * A Giant is an unused variation of a zombie that can only be spawned through third party programs. Its behavior is identical to the zombie's, but it has 50 hearts of health, deals 8.5 damage in a single hit, and is unable to damage you unless you are right under it.
 * Since Beta 1.9 pre 5, a splash potion of fire resistance can be used to spare zombies from burning to death in the sun.
 * A zombie hit by a splash potion of harming will gain health, and when it is hit by a splash potion of healing it will lose health. Zombies are unaffected by potions of regeneration and poison.
 * Zombies are easily detected through walls and blocks by their constant growling and moaning.
 * Zombie armor has no durability score, which means it can never 'wear out' the way player armor does. Two points of armor gives 8% damage reduction from most sources. It means you need to deal  physical damage to kill a zombie. When dropped from a height of 23 blocks, a zombie takes two unarmed hits to kill. The first hit dispels their armor, and the second hit takes its remaining health. There is no one-hit (unarmed) method to kill zombies in a falling trap.
 * In the snapshot 12w04a, when spawning a zombie in daylight with an egg on soulsand, it will not catch fire.
 * When killed in the day while raining, a zombie might make a hiss, due to the fact that it can catch on fire and immediately be burned out.
 * Zombies can break doors (since snapshot 12w06a), but they can't break trapdoors.
 * In snapshot 12w07b, the "horde" of zombies spawned to attack villagers spawns regardless of light level.
 * During the day in Pocket Edition, zombies do not catch fire. They are harmed as if hit by the player.
 * During the day in Pocket Edition, zombies sometimes stay under large rock archways in the shade to not die.
 * Zombies cannot break down doors that are open, so you can build your doors so that when it is "closed" it actually appears open and when it is "open" it will actually be closed and zombies cannot break into your home